IMG_8614 - In 2000, Tirana Mayor Edi Rama, a former artist, mandated that buildings be painted brightly. Spirits rose and crime decreased.
IMG_8616 - Woodrow Wilson, who in 1917, convinced the U.S. Congress to declare war only on Austria-Hungary, not Bulgaria and Turkey.
IMG_8618 - The Palace of Congress of the Albanian Labour Party, built in the late communist era, is now a 2100-seat, general venue.
IMG_8619 - The contrast between the modern spirit, and the very different, though recent, history, is very evident here.
IMG_8622 - The Pyramid of Tirana was originally a museum to the Stalinism of Enver Hoxha, but became just a sad reminder.
IMG_8624 - This sculpture Reja (The Cloud) by Sou Fujimoto, first in London's Hyde Park, was moved to the Tirana Gallery in 2016.
IMG_8625 - This Independence Monument was built in 2012, the 100th anniversary of Albanian independence from the Ottomans.
IMG_8626 - A new skyscraper under construction
IMG_8627 - The Resurrection of Christ Armenian Orthodox Cathedral of Tirana, opened in 2012.
IMG_8629 - Inside the dome of the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral
IMG_8632
IMG_8634 - In front is the museum of the Resurrection of Christ Armenian Orthodox Cathedral of Tirana.