9 October bus Shkodra – Tirana

When I wake up it’s raining heavily. I decide to go to Tirana by bus. After thanking Martin and family members for their kind hospitality, I bicycle into town to bargain for a bus.

It’s crowded with people and there are many local bicyclists. There are even some bicycle racks. According to many I spoke to, Shkodra is the city where Albanians bicycle the most. I find the buses and even manage with the driver, to secure my bike standing up. That’s a relief, because it will come out all right with a much higher chance.

The bus takes me away from the rainy weather and into capital Tirana. When we reach Tirana’s main railway station the sun is shining. A hotel is found 200 meters down the street for a reasonable 15 euro a night.

It was good to take the bus, my bicycle could even stand up straight, and I prevented a trip along this busy road. I have been looking at the maps and after the experiences in the mountains so far, I will encounter still more and even higher passes when I try to reach the Igmoenitsa port in Greece, From there I can reach Istanbul by boat, but it will become a race against the clock and this I do not want. The road was my aim not the end destination. So after such a beautiful and inspiring trip I decide that Tirana will become the end station. I find a WIFI bar to start planning and preparing my flight back home.

That being taken care off, I enjoy the city, which comes to full life from around 15.30 till around 20.00 hours. It seems everyone is out on the street, going home from school, work or shopping for groceries, talking and having a coffee. At the Skanderberg Square, where the Opera and House of Culture are located and surrounded by many embassies, I run into a structure that says Tirana design month 15 September – 15 October. I decide I’ll find out more tomorrow. The Polis University seems to be the middle point of it all.

After asking for a restaurant with local food, I am escorted to a restaurant far away from one of the main arteries, Although you can’t enjoy city life, it’s better not to eat in the diesel fumes and the loud street noises. I enjoy some goat’s meet, a salad and another good local red wine. Tired, I put my legs up and fall asleep.