Montenegro/Albania: Day 16

/ alliwanders

Berat  > Tirana

We stayed in a hacienda looking hotel on the outskirts of Berat. A rooster was confused and started crowing at 3:12am. Other roosters, a frog, sheep and a dog made their morning sounds an hour or two later so it was a short sleep last night. Luckily nothing is scheduled today but to drive to Tirana where the tour ends at 11am (or whenever we get there).

Don’t know what a “silky bunker” is but the whole group has been trying to take a picture of one of the 170,000 bunkers in Albania and George finally got one on the last day!
Dropping some of our group at the airport; the others got dropped off at each of our respective hotels. Only George & Adeline are continuing on to North Macedonia

I was almost the last to get off the bus ~1pm but it was still too early to check in so I went for lunch and a wander.

View from 6th Floor of shopping mall cafe
Cool pedestrian street lined with trees & cafes
House of Leaves museum. All about surveillance program against Albania’s own citizens during the Communist era

“A feature of the communist dictatorship in Albania was the ever-complete self-isolation from the world, by proclaiming Albania as the only socialist country in the world, with the entire world against a small country. In the totalitarian mentality of the time the external enemy appeared as inseparable from the internal enemy. Ultimately, self-isolation and maintaining Albanian society under total control was essential.”

Names of most of the 5,500-6,000 political prisoners executed
More incredible architecture

One last (small) group dinner. Alison, Beverly, Martin and I gatecrashed the welcome dinner for the North Macedonia and Kosovo trip. Adeline & George are continuing on the next leg with Ted but only in a group of 5. As one person was late arriving, the Brits & I joined their little Welcome Dinner for one last get together and say goodbye. A fun night.