Bonkers in Bunkers

Last Thursday (17^th) I saw two strange things.  Albanians believe in showing and preserving their history, even if its bad history.  First I went to the House of Leaves, which is a museum of all the spying techniques, operations and equipment used during communist rule.  It started as a Hospital and then the headquarters of the Intelligence Service.  It was unreal how much they spied on their own citizens with cameras planted in their houses or listening devises on their phones. 

The second very strange locations was Bunk’Art 1, another communist bunker outside of town, but this was the bunker of all bunkers, and I almost went bonkers in this bunker.  Intense, disturbing, eery, spooky, strange and it just takes you to another world and time (almost like time stands still).  It was claustrophobic and very damp, musty, chilly.  The entrance itself is eery as you walk through this long tunnel with strange music.  Once in, you see a sign that states the bunker is run on generators and if the lights go out, just wait a few seconds and don’t panic, the lights will come back on.  Yikes!  Can you imagine how dark that would be?  It’s a museum highlighting the horrors of that time to include a room simulating a dog hunt at the boarder near electric fences complete with very realistic sound effects; one room you enter and close the door, pitch black except for a red lantern and only hear the loud sounds of war; another room simulates a mustard gas attack.  All with realistic sound affects.  Never seen anything like this and by the end, I was ready to get out. The bunker is huge and goes five levels down.  It was set up for all citizens to use, with schools, dining area, exercise, etc. Can you imagine how horrific it would be, to one, have a nuclear attack, and two, having to live in a dark and musty bunker for who knows how long?  No thank you.