A view of Tirana (Enver Hoxha pyramid, dictator's ex museum, barely seen on the right)
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Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Goodbye Albania
I hate good byes, but it's time to leave Albania. A lot of progress has been made while here, but much more remains to be accomplished. While working over the electronic waves, we'll see each other again here in the spring. Meantime, I'll resurface again in this diary next month, from back home, in the continent across the Atlantic.
The bright sun (although it's very cold) that saw me arrive here a month ago, is now seeing me leave. Off to the Rinas airport, now renamed after Mother Teresa.
The bright sun (although it's very cold) that saw me arrive here a month ago, is now seeing me leave. Off to the Rinas airport, now renamed after Mother Teresa.
Sunday, November 21, 2004
November holidays
Time flies. I am coming to the end of my trip to Albania, and will hop over to northern Italy for couple of weeks. The weather is really cold now in both these countries, although the sun may shine bright during the short hours of the day. Snow is blanketing the top of the mountains, but rarely appears in the capital of Tirana.
Two special holidays will be celebrated this coming week on more than one continent. In the U.S. Thanksgiving day is coming up with his traditional turkey dinner, and Albanians everywhere will be remembering their Independence day, or what they call Flag Day, on November 28th. It was on that day in 1912 that the flag was raised because Albania became a nation.
I am not aware of any particular food being served during this holiday here, although the traditional type of meat is lamb, which is slowly baked, usually with potatoes, in a covered oven that sit on top of the stove. The end result is a deliciously tasty, always available dish that melts in your mouth. Turkeys, I am told, are usually cooked for new year holidays, while another very succulent meat dish reserved for special occasions is roasted wild pig. Fresh fish is also enjoyed by Albanians, who export most of it to the neighboring countries. The dinner tables of Albania never lack, at every meal, beautifully ripe tomatoes and small cucumbers (that in NY are called ‘persian cukes’). They are served sliced and are so flavorsome that can be eaten as is or with oil and vinegar, a set of which is always present on the table.
Today, when I was a guest at someone’s home for lunch, I was served an eggplant course which was quite intriguing and yummy. Small eggplants, cut in large pieces, were cooked with garlic, onions, vinegar, tomato sauce, mixed with a think plum paste, and the end result, incredibly so, turned out to be a very delicate dish. Albanians are also known for their sweet tooth….so desserts are never missed and are usually extra sugary. An excellent Riesling wine like the one I had today washes down everything beautifully!
Happy Holidays everyone!
Two special holidays will be celebrated this coming week on more than one continent. In the U.S. Thanksgiving day is coming up with his traditional turkey dinner, and Albanians everywhere will be remembering their Independence day, or what they call Flag Day, on November 28th. It was on that day in 1912 that the flag was raised because Albania became a nation.
I am not aware of any particular food being served during this holiday here, although the traditional type of meat is lamb, which is slowly baked, usually with potatoes, in a covered oven that sit on top of the stove. The end result is a deliciously tasty, always available dish that melts in your mouth. Turkeys, I am told, are usually cooked for new year holidays, while another very succulent meat dish reserved for special occasions is roasted wild pig. Fresh fish is also enjoyed by Albanians, who export most of it to the neighboring countries. The dinner tables of Albania never lack, at every meal, beautifully ripe tomatoes and small cucumbers (that in NY are called ‘persian cukes’). They are served sliced and are so flavorsome that can be eaten as is or with oil and vinegar, a set of which is always present on the table.
Today, when I was a guest at someone’s home for lunch, I was served an eggplant course which was quite intriguing and yummy. Small eggplants, cut in large pieces, were cooked with garlic, onions, vinegar, tomato sauce, mixed with a think plum paste, and the end result, incredibly so, turned out to be a very delicate dish. Albanians are also known for their sweet tooth….so desserts are never missed and are usually extra sugary. An excellent Riesling wine like the one I had today washes down everything beautifully!
Happy Holidays everyone!
Monday, November 15, 2004
Back to the capital
At the usual breakfast in the hotel café, we find all my relatives coming to say goodbye to us. Our chit chat attracts the attention of the other hotel guests. Everyone is commenting about yesterday’s event and they want me to promise to return soon.
When I am ready to pay the hotel bill I find that it was quietly settled by one of the cousins, Pjeter D., who reminds me that I should send him the old family poems, written in serbo-craotian, for translation into Albanian. He is a retired professor, who is still very much involved in publishing old literary works as a hobby.
At 10am the large archival panels we had transported here are loaded and we begin the short, half hour, ride to the border (Hani i Hotit) in two cars.
After a passport check, we say good bye to the ones that are not allowed to come across because of lack of passport, and we walk the distance between the 2 border points still under a light drizzle and dark clouds reflected in the calm waters of nearby Shkodra Lake. The mountains we see on the other side of the lake, which is very narrow at this point, are already part of Albania. Edmond and Gjoka carry across the border our luggage and load it onto our transport, which is waiting to bring us back to the Albanian capital: Tirana.
When we all embrace I have a difficult time keeping in check my emotions!
While traveling south from the border we take a side road trying to find supposedly an old relative, whom, I was told, lives alone in the small town of Gruda e Re, a few miles north of Shkodra. This detour turns out to be a real adventure, due to the extremely bad road we embarked on. For a few miles our driver slowly, but masterly, navigates this obstacle course full of large potholes, full of rain water, and uneven pieces of broken pavement, which seems to lead to nowhere. This is a very agricultural area, with sparse large 2 story homes surrounded by walled in lots and main gates giving access to the properties. Our search is abandoned after many unsuccessful queries and we resume our trip toward the nearby city of Shkodra. Here we stop again at the residence of Pertefe’s brother and are served a delicious hot lunch, notwithstanding the great inconvenience of lack of electricity.
