Tirana, Albania is a weird patchwork capital city

January 31, 2015

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(the article below accompanies this video)

At the infamous Tirana pyramid building

At the infamous Tirana pyramid building

Our first full day in Tirana, Albania was rainy, but we walked around the central area to see some of the sights.

My BG was 159 when I woke up — must have been pretty good all night, last night’s pizza notwithstanding. We went to the breakfast buffet in the hotel that is included in our room. It was fairly basic but filling enough.

#bgnow 159 in the morning in Tirana

#bgnow 159 in the morning in Tirana

We had thin omelettes, bread, butter and honey, juice, and coffee. (The coffee was tiny-sized, and when we asked for a second cup they understood our request for a “big” Americano.) The only things that were missing were yogurt and cereal, but we didn’t go hungry because it was buffet style.

The first cup was too small...

The first cup was too small…

...but the second was juuust right.

…but the second was juuust right.

Taking a Humalog shot for breakfast in the restaurant

Taking a Humalog shot for breakfast in the restaurant

And my BG held through it all — at noon I was 133, and Masayo headed out with our umbrellas to see some of the sights we had seen in tourist maps. But first I stopped in at a pharmacy to check out the supplies.

#bgnow 133 — ready to go exploring in Tirana!

#bgnow 133 — ready to go exploring in Tirana!

Colorful leaves on a building next to our hotel. An artist/mayor started a campaign to make Tirana's buildings more colorful a few years ago.

Colorful leaves on a building next to our hotel. An artist/mayor started a campaign to make Tirana’s buildings more colorful a few years ago.

Orange chairs in the rain at a Tirana cafe

Orange chairs in the rain at a Tirana cafe

The woman working there spoke good English, and even had a whole shelf dedicated to blood sugar stuff. She had Accu-check and, surprisingly, OneTouch Ultra strips. Just what I needed! I am getting low.

Diabetes supplies shelf in the Tirana pharmacy. Sorry the image is fuzzy; it was kind of a quick, furtive shot.

Diabetes supplies shelf in the Tirana pharmacy. Sorry the image is fuzzy; it was kind of a quick, furtive shot.

A box of 50 was about $20. Not too discounted but all right. I got one box, and asked her about insulin pens (out of curiosity; I still have plenty). She didn’t have Humalog or Lantus, but she did have NovoRapid and Levemir, both of which I have used before. They were about $8 and $10 per pen, respectively. She also had Humulog 70/30 mix but I didn’t ask the price.

She also had some needles for pens. I asked how much, and she said if I wanted to buy like 10 or 20 they’d be $.10 each, but she could give me five for free. I need some, but I took the free ones.

Empty Tirana fountain in the rain

Empty Tirana fountain in the rain

Metal stairs to shops

Metal stairs to shops

Pleased with my diabetes purchases, Masayo and I continued on. We walked by the mosque and clock tower in the town square but didn’t go in. Then we went to the tourist office, where a girl who spoke English was working. She gave us maps and then I asked her about the roads in Albania. She said in winter, they could be dangerous down south, and that she herself wouldn’t go there. But the roads around the coast and up to Shkodër were ok. I appreciated her candor.

OneTouch Ultra strips in Italian, Serbian, and Albanian (I think).

OneTouch Ultra strips in Italian, Serbian, and Albanian (I think).

The Tirana main square in the rain

The Tirana main square in the rain

Tirana square statue and Albanian flag

Tirana square statue and Albanian flag

We stopped at a cafe/restaurant for lunch, and each got sandwiches. Mine seemed to have pretty thick bread, but I knew we would be walking and that I hadn’t been high much lately, so instead of the 4 or 5 units I probably needed, I decided to take a mere two.

Humalog shot at the sandwich place

Humalog shot at the sandwich place

Tirana building with mosaic

Tirana building with mosaic

Not Google's logo, but almost!

Not Google’s logo, but almost!

We walked around a small rainy market then, and saw a neat new church with a really interesting clock tower and bell tower on it. The neatest thing we saw was south of the main square, just past a park where Michael Palin walked around with Tirana’s mayor on the BBC series New Europe: “the pyramid”.

Church in downtown Tirana

Church in downtown Tirana

Monument in a Tirana park just south of the main square

Monument in a Tirana park just south of the main square

The pyramid opened in 1988 as an “International Center of Culture”, was soon converted into a base for NATO, and since has fallen into severe disrepair. It reminded me strongly of Patarei Prison in Estonia, although there is no entrance into the pyramid. You just walk around the outside, looking at the graffiti, smashed glass, and crumbling concrete.

The pyramid in Tirana, with walkway and bell monument

The pyramid in Tirana, with walkway and bell monument

Masayo looking at some graffiti outside the pyramid

Masayo looking at some graffiti outside the pyramid

Closeup of damage to the pyramid

Closeup of damage to the pyramid

Guy hanging out under a tree in the rain in front of the pyramid

Guy hanging out under a tree in the rain in front of the pyramid

After this strange and unique site, we went back to the hotel to relax. My sandwich Humalog restraint turned out to yet again be a bad idea — I was 288 at 4 pm, to no surprise at all. I ate a snack and took a shot.

#bgnow 288 after walking around Tirana

#bgnow 288 after walking around Tirana

I was only down to 196 a couple hours later, and it was dinner time. We decided that since we hadn’t seen much around the hotel area, we’d try the hotel’s restaurant. It’s an Italian-themed place, and the menu (and waiter) were in Albanian and Italian. Masayo translated some of the items that we couldn’t figure out on her phone.

#bgnow 196 before dinner

#bgnow 196 before dinner

I ordered the frittura di la mare, which I took to mean fried seafood, and we split a big Greek salad with a basket of toast. The salad was excellent, with big fresh chunks of vegetables and cheese. The fried seafood was good too, with entire small fish fried up alongside pieces of squid. We also split a big bottle of sparkling water.

Humalog shot for fried fish dinner (and salad and bread) in the hotel restaurant

Humalog shot for fried fish dinner (and salad and bread) in the hotel restaurant

After that we walked to the same shop I went to last night, for yet more water and another beer for me. Back in the room, I ate a chocolate bar as a snack, had the beer, and took another shot of Humalog for it. A double shot with a lot of unknown food — this would be a real test of my new inspired insulin doses.

Tirana beer and chocolate — for which I took a shot on top of the dinner shot.

Tirana beer and chocolate — for which I took a shot on top of the dinner shot.

It worked; I was 136 before bed. I have really had good luck with before-bed BGs lately. Now if I can corral the occasional afternoon highs, I’ll be perfect.

#bgnow 136 before bed in Tirana. Total succeess with the dinner. Now, will it last the night?

#bgnow 136 before bed in Tirana. Total succeess with the dinner. Now, will it last the night?

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0 comments
Tirana, Albania is a weird patchwork capital city

  1. Julia says:

    Sorry for my previous comment. Missed this post. On where to buy supplies and the cost. And the fact it is over the counter. Thanks. Ten dollars a pen is discounted, I think. More expensive in the States.

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Support independent travel content

You can support my work via Patreon. Get early links to new videos, shout-outs in my videos, and other perks for as little as $1/month.

Your support helps me make more videos and bring you travels from interesting and lesser-known places. Join us! See details, perks, and support tiers at patreon.com/t1dwanderer. Thanks!