"Wandering in Tirana"

I believe that every person in this world is connected with the place they grew up and shaped their personality. In my case, as an albanian citizien I always wanted the world to know more about Albania. A small country located in the southwestern portion of the Balkan Peninsula and a true hidden gem of the Balkans that waits in silence for curious eyes to discover it.

Now, I would like to share with you virtual visitors, a part of Albania called Tirana. Being the largest city and also the capital, Tirana plays an important role in Albania.It is considered to be the heart of Albania's economic, cultural and governmental activity. Also, Tirana is one of the largest city in Balkans, ranking number 7th. And for all the people that are searching for a destination full of warm days, you are just one step away of booking a ticket and coming in Tirana. An interesting fact about it is that the city is ranked among the ten sunniest cities in Europe, with 2,544 hours of sun per year.

Picture © Credits to Gatsi

If you ask me, I would say that Tirana is an everchanging city.It carries in itself the urge for a constant change without letting the past to vanish. It contains the old and the new, the history from the past and the history that lies in the future. You can spot this contrast manifested in Tirana's architecture. A mix between Roman,Byzantine and Ottoman monuments that take place all over the city. Furthermore, you will see even monuments that date back from the dictatorship era, now transformed into museums and cultural centers. It required a lot of efforts and time to transition from the Totalitarian system to the democracy one. But, history remains history and it allows people to go forward and create something better for themselves.

During your stroll around the center of Tirana, you will have the chance to see the monument of our national Hero, "Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbeu" or known by foreigners as Skanderbeg. He remains an important figure in the history of Albania since he was the one who gave Albanians the indipendence from the Ottoman empire.

There is a lot of history in everything you see in Albania and I assure all of you that it will be worth it.