One and half hour later we reach Tirana’s suburb of Kamza, where the traffic is absolutely incredible. Cars, vans, trucks, motorcycles, buses, and cement mixers are lined up on both sides of the only road crossing the town, which is in complete disarray! We spend more than 45 minutes in this messy situation, which, to my great amazement, every driver, however, manages to navigate without incidents. The backlog of cars, however, is producing so much smog and fumes that breathing becomes difficult and continues to be so all the way into Tirana proper. Unfortunately, this capital is now experiencing a 20% mortality rate from pollution, and several projects are under way to change this extremely dangerous, medical situation.
When I am ready to pay the hotel bill I find that it was quietly settled by one of the cousins, Pjeter D., who reminds me that I should send him the old family poems, written in serbo-craotian, for translation into Albanian. He is a retired professor, who is still very much involved in publishing old literary works as a hobby.
At 10am the large archival panels we had transported here are loaded and we begin the short, half hour, ride to the border (Hani i Hotit) in two cars.
After a passport check, we say good bye to the ones that are not allowed to come across because of lack of passport, and we walk the distance between the 2 border points still under a light drizzle and dark clouds reflected in the calm waters of nearby Shkodra Lake. The mountains we see on the other side of the lake, which is very narrow at this point, are already part of Albania. Edmond and Gjoka carry across the border our luggage and load it onto our transport, which is waiting to bring us back to the Albanian capital: Tirana.
When we all embrace I have a difficult time keeping in check my emotions!
While traveling south from the border we take a side road trying to find supposedly an old relative, whom, I was told, lives alone in the small town of Gruda e Re, a few miles north of Shkodra. This detour turns out to be a real adventure, due to the extremely bad road we embarked on. For a few miles our driver slowly, but masterly, navigates this obstacle course full of large potholes, full of rain water, and uneven pieces of broken pavement, which seems to lead to nowhere. This is a very agricultural area, with sparse large 2 story homes surrounded by walled in lots and main gates giving access to the properties. Our search is abandoned after many unsuccessful queries and we resume our trip toward the nearby city of Shkodra. Here we stop again at the residence of Pertefe’s brother and are served a delicious hot lunch, notwithstanding the great inconvenience of lack of electricity.
One and half hour later we reach Tirana’s suburb of Kamza, where the traffic is absolutely incredible. Cars, vans, trucks, motorcycles, buses, and cement mixers are lined up on both sides of the only road crossing the town, which is in complete disarray! We spend more than 45 minutes in this messy situation, which, to my great amazement, every driver, however, manages to navigate without incidents. The backlog of cars, however, is producing so much smog and fumes that breathing becomes difficult and continues to be so all the way into Tirana proper. Unfortunately, this capital is now experiencing a 20% mortality rate from pollution, and several projects are under way to change this extremely dangerous, medical situation.
Sunday, November 14, 2004
Event day
The dark clouds are still hovering over the whole countryside, and the rain is falling incessantly, but we are on the move.
This is the ‘big’ day that was planned by us with the help of a local humanitarian association that bears also the same last name of our cultural and educational organization. This name is revered in these areas and it refers to relatives that spent their life time at the service of the Albanian nation in the early part of the last century. In their memory, as ‘great personalities of Albanian culture’, our institutions of today aim to help the younger generations of Albanians everywhere to overcome the problems and difficulties of the past wars and oppression, and be better prepared for the future.
Four speakers address a very attentive and large audience notwithstanding the bad weather. Some came from as far away as the Adriatic Coast, and the local Albanian TV stations and newspapers taped the meeting, which was broadcasted in its entirety the following day. I am one of them and we speak about our respective organizations’ goals as a continuation of all the educational and cultural contributions made by these great people in the past. I also advocate the exploration of new horizons and cooperation to complement our effort toward the common goal of developing projects needed by the younger Albanians of today.
At the meeting’s conclusion two Albanian children, in their native costumes present the two women speakers with beautiful bouquets of flowers. A magnificent reception follows in a great hall, where the 20 large panels, we brought from Tirana, of archival documents and photographs are displayed to the public. In the midst of all this and the picture taking I am also interviewed by two local TV stations in more than one language and later on, back at the hotel, also by the local Albanian newspaper.
In the late afternoon, we visit an Albanian Ethnographic Museum, in the private home of a local photographer, who attended our event and personally extended the invitation. Again under pouring rain, we reach his house, where he was eagerly awaiting our arrival with his wife.
This middle aged couple with 3 children that are studying and working abroad, have filled a few rooms of their home with artifacts, costumes, objects, gadgets, pieces of furniture, pictures, and publications from the Albanian past. All displayed pieces are labeled, including the date of their acquisitions, and range from heavy wool, hand made, women and men costumes, to arms of various types, from ancient furniture pieces to household items made of wood and iron, from old currencies to old quilts, from agricultural instruments to even a whole wooden door from an ancient vessel.
Many beautiful enlargements (in black and white and color) of scenes and people are hanging in his studio with a big collection of books from Albanian authors, while in the middle of this room reigns very modern photographic equipment. In the hall, near the entrance, on a small shelf, a huge leather bound notebook is open ready to receive the visitors’ comments. Many dignitaries have visited this museum, and I can certainly appreciate the time and patience that it takes to collect such memorabilia.
A gesture on my part to leave a monetary contribution upon departure is appreciated, but firmly, although gently, refused. No money is accepted from people they consider ‘family’, and I certainly was considered a family member everywhere I went during this trip!
The rest of the day is spent visiting friends and relatives who are eager to host us. In communities like this it is not easy to decline invitations; everyone wants to talk to and be with you for a while.
