Tirana is the capital of Albania. The main international airport is there and so that's where we began our trip. Before leaving home I'd read in many places that you should only stay a day but I was glad we'd decided to spend two. In fact we could have done with another day to go to the cable car, visit BunkArt 1 and to visit the park. Tirana is a city of contrasts, as is the whole country, in fact. It's very walkable and we spent our first day ambling around and getting our bearings. A good illustration of the contrasts can be seen in the four views from the balcony of the apartment we stayed in. The view to the right: ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/gillianpearce/23wCBnU1nvSpRXdUrMYSjydaQoZgkpBmSjpsWuMnzVo72PVVrq5DkAk99jNuVr8GWNNfU.png) I love the mountain in the background and the jumble of telephone wires better seen in this shot. ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/gillianpearce/23uQvSFhag8hjSfx5nzstJRL8XDow9JBArkjfkMBPP7nX45nbaJLQRqVVxBXo9TMpDctT.png) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The forward view shows a modern house amongst the high rises. It has a date of 1934 above the door so I can only assume it has been modernised since then. 🤔 ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/gillianpearce/23w2oCpYEhjhmoVarMGHtxyUY26tYd43WoDKBRP9w8TpMwXMfkDGj1ZFMBXYfZEdCLKZ9.png) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The view to the left, shows part of the modern house. I'm guessing these flats were built in the communist era. ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/gillianpearce/2432Bk6bdQnkMsL8qhDdDo1oGRZisyNJYCppVZ7EJcPLKvEo27L3fzDDZZDCgyMgpeBkd.png) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The heart of Tirana is [Skanderbeg Square](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skanderbeg_Square), named after the Albanian national hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu. It's fully pedestrianised with a total area of about 40,000 square metres and so has a wonderfully spacious feel. We crossed it many times to get to other parts of the city and enjoyed people watching over a coffee and cake at the Opera House. ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/gillianpearce/23wX5C6T4QFYZYvNqZDy5G9KYiPdhXaLp4pvZErbkGc52vGZwZG1nmekEvmHgaJYaoBsM.png) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ This view is looking across the Square towards the Opera House which gives an idea of the scale of the place. In the north east corner is the [Skanderbeg Building](https://www.mvrdv.com/projects/461/skanderbeg-building) designed like a marble bust. It's 85 metres tall and houses, office and retail space as well as functional homes. We didn't actually notice it was a person until our second day because we entered the square from behind it. There are a number of fun buildings in the area but this one was my favourite. ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/gillianpearce/242Y3vpjCB1psbSbokiKbCiwBUxufqebwSSYKL1yLGyeqPgLQcK4kwUASv2QEXU9LrG7a.png) Here it is peeping through some other buildings. Note the communist bunker in the bottom left of the picture. ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/gillianpearce/23zGeHpX94DokzuRRHbTAeaCjUNaL97tZSyJNX5C5brg3oxtrXGrQ6YAkTNKpBQWe41xN.png) And here it is at night viewed from the other side of the square. ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/gillianpearce/23u5tBFf2HPGpHcQYa4qrVurkKhPmUobkcvjb28b46v3DyBkF5tGgvuiEjDvGqkk3hqMT.png) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ In the corner to the right of the Opera House there was a new temporary feature being installed. It wasn't finished before we left so have no idea what it is. It's a bit of a shame as it obscured the view of the [Et'hem Bey Mosque](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Et%27hem_Bey_Mosque) and it's pretty frescoes. ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/gillianpearce/23ycyQnm4wcdHejHVKWrD1TXUjeWg1YJwwPzFu2vbAwpbJ7ixVYB8iyxMDRRJ1ZU7Vxbc.png) The Mosque is well worth a visit. It's quite tiny but has a lovely interior. A nice place to get out of the hustle and bustle and enjoy the peace. Click the link to view my snap of my [four best photos](https://peakd.com/hive-124838/@gillianpearce/re-peaksnaps-sy0ked) of the interior. ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/gillianpearce/23tSYgiKxEgBKier82TY6kNUHRd3SVTqfaAeNBxrZUToHE6p59ydEu8z8oJBMiALSAYnL.png) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ On the opposite side of Skanderbeg Square is the [National Historical Museum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_History_Museum_(Albania)) which I was looking forward to visiting. It would be interesting to see all of Albania's diverse history in one place. However, the Museum is closed and, if the article on [euronews.al](https://euronews.al/en/national-historical-museum-is-closed-for-4-years/) is correct, will be so for a further 3 years. ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/gillianpearce/23wMajjKSH8D9rWhQkey7tbnR51nx2z4ckPKgc7sqMYmMS8EEmWxAq8mWX78nL4Srkqm7.png) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ One of my favourite things about Tirana is the beautiful scent of the Tilia Platyphyllos trees. I think that's what they are but I'm not actually sure. If anyone knows for certain please let me know. The heady scent really hit me when we got off the bus from the airport. I thought someone was burning incense but when I noticed the perfume all over the place I realised it was the trees. It smelt a bit like jasmine to me, something else that was growing in abundance, and it was gorgeous. ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/gillianpearce/23tvVwTdJMonDVFhESXahpYGJiNwuAKW6pDmX1GEwoaB9HhuGc3uLfH7gc63prAvwBAKG.png) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I loved our 2 days in Tirana and, if ever there are flights there from our local airport I will definitely be going back. Next time I'd also like to visit BunkArt 1 (this time we only went to BunkArt 2) and the park. [//]:# (!worldmappin 41.32569 lat 19.81734 long Tirana, Albania d3scr)

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