Travel Tips

We were in 1988 in Tirana for the 1st of May par pure chance, at least on our side : we had booked for a tour organized by a small travel agency that was specialized in nature travels. The purpose was to visit Albania for its flora and fauna (birds and mammals). However, I would not be surprised if the Albanian authorities allowed the travel given that it would include May 1st in Tirana!

What we did not know and what nobody knows at that time was that it would be the last May 1st parade in Tiranė for ever in still-communist-Albania!

That was actually a surprising May 1st parade. We were used to have on TV some views of May 1st parades in Moscow or in Beijing. The shots were of a row of elderly officials watching for hours a military parade showing all possible weapons owned by the country.

Tirana's parade was very different. This was not the army marching but the people or I should better say the workers, among whom a few militaries. There were no tanks but floats! The design of the floats was different but, on some accounts, it more or less looked like a Carnival parade! Instead of writings with "Glory to Carnival", this was "Glory to the Albanian peoples party"! The floats were not as fancy as in a Carnival parade, several had almost the same look with just the color and the writings that changed but they were floats anyway!

"Mėsojme, punojme, mbrojme".
Learning, working,defending

It must have been the float of a (polluting) chemical plant as you will see if you enlarge the photo.

Thanks you Glenn (VT Bwana_Brown) for outlining that this should not be a chemical plant but a thermal-powered electric generating station. The eye of the professional cannot be fooled! He writes:

The clues are the steel-lattice construction transmission towers and the two big cooling towers with steam rising from them. On inland locations, away from natural cooling-water sources such as seafronts or large lakes/rivers, thermal plants require these air-cooling towers to recycle the power-generating steam back into water again in a closed-loop process..

Actually, I have not seen for real such a power station but as Albania produced (produces?) oil, it must represent an oil-powered electric generating station

The Albanian army.

School girls