Tirana, Albania - 12 May

For us Tirana wasn't a major destination. By this time we were ready to get home. But, we were in a new city, so we had to check it out. First we wanted to find a place to drop our bags for the day. We weren't staying the night since our flights were at 5am. We went to the nicest hotel and asked if they had a service, but that doesn't seem to exist here like everywhere else in the world. Then we found the cheapest hotel possible and got a room. We walked around a bit saw what there was to see,

This is a famous communist Mural, another woman holding an AK-47. Not sure why that big to the Communists.

This is the main square. This one picture managed to capturefour of the big things to see in Tirana. The clock, the mosque, a flag, and the statue. That and the mural is about it.

The hardest thing was trying to get money. They don't have many ATMs and the ones they did have, didn't work for our cards. Luckily we found one and had a nice dinner at a restaurant in the embassy district. We took a short nap and then got up at 2am to go to the airport. We asked the lady at the desk to call us a cab, and she kindly refused. Very weird, not to mention that, like in Bulgaria, they shake their head "yes" and nod "no." Many confusing moments in these countries.

So now Pappy and I are running around downtown Tirana at 2am with all our stuff hoping we find a cab, which seem scarce. Plus, we know the Airport is a ways out of town. But we find one and start our way. After we leave Tirana we aren't sure that we are definitely going to the right place. Then when we take a right onto a dirt road we're really worried. No way can the road to the Airport for a nation's capital consist of a dirt road. Well, it did. This thing was full of holes, we were dodging all sorts of them. We eventually arrived at a "one-roomed" airport, that was just opening. And that was it, we got on the plane and flew to Milan. I caught my connection to Frankfurt and jumped on a train for home. So within 24 hours I had take a boat, hiked, a van, a taxi, an airplane, and a train!