A weather unfriendly day outside, turned out to be an extremely warm one inside!
This is the ‘big’ day that was planned by us with the help of a local humanitarian association that bears also the same last name of our cultural and educational organization. This name is revered in these areas and it refers to relatives that spent their life time at the service of the Albanian nation in the early part of the last century. In their memory, as ‘great personalities of Albanian culture’, our institutions of today aim to help the younger generations of Albanians everywhere to overcome the problems and difficulties of the past wars and oppression, and be better prepared for the future.
Four speakers address a very attentive and large audience notwithstanding the bad weather. Some came from as far away as the Adriatic Coast, and the local Albanian TV stations and newspapers taped the meeting, which was broadcasted in its entirety the following day. I am one of them and we speak about our respective organizations’ goals as a continuation of all the educational and cultural contributions made by these great people in the past. I also advocate the exploration of new horizons and cooperation to complement our effort toward the common goal of developing projects needed by the younger Albanians of today.
At the meeting’s conclusion two Albanian children, in their native costumes present the two women speakers with beautiful bouquets of flowers. A magnificent reception follows in a great hall, where the 20 large panels, we brought from Tirana, of archival documents and photographs are displayed to the public. In the midst of all this and the picture taking I am also interviewed by two local TV stations in more than one language and later on, back at the hotel, also by the local Albanian newspaper.
In the late afternoon, we visit an Albanian Ethnographic Museum, in the private home of a local photographer, who attended our event and personally extended the invitation. Again under pouring rain, we reach his house, where he was eagerly awaiting our arrival with his wife.
This middle aged couple with 3 children that are studying and working abroad, have filled a few rooms of their home with artifacts, costumes, objects, gadgets, pieces of furniture, pictures, and publications from the Albanian past. All displayed pieces are labeled, including the date of their acquisitions, and range from heavy wool, hand made, women and men costumes, to arms of various types, from ancient furniture pieces to household items made of wood and iron, from old currencies to old quilts, from agricultural instruments to even a whole wooden door from an ancient vessel.
Many beautiful enlargements (in black and white and color) of scenes and people are hanging in his studio with a big collection of books from Albanian authors, while in the middle of this room reigns very modern photographic equipment. In the hall, near the entrance, on a small shelf, a huge leather bound notebook is open ready to receive the visitors’ comments. Many dignitaries have visited this museum, and I can certainly appreciate the time and patience that it takes to collect such memorabilia.
A gesture on my part to leave a monetary contribution upon departure is appreciated, but firmly, although gently, refused. No money is accepted from people they consider ‘family’, and I certainly was considered a family member everywhere I went during this trip!
The rest of the day is spent visiting friends and relatives who are eager to host us. In communities like this it is not easy to decline invitations; everyone wants to talk to and be with you for a while.
A weather unfriendly day outside, turned out to be an extremely warm one inside!
Friday, November 12, 2004
Crossing the border
At 11am on Friday (11/12) my friends, the Lekas, are knocking on my door and are ready, with the car driver, to load the luggage and the 20 carefully packed archival panels for the historic exhibit. My companion, Pertefe (who is also going to speak at the event in Tuz), and I are thus on the way north toward Montenegro.
After a bad crossing in the suburb of Tirana, called Kamza, the main road of which is in disrepair and the traffic is very intense, we sail smoothly on the newly paved highway to the city of Shkodra, which we reach in 1 ½ hour.
This old city, and ex capital of Albania, is in terrible condition. The roads with innumerable large potholes need repair, the apartment buildings look decrepit, but the place is bustling with activity. I am told that the Albanian state intentionally disregards the bad condition of this city because its population, by tradition, has always opposed the central government. To today they still lack electricity, which is available only for 4 hours daily! Nevertheless, people manage to live here. Many missionaries and a variety of religious sects have also established centers in this city, which used to be prevalently catholic, but now also has 3 new mosques.
We stop at Kujtim’s house. He is Pertefe’s brother and had invited me many times before. His wife Bela, who is a Dentist by profession, with her own office on the home premises, operates her equipment with the help of a generator. She quickly puts together a delicious and complete hot meal for everyone, driver included. My reluctance to accept such generous hospitality is overruled: "this is the Albanian way; consider our house to be your house" I am told!
One hour later we continue our trip and pass several sign indicating various villages along the road, which is not as good as the previous highway. The weather is still bad, the rain continues on and off. We reach the border (Hani i Hotit) right next to Lake Shkodra, that is almost dark, but it’s only 3:30pm. It’s easy to go thru the Albanian patrol. Show of passports and the payment of one euro is required. Our driver, however, does not have proper car insurance coverage for Montengro and thus his car is not allowed to go any further.
I spot the relatives waiting for us on the other side. They come forward, at the Montenegrin side of the border, and help us move our luggage from our car to theirs, while we go thru passport control by the Montenegrin guards.
Relative Kola U. and his English speaking son, Edmond (a law student) are extremely helpful. After exchanging greetings also with cousin Gjoka G. and his wife Tola, we ride in 2 cars into the town of Tuz (half hour away) under dark skies and drizzling rain. Midway we are met by a police car, and we stop to meet ‘Comandant’ Toma U., who gets out to greet us. He is the town Chief of Police and also a distant cousin, who wishes to escort us to the hotel.
After unloading the archival panels at Dr. Luke G.’s office, which is located right across the Gymnasium where we are going to have the planned affair on Sunday, we are delivered to the Imperjal Hotel in the city center.
After some refreshment with every one at the hotel’s bar, we go to Gjoka’s house, just a couple of blocks away. I have been here in 1996 when his lodgings consisted of only 3 rooms for a family of 6, but now the house has been raised to 3 floors, with 4 bedrooms on the 1st floor, a full size attic with a play room, another bedroom, and 2 beautiful balconies on the 3rd.
