Day of rest

What a gorgeous day this Sunday! We have had beautiful weather in Tirana for over 3 weeks now, but the forecast for the next few days is for badly needed rain.

I was invited by some local friends to lunch with them out, and we had an excellent fish meal at a restaurant I had discovered last fall, called “Peshku", which, BTW, is within a short distance from my apartment.



They wanted me to have a taste of a variety of fish, and, after a delightfully crunchy mixed salad, with a light dressing of good olive oil and balsamic vinegar, I enjoyed 4 different types of beautifully grilled fish, served with mixed vegetables.

There I had an interesting encounter, when a couple of gentlemen entered the dining room. One of them, whom I’ve met several times over the years in NY, and still works there as an Albanian government representative, was very surprised to see me here, and we exchanged greetings.

Right next door to the restaurant there is an Italian company, called ‘gelateria artigianale’that, I know, produces excellent varieties of ice cream ('gelato’ made according to home recipe), but we decided to walk a bit. A while later, my friends and I stopped at an Albanian and Macedonian pastry and ice cream parlor where they wanted me to try a local product. The menu offered a huge variety of flavors and combinations, including some which were also named American style (ie: ice cream sunday, what else?). Excellent stuff!

It was great to stroll along an unusually non crowded Rr. Durresit on a Sunday afternoon, when the traffic, normally impossible to cope with, was very light and it was not a problem to cross the avenue -- during the week this is quite a feat!



A great contrast, hidden just a block away from this renovated and modern thoroughfare, there are narrow winding streets still populated by ancient structures, obviously still in use, and dominated by a maze of electrical wires and cables amazingly hanging in midair……

Overall a very relaxing and pleasant day!

And life routine goes on.....

My visiting friend from Italy went back home a week ago, happy about her Albanian experience, and, at the same time, sorry to have to resume her daily activities.



And so was I. Life goes on and my tasks here seem never ending. We have been very lucky to have wonderful weather throughout, which reaches the mid to upper 70’s (F) by midday. I hear from NY that the big apple continues to be cold and rainy, with lots of floods also in other states.

This past week has gone by very fast with meetings interspersed with daily chores, which come by having my own place to stay when I am in Tirana. The other side of the coin is that it offers a flexible schedule for meals, sleeping, entertaining, and shutting off the rest of the world, when wanted.

As you may have gathered by my most recent postings, I now have a high speed connection available 24 hours daily. I’ll spare my readers with the experience of the related installation -- suffice to say that I was ready for it, including the setting of the modem and a plan for the cabling. I suspected that the technicians would come without a plan on how to bring inside my apartment the dedicated line from the street, and I was right. They gladly accepted my suggestion and in no time the work was completed and the connection tested ok. After that I went to town downloading additional software and updating other packages, which couldn’t not be done via dialup. Hurrah!

More beach pictures

These shots of a state run resort along beach #13 in Durres, where only state employees and their families can enjoy vacations at a very cheap price, is a self enclosed park with many amenities and gardens.



I was lucky to be able to enter the premises to take the pictures by standing on my own parcel of land, where the government decided to plant some beautiful flowers (without asking my permission, however!).....



...too bad I can't enjoy yet this lovely spot!

Other touring (2 of 2)

One full day was spent going to both the town of Kruja, up in the mountains, and ex capital of Albania during Skanderbeg times, and then down the coast along the shores of Durres and Golem.



Although it was a week day, I was surprised by the large crowds visiting the Skanderbeg Museum in Kruja, which was designed by the ex dictator’s daughter.



When I came to this place in 1993 I was the only visitor, and the museum director was happy to let me roam around by myself within its huge halls. Now, the narrow and steep streets of this town can hardly cope with the many buses and cars that are vying for parking space, and the tour groups inside the museum must be managed by several guides, and paced appropriately for specific presentations.





During our visit we observed entire classrooms that came from as far away as Kosova and Macedonia. The street that leads to the museum is now also lined with many vendors with a great variety of souvenirs, that were no where to be found anywhere, not even in Tirana, when I returned for the first time in 1993.

Thanks again to the gorgeous weather (~75F) we were able to have another great lunch (this time of wonderful fresh fish) at “Benilva” along the coast (on the road that goes from Durres south toward Golem).



We even took in a snooze on the beach lounges of this hotel/restaurant and soaked in some sun, refreshed by the gentle sea breeze of the Adriatic.





Before returning to Tirana we went to the top of the hill in Durres, where the residence of ex King Zog is located, to have a look at the city and its port from above, and we also stopped briefly for a look at the renovated hotel/restaurant ”Adriatik”.





It was a state run resort during the communist time, but now it’s privately owned and it has its share of ‘stars’ in the list of the most modern tourist places in Albania.

Other touring (1 of 2)

While entertaining my friend, I squeezed in a few meetings that I couldn’t postpone, but managed to give her a feeling of daily life in Tirana, which includes shopping for the fresh veggies and fruits at some local markets, in addition to the usual weekly supplies at the larger supermarkets.


