Say it slowly tour Day 13: Pristina and Tirana, italian efficiency, and no luggage

Was briefly reunited with my luggage at Pristina Airport, long enough to carry it over to the departures terminal to queue for my flight to Tirana.

Belle Air are an efficient Italian company, i.e nothing like an efficient German company. The checking desk was a shambles, but at leastm the didn’t charge me for the extra couple of kilos.

Had to run to customs, then skipped to the queue for my flight. Showed boarding pass, was then hustled into an outside greenhouse area (it was around 30 in Pristina today) with the other passengers to sweat some. The plane sat about 100 metres off on the tarmac, but would they let us walk there? nope. Eventually an airconditioned bus arrives,

Tirana

Having dinner at another lonely planet recommendation, and so far it’s two strikes for them. This one, Era, may have excellent food, but get scrubbed because of their pitiful no smoking policy, signs on the door but enforced in italian efficiency. I just don’t think that Albanians do the whole no smoking thing. They smoke, lots of them, all the time. It seems to be mostly the men that smoke, and if I had to estimate a percentage, I’d go for 70%.

Dinner at Era started with pitta bread with cheese and tomato, then a green salad with yogurt, and ferese, a traditional cheese curd stew with liver. Very hot and cheesy, not much lever taste (except the actual chunks). Not knowing what too expect, the food was okay, may have enjoyed it more if it came with fresh air, but a bit bland for a traditional stew.