We are served some appetizers and drinks, while the dinner is being prepared. Daughter Nora, who is a beautiful and vivacious 16 old fluent in 5 languages, steps into translating the news we are exchanging when necessary, while helping her mother in the kitchen.
Lots of carefully prepared, delicious dishes are put on the table, which include rice, several vegetables, salads, meat and fish. Everything is extremely fresh and the sweet desserts, made with honey, must also be tried although we are quite satiated.
It was a busy day and an enjoyable evening. We finally hit the sack by 11pm.
After a bad crossing in the suburb of Tirana, called Kamza, the main road of which is in disrepair and the traffic is very intense, we sail smoothly on the newly paved highway to the city of Shkodra, which we reach in 1 ½ hour.
This old city, and ex capital of Albania, is in terrible condition. The roads with innumerable large potholes need repair, the apartment buildings look decrepit, but the place is bustling with activity. I am told that the Albanian state intentionally disregards the bad condition of this city because its population, by tradition, has always opposed the central government. To today they still lack electricity, which is available only for 4 hours daily! Nevertheless, people manage to live here. Many missionaries and a variety of religious sects have also established centers in this city, which used to be prevalently catholic, but now also has 3 new mosques.
We stop at Kujtim’s house. He is Pertefe’s brother and had invited me many times before. His wife Bela, who is a Dentist by profession, with her own office on the home premises, operates her equipment with the help of a generator. She quickly puts together a delicious and complete hot meal for everyone, driver included. My reluctance to accept such generous hospitality is overruled: "this is the Albanian way; consider our house to be your house" I am told!
One hour later we continue our trip and pass several sign indicating various villages along the road, which is not as good as the previous highway. The weather is still bad, the rain continues on and off. We reach the border (Hani i Hotit) right next to Lake Shkodra, that is almost dark, but it’s only 3:30pm. It’s easy to go thru the Albanian patrol. Show of passports and the payment of one euro is required. Our driver, however, does not have proper car insurance coverage for Montengro and thus his car is not allowed to go any further.
I spot the relatives waiting for us on the other side. They come forward, at the Montenegrin side of the border, and help us move our luggage from our car to theirs, while we go thru passport control by the Montenegrin guards.
Relative Kola U. and his English speaking son, Edmond (a law student) are extremely helpful. After exchanging greetings also with cousin Gjoka G. and his wife Tola, we ride in 2 cars into the town of Tuz (half hour away) under dark skies and drizzling rain. Midway we are met by a police car, and we stop to meet ‘Comandant’ Toma U., who gets out to greet us. He is the town Chief of Police and also a distant cousin, who wishes to escort us to the hotel.
After unloading the archival panels at Dr. Luke G.’s office, which is located right across the Gymnasium where we are going to have the planned affair on Sunday, we are delivered to the Imperjal Hotel in the city center.
After some refreshment with every one at the hotel’s bar, we go to Gjoka’s house, just a couple of blocks away. I have been here in 1996 when his lodgings consisted of only 3 rooms for a family of 6, but now the house has been raised to 3 floors, with 4 bedrooms on the 1st floor, a full size attic with a play room, another bedroom, and 2 beautiful balconies on the 3rd.
We are served some appetizers and drinks, while the dinner is being prepared. Daughter Nora, who is a beautiful and vivacious 16 old fluent in 5 languages, steps into translating the news we are exchanging when necessary, while helping her mother in the kitchen.
Lots of carefully prepared, delicious dishes are put on the table, which include rice, several vegetables, salads, meat and fish. Everything is extremely fresh and the sweet desserts, made with honey, must also be tried although we are quite satiated.
It was a busy day and an enjoyable evening. We finally hit the sack by 11pm.
Traveling northward
The planned trip to Montenegro requires quite a bit of preparation. We are planning to bring with us a bulky and heavy load of large panels to be exhibited at an event organized in the town of Tuz (in Albanian, Tuzi for Slavs), where there is a large Albanian community.
These panels display a large collection of archival material from my family that includes documents and photographs, which were seized by the communist government in 1946 when my uncle was arrested in Tirana, tortured and sentenced to 7 years in prison as a political dissident. Everything that was found in our house at the time was saved and catalogued by the state archives and even preserved on fiche since 1988. At the conference that we organized in Tirana in September 2003, on the 50th anniversary of his death, these panels were prepared and mounted for an exhibit that was also video taped for a documentary shown on national Albanian television.
The weather forecast is not good, rain is expected and is suppose to stick around for a few days, but we continue our planning in cooperation with another Montenegrin humanitarian association, named after my father’s and uncle’s first cousin, Nikoll. He was a well known patriot and activist of the Albanian cause since the early years of the 1900, well before Albania became a nation, and traveled extensively in Europe and the US to advocate and promote help toward this end.
The phone connection from Tirana to Tuz, and Podgoriça, capital of Montenegro, is not great, but, also thanks to email exchanges, we conclude our planning and decide that we should yield to the request of extending our stay an additional day to allow all the distant relatives to spend more time with me.
The main event will take place on Sunday in a large hall of the local gymnasium, and I am expected to speak. Thus, I get busy preparing some remarks in English, which are also being translated into Italian and Albanian. At the end of the speeches, the exhibit will be open for a few hours while a reception will be ongoing.
These panels display a large collection of archival material from my family that includes documents and photographs, which were seized by the communist government in 1946 when my uncle was arrested in Tirana, tortured and sentenced to 7 years in prison as a political dissident. Everything that was found in our house at the time was saved and catalogued by the state archives and even preserved on fiche since 1988. At the conference that we organized in Tirana in September 2003, on the 50th anniversary of his death, these panels were prepared and mounted for an exhibit that was also video taped for a documentary shown on national Albanian television.