One new supermarket “Conad” belongs to the Italian chain by the same name, and it imports fresh goods from Italy on the daily basis. It made its appearance in Tirana last year and, apparently very successful, now plans to expand to 3 other locations, as advertised in newspapers, with lots of openings for needed personnel.

One afternoon we visited the National Historic Museum, which occupies one complete side of the large Skanderbeg square.





Its content changed a great deal since I saw it last about 4 years ago. Its collections have largely expanded and now cover not only what was available during the dictatorship that created it, but also more recent historical periods, with well documented photography and explanations also in English. The Albanian and Arberesh (from Albanian colonies in southern Italy) costume exhibits are particularly beautiful. The 2 hours allotted for the visit are not enough to take in all there is to see in this museum, and I vowed to return to it soon.

silver engraved arms

Italian friend's visit

An old school friend of mine (from elementary times in Italy more than half a century ago!) is an adventurous petite grandma, who has traveled a lot in her lifetime, but has never been to Albania. When I invited her to join me for a visit during one of my stays in Tirana, she readily accepted, and planned to spend a week in the country, unfortunately well known in Italy mostly for its ‘troublesome exports’ ….With her usual verve, and armed with great curiosity, she informed me of her arrival from Milan and I met her at Tirana’s airport a couple of days after I reached Albania.

We spent a wonderful week together, and I am delighted that she enjoyed very much learning a bit of Albanian history and getting to know the ‘real’ Albanians, the ones that have struggled to remain in their country, notwithstanding the hard times, that have maintained their self-respect in the face of poverty, tribulations, and violence, but still live with dignity, and teach their children the old values of honesty, gentleness, dependability, loyalty, in addition to be known for their traditional hospitality!

Her stay was too short to be able to travel long distances, but we (old timers after all!) still managed, in the brief time available, quite a bit of touring around and took a lot of pictures. We were joined by some personal Albanian friends of mine, who took care of suggesting also some visits to Catholic Institutions, knowing that this would please my visitor, and she was.

Petrele castle

an old olive tree along the road

One day we went to the town of Petrele and visited the old castle on top of the mountain, which I had seen for the first time in 1995. Now, after pushing and puffing our way up the long stony road (with no safety railing) that offers, however, a great panorama, one can find a café’ and restaurant right on the summit, with comfortable tables under beach umbrellas perched up among the ruins of the ancient fortress. We chose, however, to eat elsewhere.

ready to climb?

a bit more effort....


On the way back to Tirana, we stopped for a late, but relaxing lunch, at a huge and beautiful restaurant, on a hill, named ‘King’s Table’. We enjoyed good food in a lovely garden, overlooking a mature river, way below us, while being caressed by a gentle and warm breeze. It was a gorgeously sunny day, and so was the rest of the week.

European Tower

Tirana's Twin Towers

in front of the Pyramid (Expo)

Completely oblivious of normal daily business, and relaxed in good company, I never checked my cell phone until I got home. Unfortunately, I managed to loose it. I believe it slipped out of my pocket while getting in and out of the car, and thus, I had to spend time and money to replace it, another day, when we walked around Tirana, and stopped for drinks at the large Café’ Taiwan, centrally located in one of the city parks.

Cafe's fountains

Cafe's rear access

This structure includes more than one café’ (indoors and outdoors), restaurants, a casino, billiards halls, and bowling alleys on 2 floors.

a moment of relax

(more to come on our sightseeing and pictures in another installment)

Frustration....

Since my arrival in Tirana I'm having all sorts of technical problems with email, uploading, and downloading data, and even blogger does not seem to work well all of a sudden....have loads of stuff to post here, but I must postpone it until I'll figure out how to have an easier time online. Have ordered a high speed connection that should be installed in a couple of days, and I may have to reinstall my system software, which may be corrupted. In any case, drop in from time to time, for some more news.

Tirana International Airport

Having read about the recent opening of a new Terminal at Tirana’s airport I was really curious to see it.

I have vivid memories of what this airport looked like when I returned (after a life time abroad) to Tirana in early 1993. The small one room arrival area then was chaotically busy with passengers that were pushing their way through a couple of passport control booths and were scrambling to get their luggage (being thrown inside through a big hole in the wall) in the midst of other public of friends, relatives, and curious individuals that were uncontrollably allowed into the same area creating an indescribable and wild situation. Since then, during each and every one of my frequent trips, I was able to follow the slow, but steady progress of this tiny place, which showed dramatic changes even within brief periods of time.





When I left last fall I could see the skeleton of the newly planned building next door, with its steel beams and modern roof shaped upward, toward the open sky, and now I couldn’t wait to see the final product. Really impressive, I must say! There is even an observation deck facing the runways, and it looked crowded!

