Tirana Off The Beaten Path

Kruje is a small mountain town 32 kilometres north-west of Tirana and it's a perfect destination for a day trip. "Kruj'" means "spring" and in the past it was famous for its fresh waters. it is also a medieval town rich in history, and the birthplace of the national hero: Gjergj Kastriot Scanderbeg, who fought against the Ottoman invasion. Kruja is therefore the symbol of the popular resistance and freefom.

The citadel is quite impressive, although most of it is in ruins, and the Skenderbeg mausoleum that you can see there is informative and interesting. What I liked best, however, was the tiny ethnographic museum: a small jewel shading a light on how rich families used to live in the past. The original furniture is simply amazing. The bazaay before entering the citadel is full of great handicrafs to be bought.

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I do not know if the botanical garden has suffered during the years that have followed the end of the Communist era. In 1988, it was a very large and valuable botanic garden, very well kept, a true jewel as can be seen on the first photo. Such a botanical garden requires a lot of manpower to be kept in good condition. The natural tendency of plants is not to stay in the square space that they have been allotted, under their label and the most powerful are all the time trying to invade the space where the weakest are trying to grow. If abandoned, it takes only a few years to be lost forever.

The second photo shows a group of students from the University visiting the garden and working with their teacher.

On the third photo, Agron, our Albanian guide, explains to the students, that are very likely to have never seen any foreigners, what we were doing here. After that, each of them began to talk a few words with us, in the language he/she new. Several spoke Italian, others Serbo-Croat, some English, others French, one knew German and when one asked us if we spoke Russian, I answered "niet, niet, ne Russki" they all shouted, laughed and clapped their hands, shouting "nuk rusishtja, nuk rusishtja!". The one who had spoken Russian laughed too and mockingly hide himself behind his hand, ashamed!

On the last photo, a guy of our group has convinced one of the students to come with him and takes a photo for her with a Polaroid.

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A little further in the park, a pond that seemed to be an artificial lake behind a small dam offers great landscapes with a small boat and trees reflecting on the still surface of the water. A path allowed to walk all around the pond.

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Close to the Botanical garden, it seems that the villa shown on the first photo was the headquarters of the park and botanical garden.

The second photo shows what is most likely to be the technical annexes of the park and botanical garden, a nursery for the plants of the flower-beds.

On the third photo, I have enlarged the strange agricultural engine they used. I had never seen the same anywhere else!

As our group was in Albania to view rare flowers and animals, our Albanian guide brought us to a large park with a Botanic Garden but I know neither the location nor the name of this park. The entrance was a classical green park with large flower-beds but the second part was the botanical garden (next tip).

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Dajti mountin is just 20 min by car from Tirana city. As you can see from the picture you can have a fantastic view of Tirana from there. During the winter, from december to february it is all covererd with snow.. you may do hiking, walk up to the top of the mountain or visit some of the caves there.

I liked Tirana by night and took this photograph. When I think of Tirana, I do miss day and night view of Et'hem Bey Mosque and Clock Tower.