The Luani Arte Hotel is in Shkoder, Albania, on Rruga Gjon Buzuku street. The hotel impressed us not only because of the late dinner served on the day of our arrival but also due to the fantastic contemporary design it showcased. It was a brief visit, but it was one of the most unforgettable.
We spent the entire day in two cities: Tirana, Albania, and Ohrid, North Macedonia. It took 2 hours to get from Shkoder to Tirana. When the bus stopped at Kolaudimi i Automjeteve, we got two delicious hot chocolates.
Tirana's center is Skanderbeg Square, named for Albanian national hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeu. Many historical structures surrounded the area, including the National Historical Museum, the Palace of Culture, the National Bank, and many more. We just went into the Clock Tower since we had so little time. Nonetheless, I was the only one that ascended the tower's stairs because the site only accepts cash payment for the admission, and we only had a few pence.
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| The room was nice and cozy. |
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| Getting hot chocolate |
 | | A tunnel built during war |
|  | | A pink-painted minister building |
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 | | Tengok apa tuh...? |
|  | | The clock tower |
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| The Et'hem Bej Mosque was closed that day |
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| The Skanderbeg Square |
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| A statue commemorating Skanderbeg for resisting the Ottomans |
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| A live music band |
 | | The National Bank |
|  | | The Clock Tower |
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 | | I ran up the staircases. |
|  | | and reach the top |
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 | | penat berlari |
|  | | A Friendship Monument |
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A Byzantine-era building, now a shopping mall, was our next visit. It is called
Kalaja e Tiranës, about 5 minutes' walk from the square and it passed through the modern mall Toptani.
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| I guessed this was a water fountain during Byzantine era |
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| The ambiance was nice; however, we only peeked inside the mall. |
Then, we continued to Sofra Turke for lunch.
 | | sempat lg beli fridge magnet |
|  | | Flags waves to respect the death of Queen Elizabeth II |
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| Lunch at Sofra Turke |
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| We took a quick look inside the mall before heading out. |
The journey continued to another country, North Macedonia. Heading toward the east, we stopped at Elbasan to pray at Naziresha Mosque and had a tea break at Kompleksi Nogu 40 minutes later. We arrived at Hotel Aqualina in Ohrid after four and a half hours. The buffet dinner was served at the hotel and it started to get dark. We walked to Lake Ohrid, just in front of the hotel and saw a wedding ceremony being held at the nearby restaurant. We have been relaxing by Lake Ohrid, enjoying the view at night.
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