The plane that took me to Tirana in 1993 was subjected to a very bumpy roll upon landing on the single old, and short runway, constructed during the communist era, and made up of concrete hexagonal, and uneven pieces. I remember thinking then whether we could make it into one piece to the arrival spot. No other planes were in sight at this airport except for just 2 lonely Russian Migs, parked discretely at a distance, near a tiny little hangar. Now the new terminal can accommodate one million passengers and the 13 airlines that regularly already service Tirana.

During this trip I used again the very efficient Austrian airline from NY to Vienna, and noticed with pleasure that a new and larger craft (an Airbus A320) was used for the last portion of the trip (from Vienna to Tirana), which is now run in partnership with Lufthansa, instead of the older and smaller Tyrolean plane of last year. On board I was also surprised to hear, for the first time, all the announcements also made in the Albanian language.

In the new terminal twelve are now the passport control stations upon entry: 7 for Albanian citizens, 4 for foreigners, and one for the Diplomatic core.

On this arrival I observed another dramatic change -- which probably reflects a sign of the times -- how people are processed into the country. The Albanians were whisked through quickly, while the foreigners (which made up almost half of the arrivals) had to patiently wait the slow handling on the part of the young (men and women) personnel assigned to this task, who, very intently, asked questions and checked computerized data. This experience is exactly the opposite of what used to happen until just a few years ago. The Albanian crowd impatiently had to wait their turn, while the smaller number of foreigners were sped through.

Inside the terminal




In the midst of so many changes, however, one thing seems to me to have remained, thank goodness, the same: the courtesy of staff and the waiving of the entry visa fee, even with a foreign passport, if the individual is checked to be of Albanian origin. Such at least has been my experience all along, accompanied by welcoming smiles and greetings, typical of traditional Albanian hospitality!

Other big surprises upon exiting the terminal were the huge parking lot and the manicured lawns, freshly smelling of cut grass. Leaving the lot with a car, however, was a totally different, and frustrating experience: the impatience of the locals was quite evident, both verbally and in their mode of driving.

There were 7 men assigned to direct the exiting traffic! They frantically tried to cope with obviously a still to be perfected system, while the tempers flared.....my initial reaction to the huge jam and the enormous amount of vehicles involved -- which, BTW, can be diagonally well positioned under beautifully roofed areas -- suggests, however, that the entry and exit roads are too narrow, and not well directionally marked, with the payment booth seemingly not strategically located, thus forcing drivers to momentarily leave their vehicles, with motor running, to pay the fees. Additionally, the related receipts had to be collected by hand, because of the malfunctioning machine at the exit, on top of the fact that such exit consists of a single lane into which non-stop traffic merges from 3 other separate roads! A bit maddening, I think!

I must say though that, once out, we sped toward Tirana using a brand new stretch (7 km long) of smoothly paved road, which shortens a great deal the distance to the capital. Tired, I finally made it in, safe and sound!

Albanian diaspora

Today’s article in the Italian site, called DireGiovani , (http://www.diregiovani.it/gw/producer/dettaglio.aspx?id_doc=1172) brings to mind my trip to Bologna 2 years ago. I stopped there then, while on the way to Albania, to attend an International conference by ECAS (European Citizen Action Service, headquartered in Brussels) that was aiming at “building networks of cooperation and dialogue between Civil Society and the Public Administration in the enlarged Europe”.

The 2 day event was run under the auspices of the Emilia Romagna region, which has always been ahead of all other Italian regions, in creative endeavors and initiatives, not only locally, but also abroad (I’ve in fact attended other events by them right here in NYC).

While enjoying the conference then, I noticed that among the hundreds of registered attendees there were also a few Albanian names and related NGOs. I had looked forward interfacing with them, but was disappointed since none showed up at this gathering.

What I find interesting now by reading the above and I didn’t know then, is that Emilia Romagna has quite a large and well established Albanian community. It’s the 2nd largest ethnic group in this region, with more than 40,000 registered residents. Among them 8,000 school children and 1,500 university students (500 of them in Bologna alone). The Albanians here come 3rd for entrepreneurial and business activities after the Chinese and Moroccans. These numbers sound remarkable as compared with what is talked about the Albanian diaspora in the US of more than half a million.

Every one knows that the largest concentrations in the States have always been in the Great Lakes area, Massachusetts, and New York, but I was extremely surprised by what I found out when I visited the newly restored Ellis Island Historic site almost a decade ago. Although I cannot remember specific figures, the museum statistics indicated that Albanians are present in every one of the 50 US states, including a large group in distant Anchorage, Alaska.

Wish I could attend the current Bologna seminar, entitled “The Albanians in Emilia Romagna: 16 years of….data, emotions, and reflections” -- its apparent goal is aiming at recognizing third parties contributions, reducing prejudices, equalizing civil rights (eventually allowing also voting privileges), without having to renounce identities, for a truly multiethnic society.

Instead now, I must attend to wrapping up loose ends here in NY and prepare for the next upcoming trip to Albania, where I’ll land shortly. I am also looking forward to some additional company: a long term Italian school friend has decided to come (from northern Italy) to visit me for a week in Tirana, soooo….. keep tuned in!