Albania
A week-long, hub-and-spoke trip to Albania was a good way to explore the country. I stayed in Tirana, the capital and by far the largest city. From there I visited the coastal city of Durrës and Lake Bovilla. Albania’s star attractions are the Albanian Riviera and the mountains. My planned trip to Berat fell through when the tour operator didn’t pick me up. As someone who grew up in West Berlin, I’m fascinated by Cold War history, and Albania felt like the oddest of the Eastern Bloc countries. The country still bears reminders of the extensive bunkerization initiative: it built about 177,000 of the planned 750,000 bunkers. Bunkart 1 is especially interesting: it’s a five-story underground bunker that was intended as a government shelter. Unfortunately, the Bunkart museums suffer from poor English translations. The House of Leaves is a former Segurimi office turned into a museum; despite its central location, it seems to attract few visitors. Hoxha’s villa in today’s hipster area Blloku has been turned into an exhibition space, but it offers little context. Only a few remnants of the regime’s collapse remain. It may be that the country is focused on the future and has largely set the past aside.
The German Embassy monument in Tirana
I’m not sure who’s being honored or remembered with this monument in Tirana, but I’ll settle for the guy who ran his lorry through the wall of the German embassy on the 2nd of July 1990 and breaching Europe’s most isolated regime. In the lorry were his wife, two kids, and a sheep, but within a few days more than 3200 people fled into the extraterritorial compound. Over the course of 10 days the Albanian authorities tried everything to force a surrender, including turning off food and water supply in plain Southern European summer. You can read more about all this and its happy ending for example here: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/albania-1990-embassy-st_b_7780550, https://www.visit-tirana.com/news/the-memorial-of-the-truck-that-broke-the-walls/, and https://www.tiranatimes.com/the-day-albanias-wall-fell/
It’s sad though that such a great story is remembered only by this monument where the digit 1 has fallen off. It is hidden behind a bush, and there’s no sign or plaque to explain what it is about. I hope that this will properly commemorated, because this story deserves to be told and remembered.
In case you speak German, you can listen to this podcast: https://www.hoerspielundfeature.de/themenseite-die-botschaft-100.html - it’s fairly good, unfortunately it lacks the gravitas that would be appropriate for such a story, but it is still worth listening to.
Mass flight monument at Durrës port
Here’s another monument that commemorates the collapse of the socialist regime in Albania. I had all but forgotten how dramatic the events were that unfolded in this isolated, forgotten country.
On the 7th of August 1991, the cargo ship Vlora was moored in Durrës port, one of the few connecting points to the rest of the world. The rumor that there was a chance to leave the country spread quickly and within hours thousands of people had stormed the ship. Some estimates put the number at 20,000 people when the ship set sail on the 8th to Italy. They were packed without sufficient water in searing summer heat, dangerously overcrowded. Space was so scarce that people were dangling from ladders. Shockingly enough, when they called at the first port, they were turned down.
Have a look at the images in the wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlora_(ship) or here https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/true-stories/pictures-of-albanians-fleeing-for-italian-coast-remind-us-that-seeking-refuge-is-nothing-new/news-story/fd1467dfbb7fb96d36876bf9ea8c7cf3
The monument just sits there, marking a parking lot, tucked away behind a newly built fancy hotel with no markers or explanation. During my tour of Durrës, our guides showed us the Roman amphitheatre, the Venetian tower, and the glorious Golem beach, but didn’t even mention these events.
Leipzig and Dessau
I spent a few days in Central Germany to catch the UEFA Conference League final in Leipzig. While Madrid’s hipster club, Rayo Vallecano, unfortunately lost, the match was a loud, enthusiastic spectacle—a true testament to how passionately fans of “lesser” clubs celebrate participation and success in lesser competitions. Leipzig itself is also seeing an unstoppable rise in the hipster rankings, and while there, I caught a great exhibition about Mosaik, a comic series by Hannes Hegen—East Germany’s answer to Walt Disney. Afterward, I spent a day exploring the iconic Bauhaus sites in Dessau, which are well worth a look. If you visit, I highly recommend the 304 bus; it conveniently links three different World Heritage sites in just about an hour.
Füssen and Bavarian Alps
Füssen, a small town in the Bavarian Alps, is best known for Neuschwanstein Castle. Nearby are other highlights such as Linderhof Palace and the Pilgrimage Church of Wies. With dramatic alpine scenery and plenty of hiking trails, Füssen is an excellent base for outdoor exploration.
Cote d’Azur
What a big difference in weather in late March between Germany and Nice: the aptly named Côte d’Azur is still affordable, with sunshine and mild temperatures. I stayed in Nice and explored the region by train. The area offers stunning mountains, blue skies, sea views, decent museums, and good food. Monaco is, well, Monaco, but I was lucky to be there during the first papal visit since the 16th century, a rare event that left me wondering: why Monaco? A fantastic destination!