Where is spring?

The bad weather continues to strike all of Europe, and the long holiday weekend has hampered traveling everywhere. Snow has reappeared, even at lower levels, to the delight of skiers, and rains and winds are clobbering trees, while the sea waves are smashing the coasts. The European TV channels are showing a variety of all these conditions, which also caused some deaths, and the weather forecast does not offer great hope for changes soon.

It’s interesting to see San Marco’s square in Venice at night, reflecting gorgeous colors from the beautifully lit buildings, which are under more than one meter of water. Very few people (and probably no tourists) are trashing about in tall boots, and the gondolas are undulating, empty in the wind. Mount Rosa in the northwestern corner of the Alps (at the bottom of which I used to live as a child) is experiencing – 22 degrees Celsius with snow falls (of about 1 ½ feet) also in areas as low as 700m above sea level. The large ferries that connect the Italian ports to the various islands are greatly affected by the bad condition of the seas. One of them, with a full cargo of passengers and 600 vehicles, had to take refuge near a cove of the French island of Corsica, and to remain there for 25 hours before being able to safely complete its journey.

Here, in Tirana, we had a bit of a break on Easter Sunday, with some sunshine, but during the night the rains started again and steadily continued throughout today. I feel fortunate not to have been affected by lack of electricity, which allows me to be warm inside my apartment, where I can enjoy the visits of my friends. Tomorrow, Tuesday, is again a religious holiday, but, by Wednesday, business life is going to jump again…..meantime, I am taking advantage of this seeming lull to handle house chores and the never ending paperwork.