The students and their projects in Tirana
Three students from Harvard, the world’s most prestigious university, visited Pëllumbas Cave and the Erzen canyons in Tirana this weekend. On a trip organised by Tirana Municipality and the Discover Albania Club, our friends from Harvard were left with strong impressions of the nature and tourism potential the capital has to offer.
Natasha Hicks, Alice Armstrong and William Baumgardner are three young Americans who have spent the past month working with Tirana Municipality on the implementation of three major projects: the “New Boulevard”, “Polycentric Tirana” and the “urban redesign of the former Textile Combine”. 
Smiling, very friendly and extraordinarily passionate about their professions, Natasha, Alice and William told us they had visited several places in Albania. Naturally, the south and the Riviera had made the strongest impression.
But for them, Tirana was not far behind. “Generally, because of our work, we have visited urban areas, but around the capital we have been to Tirana’s lake, Farka Lake and Dajti. We like it!
Tirana has great potential for development,” William, 25, from Austin, Texas, told us. William later said he loved landscapes and often went hiking in nature. In fact, of our three friends, he was the only one who had made sure to bring a professional camera.
Natasha, also 25, from Los Angeles, California, said she loved art and the social side of things, and wanted to work more in that area in the future. She told us she was working on façades in Tirana, implementing some “ad hoc” ideas. Interestingly, unlike the Albanian stereotype of the architect as “money-obsessed and only building apartment blocks”, our three American friends conveyed the idea of an architect closer to society and nature.
Alice, the same age as Natasha and William, said she was working at the Municipality on redesigning the industrial area in Kombinat. She said the experience had made a strong impression on her. “I can say that here in your country there are plenty of young, talented architects.
I believe great things can be done here. During our stay, we have been able to see some of them, Skanderbeg Square, for example,” said Alice, from Boston, Massachusetts.
From Pëllumbas to the Erzen canyons
The journey began by minibus from the Et’hem Bey Mosque in the centre. In less than an hour we reached Pëllumbas village, around 20 kilometres southeast of Tirana. From the village centre to the Black Cave, also known as Pëllumbas Cave, we walked gently and slowly for about an hour, taking in the scenery.
At the Black Cave, our three American friends were struck by the fact that it is one of only six caves in Europe with such ancient karst activity and where people are known to have lived around 10,000 years ago. “I had never been in a cave like this,” said William, while Alice added that back in Boston, where she came from, she could not even have imagined visiting such a cave.
After the excitement and coolness of the cave, it was the Erzen River’s turn. We headed down towards the canyons. The walk involved a descent of around 200 metres, somewhat difficult, but more than manageable for nature lovers like Natasha, Alice and William.
When we reached the canyons, the view impressed our friends even more. The rock formations and water ranging from green to deep blue immediately dispelled their tiredness. The women took advantage of the pools the Erzen has formed in its canyons and went swimming, while William preferred to admire the view from the shade beside the canyon.
After a long rest in the coolness of the river, we began the return journey. We followed the edge of the canyons so our friends could see more of the Erzen’s stunning course. Now and then, we stopped to look into the depths at two points along the canyons.
After around 2 hours of easy walking and endless sightseeing, we completed a route of about 6 kilometres that left our friends very pleased.
“It was a very beautiful hike, even if it was a little tiring. The view, the river and the cave made you forget the distance,” said Natasha. For Alice, the tiredness was down to the sun, but, as she said, a little water made it all manageable.