The weather forecast is not good, rain is expected and is suppose to stick around for a few days, but we continue our planning in cooperation with another Montenegrin humanitarian association, named after my father’s and uncle’s first cousin, Nikoll. He was a well known patriot and activist of the Albanian cause since the early years of the 1900, well before Albania became a nation, and traveled extensively in Europe and the US to advocate and promote help toward this end.
The phone connection from Tirana to Tuz, and Podgoriça, capital of Montenegro, is not great, but, also thanks to email exchanges, we conclude our planning and decide that we should yield to the request of extending our stay an additional day to allow all the distant relatives to spend more time with me.
The main event will take place on Sunday in a large hall of the local gymnasium, and I am expected to speak. Thus, I get busy preparing some remarks in English, which are also being translated into Italian and Albanian. At the end of the speeches, the exhibit will be open for a few hours while a reception will be ongoing.
Thursday, November 11, 2004
International holidays and a bit of history
I was on the phone today with some friends who reminded me it’s Veterans Day back in the US. One tends to loose track of holidays when traveling.
Locally, most Albanians are observing the end of Ramadan and this weekend they are celebrating the big feast of Bajram. American governmental offices are closed and its staff, taking advantage of the combined holidays, is enjoying a few days off.
I, instead, am preparing for another business trip. This time, by car, from Tirana, Albania, to Podgoriça, Montenegro.
Our organization has planned an event in this area of Montenegro on Sunday, and I’ll be loaded with materials to take and use there, in addition to a bulky exhibit of documents and photos, mounted on 20 large panels to be displayed for an entire day in the town of Tuz, a suburb of Podgorica.
These mountainous zones originally were part of the so called “greater Albania” a century ago before the current Albanian borders were redrawn by the Great Powers of Europe and the new Albania became a nation in November 1912. The inhabitants, in great part Albanians, are also fluent in the serbo-croatian language, officially used in the public schools established under the former Republic of Yugoslavia. Their children and current younger generations are all fluent in more than one language, however, like in Albania where Italian, English, French, Greek and Russian are also spoken.
People in the Balkans are so resourceful that they feel very comfortable dealing with foreigners. If, by chance, there is a verbal communication barrier they don’t hesitate to resort to other means of interaction and easily express themselves with body language instead. Example at hand: today the cleaning lady at my lodging and I had a 15 minutes perfect exchange without knowing each other language. I found out a lot about her and her family and she got answers to her questions about me and my work.
As they say in Albanian: “ç’ka problem (there is really no problem)”!
Locally, most Albanians are observing the end of Ramadan and this weekend they are celebrating the big feast of Bajram. American governmental offices are closed and its staff, taking advantage of the combined holidays, is enjoying a few days off.
I, instead, am preparing for another business trip. This time, by car, from Tirana, Albania, to Podgoriça, Montenegro.
Our organization has planned an event in this area of Montenegro on Sunday, and I’ll be loaded with materials to take and use there, in addition to a bulky exhibit of documents and photos, mounted on 20 large panels to be displayed for an entire day in the town of Tuz, a suburb of Podgorica.
These mountainous zones originally were part of the so called “greater Albania” a century ago before the current Albanian borders were redrawn by the Great Powers of Europe and the new Albania became a nation in November 1912. The inhabitants, in great part Albanians, are also fluent in the serbo-croatian language, officially used in the public schools established under the former Republic of Yugoslavia. Their children and current younger generations are all fluent in more than one language, however, like in Albania where Italian, English, French, Greek and Russian are also spoken.
People in the Balkans are so resourceful that they feel very comfortable dealing with foreigners. If, by chance, there is a verbal communication barrier they don’t hesitate to resort to other means of interaction and easily express themselves with body language instead. Example at hand: today the cleaning lady at my lodging and I had a 15 minutes perfect exchange without knowing each other language. I found out a lot about her and her family and she got answers to her questions about me and my work.
As they say in Albanian: “ç’ka problem (there is really no problem)”!
Saturday, November 06, 2004
Memories….
An interesting item on the ‘to do’ list of this trip was taken care of today with great pleasure. It consisted in meeting and interviewing a very elderly professor that knew well and worked with my uncle (then Minister of Education) in the 1930’s.
The spry 99 ½ year old gentleman was a delight to talk to! His vivid memory of episodes of his life and of his dealings with people and projects are remarkable.
The 5’2” tiny man was impeccably dressed in a grey business suit and tie, anxious for my visit, which I had promised since last year when in Tirana. With a twinkle in his eyes and a firm voice he began to recount for me some of the experiences he had while serving as a physical education instructor in the northern city of Shkoder and then as the Sport Inspector for Albania under the leadership of my uncle, whom he praised immensely.
He speaks fluently several languages and has traveled extensively abroad in the 1920’s and 30’s, when he also happened to attend the Berlin Olympics while on a business trip there. At my instinctive question of how he got to this venerable age in such a good shape, smilingly, he replied : “I sleep 7 hrs a night, exercise for 1 ½ hrs upon rising, have a big breakfast, a normal lunch, end the day with a glass of milk and some additional exercise. In between I keep busy with many activities and make use of my lab at home for odd and end jobs of carpentry, electrical, and whatever else….”.
During his tenure he planned and supervised the building of the first large outdoor sport field and facilities for Albanian students in Shkoder, which he planned with my uncle and was proud to have worked so closely with him in many other projects. He offered to share with me some of the pictures he has on this subject, but I assured him that I am also lucky enough to have some of these mementos in my family records. During his later years he planned and designed several “children gardens” and recently even a “senior people center”, which is today fully functioning in Tirana.
