Dates: 16-22 November 2018.
When the FAW announced a winter friendly in Albania I was more than a little excited. Having visited over two-thirds of the countries in Europe it becomes decreasingly likely I’ll get to visit a new place when following #WalesAway
There was some controversy during the build-up though. When I say controversy I actually mean stupidity on my part. Due to every international week involving two matches these days one has to be careful when one chooses departure and arrival dates for one’s trip.
When I initially looked at flights they seemed a bit pricey. A month later they were far more reasonable…because I was looking at the wrong departure date. I booked the flights and few days later realised I would be missing the home UEFA Nations League match with Denmark. Idiot.
Nevertheless, my itinerary was thus:
- one night in Tirana
- two nights in Berat
- two nights in Elbasan
- two nights back in Tirana with a day-trip to Durrës
The flight from Gatwick was unremarkable but for the fact I was surrounded by Scots due to their friendly match. The shuttle bus took twice as long to get to Tirana due to the traffic which featured young men weaving through the near-stationary traffic attempting to sell DVDs…
There was a minor hiccup at the hotel as they thought I’d already arrived. Thankfully another room was available, albeit with a separate private bathroom a short dash across the corridor.
Tirana was cold but crisp and the Christmas fair combined with the decorations gave the place a charming yet unassuming feel:
I managed to watch the Cymru/Denmark game on my phone thanks to the bar’s WiFi and a dodgy stream. Needless to say, the club sandwich and three local beers for less than a tenner was considerably more impressive than the 2-1 defeat.
Day two was one of my favourite days of the trip. The bus stations in Tirana are spread out, and you have to know which one serves which cities. Terminali i Autobusave të Jugut in the north west of the city serves south Albania. A 2.5km walk with my case in tow was, in hindsight, not a fun thing to do. Nevertheless, I rock up at the terminal and, as with many eastern European countries, you just have to wander around and listen for people shouting your destination. As soon as I gave this one guy an approving nod he whisked me and my case off to his bus.
Look, it’s a bus in a poor country, it’s not luxurious. However, the two-and-a-bit hours passed comfortably and quickly, mainly thanks to some red Dwarf episodes on my phone. On arrival in Berat it was a short taxi ride to my hotel. Hotel Omer was a cute little affair with two cute female natives.
The next few hours can only really be described by pictures as I wandered the immediate vicinity and ascended the imposing mountain to reach Berat Castle:
A couple of videos hep convey the vastness and peacefulness:
It really was a wonderfully peaceful and picturesque day. Unfortunately, the evening was to be the complete opposite.
I was famished that evening and found a place to eat that was recommended in the guide book. I was the only diner but the rack of lamb, roasted (and very salty) vegetables and fries did the trick. The local wine was pretty tidy too. The only sour note was spotting one of the kitchen staff preparing food with a cigarette in his mouth. Was that a bad omen…
Well, at 04.00 I awoke with severe gut pains! I shall spare you the details but needless to say I didn’t sleep well and most of the next day was a write-off. I did venture out for an hour or so as I wanted to see the other side of Berat which included the university and the home of FK Tomori Berat, at the time an Albania tier two side.
The rest of the day passed in the company of Dave Lister, Arnold Rimmer et al in between dozing in and out of sleep. I had to nip out to get some extra toiletries late in the evening which confused the hell out of a local shop keeper and netted me four kitchen rolls. I didn’t have time to explain I was more interested in toilet rolls…
Day four saw me leave Berat and head for Elbasan. A local bus took me to the bus station I arrived at a few days earlier and I seemed to be in luck. Although bus schedules aren’t really a thing in Albania, there was a helpful board telling me I only had to wait 15 mins for the next bus… It must have been full and gone early which is the way in this part of the world. Happily, whilst I read, I was asked three times by different locals where I was heading and was given an approving nod that I was in the right place each time.
When the bus arrived (an hour and a quarter later) it was brilliant – a minibus of dubious robustness. Still, a couple of quid and an hour-and-bit later and I arrived in Elbasan, a fairly drab town with the only site of note being some castle walls that encapsulate a charming labyrinth of lanes, residential buildings and restaurants.
After taking ages to find my accommodation (within the castle walls) it was on to meet Hayley, Ian and Big Rob in a bar in the castle’s remaining turret. Afterwards we took a look at the Elbasan Arena which was lit up and being prepared for the subsequent day’s action.
Match day. At this point it’s worth noting that I had a hole in my right boot so I’d taken to putting a plastic airport liquids bag over my sock. It sort of worked. Possibly the highlight of the day was lunch in a fine Italian restaurant. There’s a huge Italian influence in Albania and Elbasan seemed to embrace this influence more than most.
Scary toilet art in said restaurant:
The build-up to the game was great with the local bars making every effort to serve beer at a monumental rate. Most of us agreed that Elbasan doesn’t seem to get many visitors throughout the year, nevertheless, we got food, drink and music. Sadly, the evening went downhill after this. Overzealous turnstile staff caused a huge delay and we missed the opening five minutes. We could have done with missing the whole 90 in truth as we were shockingly awful. At least the post-match beers were cheap (a quid a glass) and the locals where friendly and photo-happy.
Oh, and it was Chris Gunter’s 100th cap. He didn’t deserve that dire performance!
The Elbasan Arena:
With the (dreadful) football out of the way it was time to hit the road again. The bus stop in the centre of Elbasan is quite small so locating the Tirana-bound one was simple. Some daylight sight-seeing was on the cards, so it was a case of bunkers, buildings and a pyramid:
The final full day involved a few hours in Durrës which is on the west coast of the Albania, about 40 minutes by bus from Tirana. Another 2.5km walk up
Terminali i Autobusave të Jugut was required followed by a mini bus.
I imagine Durrës in delightful in the summer, but on a soggy November day, not so much. The fairground rides were all open but looked a bit sad an unloved. A bit like their human operators. However, there was still some beautiful scenery:
Perhaps the most important thing achieved on the day was finally replacing my boots. I found a shopping centre and bought some knock-off Timberland-style boots for 14 quid!
Albania was not entirely what I expected. Yes, there was the crazy bus stations, reliable public transport and friendly natives, but there was also some spectacular vistas and (baring the one meal!) some fine traditional food.
Notes From The Road 