And you thought the obsession was with Norman Wisdom ?
May 2024. Gjirokraster. Albania.
Our third city in Albania, and already Gjirokaster looked destined for our own personal Top 40s, level with Cologne and just above Palmerston North, possibly.
You can walk its dips and climbs in 20 minutes; it felt a place you HAD to stay over to enjoy at night.
But we were fed and watered (wined ?) by 6pm, so what on earth to do apart from consult Untappd, and find that, unexpectedly, the best option was the Irish pub aka Gallery.
That table there, the one with the view, said the barman. I peeped inside and spied the craft.
Service at the bar isn’t really a thing in Albania, but then bars aren’t really a thing, either.
Aww, doesn’t teddy look sad ?
Hang on. Did Mrs RM really just ask that bloke if she could borrow his teddy ?
Yep. He looked happy with attention.
and with our choice of Vagabondi from what might be Albania’s only microbrewery.
We thought it was gorgeous, cool and rich. Sascha on Untappd wrote “The smell is lactic, a bit strawberry milkshake-like The taste also has notes of strawberry, a bit creamy in the taste, a bit oily in the mouth. Aftertaste is bitter and malty“.
It was definitely craft, though. 1,000 lec (£9 for 2 pints half litre) proves that. Free popcorn and a seat in one of Albania’s top people watching street, AND a teddy to cuddle. Well worth it.
They do seem to have a love/hate relationship with their teds. These seemed to be hanging from the castle wall in Tirana. But it’s sometimes best not to dig too hard.
retiredmartin 
Been following your trip vicariously – very enjoyable especially with the addition of a little jeopardy. It’s a country that seems to appeal particularly to German and Italian tourists but perhaps not so much some of the places you’ve been.
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Germans and Italians in Gjirokaster; I guess the main roads are better than I expected even if the driving is a bit ambitious ! The Gjirokaster stadium looked a decent size.
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Albania was occupied by both Italy and Germany in World War II, so maybe they’re visiting where grandad served as a soldier (I’ve encountered parties of Americans doing that in Germany and here).
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That’s a good point, Matthew, and there were some dedicated museums though the Tirana bunker is focused on the communist years.
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9,500 capacity apparently.
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Vagabondi. I wonder if that is a reference to a 1930s travel adventure book “Two Vagabonds in Albania”, a fascinating read.
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Could well be.
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“And you thought the obsession was with Norman Wisdom?”
That was something promoted by the Communist regime, which was hardline even by Eastern Bloc standards, and has since been discarded, no doubt with some relief by those who had to endure it. I never really got his shtick, or the maudlin sentimentality of his films. His long-term tax exile on the Isle of Man and reputation for groping his female co-stars doesn’t do much to endear him to me either.
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As an overweight middle-aged white man I should no doubt check my privilege, but there is a lazy stereotype of Albania as being a bit over attentive to females (and also a cask driven economy) so it’s been good to read Cheap Holiday Lady talking to warmly of Tirana, and we both felt very safe there. https://www.instagram.com/stories/cheapholidayexp/3371709025721848373/
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A cask driven economy sounds wonderful! 😊
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I always get that wrong and it’s not autocorrect Matthew ! No cask in Albania, but I did see one pump in Sofia (not great though). The only place I’ve had good cask in continental Europe in Copenhagen (Harvey’s).
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