Next May he’ll be 100 years old, and knows that the Mayor is planning to have a celebration of this event, which may include 35 other centenaries. I would love to be part of it; meanwhile, I’ll submit his name and biography to the current Ministry of Education suggesting that he be bestowed also a very special decoration on that occasion.
Upon leaving him, I am embarrassed by his help in getting my jacket on, which he insisted in doing, and we merrily walked the long path, covered by vines and citrus trees, that extend from his house to the street gate where we bid each other goodbye, with big hugs, Albanian style.
The spry 99 ½ year old gentleman was a delight to talk to! His vivid memory of episodes of his life and of his dealings with people and projects are remarkable.
The 5’2” tiny man was impeccably dressed in a grey business suit and tie, anxious for my visit, which I had promised since last year when in Tirana. With a twinkle in his eyes and a firm voice he began to recount for me some of the experiences he had while serving as a physical education instructor in the northern city of Shkoder and then as the Sport Inspector for Albania under the leadership of my uncle, whom he praised immensely.
He speaks fluently several languages and has traveled extensively abroad in the 1920’s and 30’s, when he also happened to attend the Berlin Olympics while on a business trip there. At my instinctive question of how he got to this venerable age in such a good shape, smilingly, he replied : “I sleep 7 hrs a night, exercise for 1 ½ hrs upon rising, have a big breakfast, a normal lunch, end the day with a glass of milk and some additional exercise. In between I keep busy with many activities and make use of my lab at home for odd and end jobs of carpentry, electrical, and whatever else….”.
During his tenure he planned and supervised the building of the first large outdoor sport field and facilities for Albanian students in Shkoder, which he planned with my uncle and was proud to have worked so closely with him in many other projects. He offered to share with me some of the pictures he has on this subject, but I assured him that I am also lucky enough to have some of these mementos in my family records. During his later years he planned and designed several “children gardens” and recently even a “senior people center”, which is today fully functioning in Tirana.
Next May he’ll be 100 years old, and knows that the Mayor is planning to have a celebration of this event, which may include 35 other centenaries. I would love to be part of it; meanwhile, I’ll submit his name and biography to the current Ministry of Education suggesting that he be bestowed also a very special decoration on that occasion.
Upon leaving him, I am embarrassed by his help in getting my jacket on, which he insisted in doing, and we merrily walked the long path, covered by vines and citrus trees, that extend from his house to the street gate where we bid each other goodbye, with big hugs, Albanian style.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Local life
It’s a very different and an interesting experience to live the life of local people in a foreign country, rather than being a guest in a hotel environment. One can, then, really savor the traditional and native environment, notwithstanding the prevailing contemporary look.
In the past 11 years of my coming to Tirana on a pretty regular basis on business, I have lived through been first a guest in a private old home, then a renter of a one room and bathroom facility, on a 5th floor walkup, and now I graduated to a rented, modern, full size, and very centrally located apartment in an high rise with elevator. It is fully furnished, but I have added wardrobes, extra table and chairs and a huge desk that serve me well as office space.
I have gone from sleeping on an old fashioned Turkish sofa to a modern 2 bed room, and eat in kitchen with a good size balcony that floods the apartment with sunshine almost every morning I am here. The indoor, tiled bathroom with bidet, bathtub, shower, toilet and sink, although not well refinished, is twice the size of my NYC one, and serves me well.
Thus, I can wash, cook, and eat at home whenever I wish, although cafes and eateries are handy, just outside my building. Shopping for food and products is a pleasant daily occurrence that everyone takes unhurriedly, but carefully. Extremely fresh vegetables and fruits are found along many streets, in local neighborhood, while the modern supermarkets are strategically located within the city, if one wishes to buy packaged stuff and even foreign products, imported mostly from Italy and Greece. Mini markets, fast food shops, and pizzerias are practically on every block, and they seems to be open all at all times. Fresh, excellent bread of all sorts and shapes, in addition to the usual ‘burek’ (phillo dough stuffed with cheese, or spinach, or ham), is baked continually and can be found at all hours of day or evening. It still usually hot when one buys it!
There is no language problems shopping with local merchants although they speak only Albanian. The same can be said for taxi drivers. Everyone is very pleasant, courteous and very helpful. The taxis are not metered, but there is usually a one fixed fare ($3.00) per ride within the city limits. The markets display the food prices and one can pick and choose the product at his/her discretion, if wished. The vendors make you feel they are at your service and eager to please you.
Today I bought carrots and zucchini that are so fresh and tender that they don’t need to be peeled. The tomatoes are firm, ripe, and tasty. One kilo of them can be had for only a dollar! The Israeli melon, although a more expensive item as in NY, ripe to perfection, is absolutely delicious!
One drawback: fresh, genuine food and vegetables will not last long in the fridge; thus, it’s a ritual to shop and consume stuff daily. Bon appetite!
In the past 11 years of my coming to Tirana on a pretty regular basis on business, I have lived through been first a guest in a private old home, then a renter of a one room and bathroom facility, on a 5th floor walkup, and now I graduated to a rented, modern, full size, and very centrally located apartment in an high rise with elevator. It is fully furnished, but I have added wardrobes, extra table and chairs and a huge desk that serve me well as office space.
I have gone from sleeping on an old fashioned Turkish sofa to a modern 2 bed room, and eat in kitchen with a good size balcony that floods the apartment with sunshine almost every morning I am here. The indoor, tiled bathroom with bidet, bathtub, shower, toilet and sink, although not well refinished, is twice the size of my NYC one, and serves me well.
