I can hardly think of a European capital city which has undergone a more rapid and drastic metamorphosis than Tirana. From the drab and colourless atmosphere of yesteryear, visibly and unmistakenly suffering under the paranoia of fanatic Communist absolutism, not much is left; around the depressing tenement houses an audacious modern architecture is mushrooming, older people sipping coffee on terraces and enjoying a walk along the shady promenades near the Kalaja seem to be making up mentally for five decades lost in seclusion and denial; younger people, unexposed to the comparison of what was before 1991 and what is now, dart through life with cell phones and pop music, and dreams their parents or grandparents never dared to have. This social laboratory makes Tirana into an even more interesting city to visit and observe. Yes, there certainly are some interesting attractions in the capital, but then, the bazar and the nearby Skënderbej Museum in Krujë, the long and imposing Ottoman walls of Elbasan, the views over Lake Ohrid from the heights of the Pogradec Castle and the authentically traditional inner city of Korçë deserve at least as much attention as Tirana. Fortunately, with us here, you do not need to choose between the magnificent Et'ham Bey Mosque of Tirana and the farther away attractions of Central and Northern Albania, as all are just within the reach of a click.