The roads in Albania quickly got worse with a lot of potholes and trash all along the road. There were farms with very primitive looking equipment. This was the Albania I had been prepared to see.
Shkodër was the first city I stayed in. As I rolled up I saw a lot of cyclists on old bikes carrying heavy loads. Many of the riders were older men that were not riding for recreational reasons as I was. I started to see more dogs running up and barking at me. Then As I got into downtown Shkodër I saw empty lots full of garbage and little packs of stray dogs eating trash. There were so many dogs eating from dumpsters in the city. I even saw stray horses walking around eating out of dumpsters. It was surreal.
I did manage to get out and explore the well-decorated shopping district had in place for Christmas.
One thing I’d been struggling a lot with on the entire trip is spatial manners. I was frequently surprised and annoyed by how inconsiderate everyone is when it comes to sharing the roads. By everyone I mean everyone: pedestrians of all ages, cyclists, cars, trucks. Nobody will make way for anyone else. Whenever there’s a possibility of crossing paths with another on roads or sidewalks, nobody will move over or slow down for another. There’s no eye contact or an attempt to negotiate who should go first. It’s just: “I’m going now and I don’t see you.” It’s extremely frustrating. Even in the most unfriendly bike cities in the U.S. (I’m looking at you Joliet, IL), there would be some scornful eye contact.
Tirana was a surprise to me. It was a big metropolitan city in the middle of the poorest European county. But this place had all the workings of a big European city. Busy streets and sidewalks. Cafes and restaurants. Universities. People. Lots of smokers too.
My friend Yü described Tirana as “the Paris of the Balkans.” I agree with that. There’s a lot of pedestrians on narrow streets that are lined with cafes, bars and restaurants. There’s a university that brings a lot of young people. I had some of the best food options (ie veggie options) in Tirana.
While I was in Tirana I got my 3rd Covid vaccine. This was something had struggled to do this in while I was in both Split and Dubrovnik, despite claims on the public health website that everyone (including travelers) were eligible for vaccines. In Tirana I walked up to the public health department and asked for a vaccine. After a bit of confusion they took my number and later directed me to the soccer stadium. Once I knew where to go getting a booster was easy. I walked into the stadium, they wrote down my name and passport, didn’t ask me any questions, gave me a vaccine, updated my Digital EU Covid passport, and sent me on my way. Unfortunately I felt some side effects from the vaccine for the following few days, but nothing like the ones I felt on the 2nd dose last June.
I had been coordinating with an old YouTube friend from Macedonia this whole bike tour and he was planning to be back there for Christmas. So I decided to meet up with him from Tirana. I headed eastward toward Elsaban for a night and then on to Macedinia the next day. The weather was definitely getting colder as I went inland and gained in elevation.