Thus, I can wash, cook, and eat at home whenever I wish, although cafes and eateries are handy, just outside my building. Shopping for food and products is a pleasant daily occurrence that everyone takes unhurriedly, but carefully. Extremely fresh vegetables and fruits are found along many streets, in local neighborhood, while the modern supermarkets are strategically located within the city, if one wishes to buy packaged stuff and even foreign products, imported mostly from Italy and Greece. Mini markets, fast food shops, and pizzerias are practically on every block, and they seems to be open all at all times. Fresh, excellent bread of all sorts and shapes, in addition to the usual ‘burek’ (phillo dough stuffed with cheese, or spinach, or ham), is baked continually and can be found at all hours of day or evening. It still usually hot when one buys it!
There is no language problems shopping with local merchants although they speak only Albanian. The same can be said for taxi drivers. Everyone is very pleasant, courteous and very helpful. The taxis are not metered, but there is usually a one fixed fare ($3.00) per ride within the city limits. The markets display the food prices and one can pick and choose the product at his/her discretion, if wished. The vendors make you feel they are at your service and eager to please you.
Today I bought carrots and zucchini that are so fresh and tender that they don’t need to be peeled. The tomatoes are firm, ripe, and tasty. One kilo of them can be had for only a dollar! The Israeli melon, although a more expensive item as in NY, ripe to perfection, is absolutely delicious!
One drawback: fresh, genuine food and vegetables will not last long in the fridge; thus, it’s a ritual to shop and consume stuff daily. Bon appetite!
Monday, November 01, 2004
Leisure time
Europeans really know how to enjoy life, and Albanians are no exception! During the weekends many escape the city and take advantage of what the nearby Dajti mountains (with a national park), or the close port city Durres (with a long beach coast) offer. Thus, I also went along with what my local friends suggested.
On Saturday, after a nice long walk with a couple of them in Tirana’s “Great Park” and an aperitif at a café by the great lake, we had lunch on the terrace of a local, characteristic restaurant, inside the park, among beautifully smelling pine trees. The sun was shining, the children were playing in an adjacent grounds (especially setup for them by the restaurant), while parents were enjoying lunch in the open and could keep an eye on them. No noise, no pollution, and a very relaxed atmosphere here!
Although prices have skyrocketed in Albania too, everyone seems to have a good time and frequent the public places and facilities: from bars, to restaurants and pubs, from recreational parks for children to game playing spots for adults. One can also observe very large advertising signs with flashing neon lights almost everywhere (unheard of only a few years ago), and many more traffic lights that seem to function pretty well although they may be still ignored by many!
On Sunday I planned to travel to and visit the southern, port city of Vlora, where I have never been before. It was a long ride from Tirana (~ 2 ½ hr). It took longer to get there since the friends accompanying me wanted to show me some of the other towns along the way, such as the city of Fier, with its long main street flanked by tall palm trees. Along the beach of Durres we stopped at the Adriatik Hotel, which I remember in complete ruins during my first visit to Albania in 1993. Now it’s a 5 star hotel, with marble floors and stair cases inside, manicured lawns, pool, beach bar on the outside, and attentive uniformed staff. It borders the public beach where people were strolling and some in bathing suit were jogging – a scene that could have been easily mistaken for a similar one in Florida!
Traveling south the vegetation changes to gently rolling hills and terraced agricultural fields. Many greenhouses can be observed (for vegetable growing all year around), in addition to large extensions of vines, fruit and olive orchards, with their very old and contorted tree trunks, which are still producing!
The city of Vlora is bigger than I thought and it covers a large expansion of land. Many new tall buildings can be spotted all over the city, an overview of which we were able to enjoy from a high hill, where there is a café, a radio ad TV antenna, and even a Bekteshi temple. This area has a very rugged and very scenic coast line. Historically, Vlora is the city where Albania was formed, and I was able to visit the house where the first Albanian flag was hoisted by the patriot Ismail Qemali in November 1912, when Albania was declared a state.
Another wonderful lunch was experienced on a terrace of a seashore restaurant along the coast, served by an attentive staff of the Paradise Beach Hotel in the town of Oricum. The place was busy with entire families enjoying the outdoors! On our left we had the prominent peninsula of Karaburun, and in front the famous island of Sazan, occupied by the Italians military forces during WWII.
We reached Tirana in the darkness of the evening due to the change of time from Daylight Savings; a bit tired, but relaxed and ready for a new work week.
On Saturday, after a nice long walk with a couple of them in Tirana’s “Great Park” and an aperitif at a café by the great lake, we had lunch on the terrace of a local, characteristic restaurant, inside the park, among beautifully smelling pine trees. The sun was shining, the children were playing in an adjacent grounds (especially setup for them by the restaurant), while parents were enjoying lunch in the open and could keep an eye on them. No noise, no pollution, and a very relaxed atmosphere here!
Although prices have skyrocketed in Albania too, everyone seems to have a good time and frequent the public places and facilities: from bars, to restaurants and pubs, from recreational parks for children to game playing spots for adults. One can also observe very large advertising signs with flashing neon lights almost everywhere (unheard of only a few years ago), and many more traffic lights that seem to function pretty well although they may be still ignored by many!
On Sunday I planned to travel to and visit the southern, port city of Vlora, where I have never been before. It was a long ride from Tirana (~ 2 ½ hr). It took longer to get there since the friends accompanying me wanted to show me some of the other towns along the way, such as the city of Fier, with its long main street flanked by tall palm trees. Along the beach of Durres we stopped at the Adriatik Hotel, which I remember in complete ruins during my first visit to Albania in 1993. Now it’s a 5 star hotel, with marble floors and stair cases inside, manicured lawns, pool, beach bar on the outside, and attentive uniformed staff. It borders the public beach where people were strolling and some in bathing suit were jogging – a scene that could have been easily mistaken for a similar one in Florida!
