A bit of milder temperature is just budding out in NYC, a day here and there, although nights are still cold and the wind, as usual, never subsides in this city.
Having taken care of all the annual accounting and tax chores, I'm now undergoing routine medical checkups, and this week will start planning my next trip to Albania, where, I am told, winter is finally over.
Meantime, I see that Albania's entry into Eurovision Song Context that will take place in Moscow next May is taking shape. The chosen song ("Carry me in my dreams")that will represent the country is now also in an official English version, clearly delivered by the 16 year old Kejsi Tola. Video and comments are available here online.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Washington trip
As usual, this time of the year I find myself busy gathering and organizing all sorts of documents and figures needed to file the required annual tax returns; thus, the month of February silently slipped away from me. However, I also spent the last part of this month in Washington, DC, where I went to attend a couple of meetings, and where I was a guest of long term, local friends, whom I had not visited in quite a while.
The excuse to make this trip came when I received an invitation to attend a celebration of the 1st anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Kosovo and in honor of the visit in that city of its President, Fatmir Sejdiu. I decided to ride in comfort, via the Amtrak train, which takes about 3 hours to cover the 210 miles from New York.
There is no exiting scenery along this stretch of flat land and waterways, but it’s a relaxing experience to just have lunch on board, enjoy the tranquility of a “quiet” car, and just let the smooth train motion lull you to snooze a bit.
Washington is always a beautiful, orderly, and spotless city, a real contrast to the chaotic New York City. My friends live in a lovely, quiet, and centrally located, cooperative apartment, just off one of the main large thoroughfares in this city, and my stay there was, as usual, very comfy. We had a lot to catch up with, and I also enjoyed seeing one of their son and his family at dinner one night. In another evening we attended the projection of a very interesting film by Giulio Amelio in one of the halls of the Italian Embassy, which I had never visited previously. It’s an extremely modern building, with a huge entrance hall, almost completely surrounded by glass, which is used for large receptions, and is full of large paintings and sculptures.
The Kosovo reception took place one evening in one of the large Washington hotels (Embassy Suite) and, to the surprise of many, it was mobbed! Nobody guessed there would be such a huge attendance of Albanians that flocked into Washington for this occasion in great number. It was quite difficult to move around and with all the lights, the cameras, and the people the hall became a real steam bath! Some of the pictures that I thought were taken didn’t turn out at all, but I was able to briefly talk with President Sejdiu, Prime Minister Thaci, Albania’s Amb. Sallabanda, Albania’s representative at the U.N., Amb. Neritani, and to say hello to a large number of other Albanians I know that came from New York, Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Chicago.
Overall, this trip provided me with a needed break, away from home. The Washington weather was mild, but I returned to NY just in time for some rain and a winter storm that is expected to leave us tonight with 10 inches of fresh snow!!
The excuse to make this trip came when I received an invitation to attend a celebration of the 1st anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Kosovo and in honor of the visit in that city of its President, Fatmir Sejdiu. I decided to ride in comfort, via the Amtrak train, which takes about 3 hours to cover the 210 miles from New York.
There is no exiting scenery along this stretch of flat land and waterways, but it’s a relaxing experience to just have lunch on board, enjoy the tranquility of a “quiet” car, and just let the smooth train motion lull you to snooze a bit.
Washington is always a beautiful, orderly, and spotless city, a real contrast to the chaotic New York City. My friends live in a lovely, quiet, and centrally located, cooperative apartment, just off one of the main large thoroughfares in this city, and my stay there was, as usual, very comfy. We had a lot to catch up with, and I also enjoyed seeing one of their son and his family at dinner one night. In another evening we attended the projection of a very interesting film by Giulio Amelio in one of the halls of the Italian Embassy, which I had never visited previously. It’s an extremely modern building, with a huge entrance hall, almost completely surrounded by glass, which is used for large receptions, and is full of large paintings and sculptures.
The Kosovo reception took place one evening in one of the large Washington hotels (Embassy Suite) and, to the surprise of many, it was mobbed! Nobody guessed there would be such a huge attendance of Albanians that flocked into Washington for this occasion in great number. It was quite difficult to move around and with all the lights, the cameras, and the people the hall became a real steam bath! Some of the pictures that I thought were taken didn’t turn out at all, but I was able to briefly talk with President Sejdiu, Prime Minister Thaci, Albania’s Amb. Sallabanda, Albania’s representative at the U.N., Amb. Neritani, and to say hello to a large number of other Albanians I know that came from New York, Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Chicago.
Overall, this trip provided me with a needed break, away from home. The Washington weather was mild, but I returned to NY just in time for some rain and a winter storm that is expected to leave us tonight with 10 inches of fresh snow!!
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