Arrival

Tomorrow I'll have the pleasure of welcoming to Tirana two of my Italian cousins and a friend of theirs, who are flying in from Milan. This is their first visit to Albania, and they will stay here for a week.

Many are the plans in my mind, but, will discuss what they'd like to do when they get here.

Not being able to accomodate the 3 of them in my new apartment, I was happy to find good lodgings for them, in a small, quiet hotel located right behing my building, half a block away.

Although the booking could have been done online, I personally inspected the place, and was able to bargain for a good price that includes breakfast, directly with the young manager, who speaks fluent Italian and English. When I asked him if he wanted a deposit, smilingly he assured me it wasn't necessary. A shake of hands sealed the deal.

The weather in Italy has been bad for a long time, and everyone there told me they were tired of rain and cold. We had a beautiful month in Tirana, and it rained only a couple of days this past week end. Now the sun is shining again and the view of the city is gorgeous, even under some passing clouds.