Traveling south the vegetation changes to gently rolling hills and terraced agricultural fields. Many greenhouses can be observed (for vegetable growing all year around), in addition to large extensions of vines, fruit and olive orchards, with their very old and contorted tree trunks, which are still producing!
The city of Vlora is bigger than I thought and it covers a large expansion of land. Many new tall buildings can be spotted all over the city, an overview of which we were able to enjoy from a high hill, where there is a café, a radio ad TV antenna, and even a Bekteshi temple. This area has a very rugged and very scenic coast line. Historically, Vlora is the city where Albania was formed, and I was able to visit the house where the first Albanian flag was hoisted by the patriot Ismail Qemali in November 1912, when Albania was declared a state.
Another wonderful lunch was experienced on a terrace of a seashore restaurant along the coast, served by an attentive staff of the Paradise Beach Hotel in the town of Oricum. The place was busy with entire families enjoying the outdoors! On our left we had the prominent peninsula of Karaburun, and in front the famous island of Sazan, occupied by the Italians military forces during WWII.
We reached Tirana in the darkness of the evening due to the change of time from Daylight Savings; a bit tired, but relaxed and ready for a new work week.
Life at a different pace
My first week in Albania has gone by quickly between business appointments and leisure meetings with friends and acquaintances.
Life in this country is still conditioned by lack of electricity and/or water for a few hours every day, but people are used to it and adapt their routines accordingly, and so do I when I come here.
The first couple of evenings I was visited by friends that came to say hello. Another evening I was a dinner guest at an acquaintance’s home. I met the hosts four years ago and we always ate out during my previous trips here. Recently, they moved their family into an apartment in one of the newest hi-raisers of Tirana, where they enjoy many comforts: good viewof the city from their front balcony, very large living/dining room area, modern kitchen and bathroom, several bedrooms, and even a special extra small room (accessed thru the balcony) where they grill or fry foods without affecting the apartment with unpleasant odors.
Remembering the state of Tirana when I saw it way back in 1993, it’s impressive to see it today, especially at night. The shops, all lit up at night, are open late, the boulevards, newly repaved, are beautified by green lawns and long lines of picturesque street lamps. The city parks have been freed of all the illegal constructions of the 1990’s that were along their borders and now offer an unobtrusive view and a fresh green respite to its citizens. The city continues to expand (its population almost reaching 1 million), the vehicular traffic is incredible, and construction is ongoing everywhere, with the unfortunate consequence of a high degree of smog and unhealthy air!
Innumerable Albanian hotels, reconstructed and modernized, in addition to the foreign built ones (such as Sheraton, Rogner), offer lodging and facilities for all sorts of pockets. It’s impossible to estimate the number of cafés in the city. They are always open and busy, day and night.
The meal I enjoyed as a guest was exceptionally tasty, extremely fresh and very healthy! A variety of cooked vegetables, in additional to the traditional green and tomato salad, were served with lemon wedges (widely used on all sorts of foods here) and virgin olive oil that each person can use at their discretion. A variety of fresh fish was grilled to perfection and even the ice cream served with the desserts was hand made. White and red Albanian wines were excellent (everywhere I go I enjoy a different brand from a different region of the country), and this meal was actually even topped by a well chilled champagne at the end!
The hosts had invited other friends of theirs, who were very enjoyable and interesting to talk to. They were couples that manage their own successful businesses (ie: construction and interior decorating) and shared their concerns as modern parents of teenagers, some of whom are studying abroad. The evening was a great learning experience for me!
Life in this country is still conditioned by lack of electricity and/or water for a few hours every day, but people are used to it and adapt their routines accordingly, and so do I when I come here.
The first couple of evenings I was visited by friends that came to say hello. Another evening I was a dinner guest at an acquaintance’s home. I met the hosts four years ago and we always ate out during my previous trips here. Recently, they moved their family into an apartment in one of the newest hi-raisers of Tirana, where they enjoy many comforts: good viewof the city from their front balcony, very large living/dining room area, modern kitchen and bathroom, several bedrooms, and even a special extra small room (accessed thru the balcony) where they grill or fry foods without affecting the apartment with unpleasant odors.
Remembering the state of Tirana when I saw it way back in 1993, it’s impressive to see it today, especially at night. The shops, all lit up at night, are open late, the boulevards, newly repaved, are beautified by green lawns and long lines of picturesque street lamps. The city parks have been freed of all the illegal constructions of the 1990’s that were along their borders and now offer an unobtrusive view and a fresh green respite to its citizens. The city continues to expand (its population almost reaching 1 million), the vehicular traffic is incredible, and construction is ongoing everywhere, with the unfortunate consequence of a high degree of smog and unhealthy air!
Innumerable Albanian hotels, reconstructed and modernized, in addition to the foreign built ones (such as Sheraton, Rogner), offer lodging and facilities for all sorts of pockets. It’s impossible to estimate the number of cafés in the city. They are always open and busy, day and night.
The meal I enjoyed as a guest was exceptionally tasty, extremely fresh and very healthy! A variety of cooked vegetables, in additional to the traditional green and tomato salad, were served with lemon wedges (widely used on all sorts of foods here) and virgin olive oil that each person can use at their discretion. A variety of fresh fish was grilled to perfection and even the ice cream served with the desserts was hand made. White and red Albanian wines were excellent (everywhere I go I enjoy a different brand from a different region of the country), and this meal was actually even topped by a well chilled champagne at the end!
The hosts had invited other friends of theirs, who were very enjoyable and interesting to talk to. They were couples that manage their own successful businesses (ie: construction and interior decorating) and shared their concerns as modern parents of teenagers, some of whom are studying abroad. The evening was a great learning experience for me!
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