Mapwork by @Slalice_Draws
This week our virtual travels bring us to yet another underrated European destination: Albania! Since Albania not on many of the "must see" lists for European travel, I am excited to find all the hidden gems across the country. Let's go!
Travel and Fun Attractions
Travel from Berlin to Tirana - the capital city of Albania - will be pretty straightforward. Aside from the fact that there don't seem to be any direct flights, we are basically looking at a flight with one layover:
The trip to Tirana will take approximately 4.5 hours with one stop in Frankfurt. The flights currently range from 115-250 Euros, roundtrip. As the country is tall and thin, we will be staying in a handful of different regions within the country over the course of our stay so that we can easily visit each of our dream attractions!
This time, our hotels are included below connected with the nearby attractions we will be virtually enjoying:
Tirana
Tirana is the quirky and fun capital city of Albania. There will be lots to do while we are there (including, of course, enjoying yummy food and nightlife around the city!). Two attractions we definitely want to check out are:
Bunk'Art - During the 50 year reign of communist dictator, Enver Hoxha, he had thousands of bunkers and fallout shelters built across the country, including one massive, 5 story bunker that was just for the political elite and remained a secret. Today, it has been converted to a museum that we can all check out! Fortunately for us, we can take a virtual tour of the museum, right from home. Click on the photo below to get started:
and
House of Seven Leaves (or the Museum of Secret Surveillance) - This museum, winner of the 2020 Council of Europe Museum Prize, is of a darker nature. The award committee explains, "The National Museum of Secret Surveillance “House of Leaves” commemorates the psychological violence and total control of citizens during the communist regime in Albania (1944-1991) during which 18,000 people were prosecuted and charged and 5,000 executed. It is situated in the former State Security house in the centre of Tirana, which served as the Central Directorate of the Sigurimi, a technical branch of the Albanian State service agency. The particular feature of this small museum is that it has remained virtually intact with original equipment and recordings which are now stored in archives." This museum also offers a virtual tour for us to take from home. Click on the photo below to get started:
While in the capital city of Tirana, we will be staying at the Diplomat Hotel, which is currently about 65 Euros/night.
2. Saranda/Albanian Riviera
Our next stop in Albania will be to the beach! Saranda is part of the Albanian Riviera and is *the* place to be for gorgeous beaches and vibrant nightlife. In addition to enjoying the water and the sand, we will be sure to take a detour to the "Blue Eye" a naturally occuring phenomenon, and breathtakingly beautiful water spring. While there, due to the crystal clear water, we should be able to see all the way to the bottom, even though no one has been able to measure how deep it is!
In Saranda, we will stay right on the water at Bougainville Bay Resort and Spa (currently for about 80 Euros / night):
3. Apollonia/Berat:
Next, we will spend some time checking out some history. Berat, also known as the "City of 1000 Windows" due to all of its windows always watching is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as a great place to take some cool photos!
While we are there, we can't miss hopping over to nearby Apollonia, where Roman Emporer Augustus studied philosophy. It's wild to think about some of these places we have only read about in history books coming to life. In the meantime, check out this drone video of Apollonia and nearby Butrint:
In Berat, we will stay at Hotel Osumi starting at 28 Euros / night:
4. Permet
Next up, we will be heading to Permet for a couple of days of refreshing and relaxing! The hot springs there are reported to cure most of what ails us, so we will be sure to visit!
While in town, we will be staying at Villa Permet, an upscale hotel housed in a historic and beautiful stone building.
While at the hotel, I most look forward to taking cooking lessons where we will learn to make traditional Albanian food! Yum, yum!
5. Shkodra
Finally, we will wrap up our virtual travels to Albania with a visit to Shkodra for some outdoorsy fun! Shkrodra - often considered the cultural capital of Albania - is a good place for us to stay if we want to visit up into the mountains for any wintery fun! In addition to taking in the mountains, we will be sure to rent bikes for a bike tour of the Old Town, and we also have some fun to check out on the ground, including:
And, the Marubi National Museum of Photography (which is currently offering some online exhibits we can enjoy from home!):
In Shkodra, we will be wrapping up our stay in Albania at the Hotel Colloseo & Spa:
Phew! Lots to see and do in Albania during our virtual visit. What are you most excited about?
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