In my post of October 13th I had mentioned the Arbëresh, the Albanian communities that settled in southern Italy and Sicily centuries ago.
For my friends who might be interested in learning more about this subject, I refer you to another blog entry, by ‘The Expresso Break’, which gives you a good background of this historic shift in the Albanian past.
Another interesting bit of input along this line comes from a 2006 entry in ‘Metafilter.com’ confirming what I had learned long ago: that the mother of the noted American TV personality Regis Philbin, originates from Arbëresh people.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
All is well that ends well
Yesterday morning, while my housekeeper was cleaning my apartment, I decided to use my reliable car service to go shopping at one of the new, large complexes in the suburbs of Tirana.
Although I've a valid license, I would never drive in Albania, and never did in Italy either, for that matter. I prefer to let the locals handle their own unruly traffic, and, at times, unconventional vehicular behavior. My chaffeur in Tirana is an elderly gentleman, who has worked as a driver for 55 years across most of Europe, and I've been one of his steady customers for the past 10 years when in Albania.
I had quite a few to-do's and purchases on my list and I know I could count on him, as usual, for promptness and help in handling bags and packages. In less than than 1 1/2 hour I accomplished a lot with him, and was serviced expeditiously at all stores with typical European courteusness by the sales people that are always willing and ready to help here. Upon my return home, however, I had to face an unexpected, and unpleasant surprise.
As I entered the lobby of my apartment building I noticed quite a bit of water on the floors and stairs, both elevators out of order, and my floor neighbor, who was also loaded with 3 shopping bags, discussing with other people what had just happened. The problem originated on the 6th floor, where the bursting of a water pipe flooded the elevator shafts, and the administrator shut both water and elevator service off for safety, while waiting for a technician to arrrive.
While he and a couple of men were shuttling back and forth between floors, my neighbor grabbed a couple of folded chairs from the small office cubicle in the lobby and, with unraffled demeanor and resigned manner, invited me to join her in sitting down, surrounded by our purchases. I am not fluent in speaking Albanian, but understand it pretty well and can get along with any native without a problem. The two of us had some small chat while I was thinking that, in the worst of cases, for lunch we could have had some of the ice pops I had just bought.....:-)))!
Notwithstanding the inconvenience, most people accepted the situation clamly, and even the most elderly slowly tackled the stairs to get to their respective apartments. For years Albanians have been used to and had to deal with much more than this!
My neighbor and I were the only ones loaded with stuff to carry all the way to the 12th floor, thus we decided to remain in the narrow lobby, monitor the situation, and hope for the best soon. Thanks to the cell phones, which we both carried, we were able to call out. She reached her husband at work, and I my housekeper, who meantime, not knowing what was happening downstairs, was trying to complete her cleaning by using the reserve water we all keep inside the apartments for emergencies like this.
When the technician, who was summoned while attending a funeral, arrived about an hour later, he put one of the elevators back to work. My neighbor and I, plus my housekeeper, who, meantime, had descended via the stairs, quickly grabbed the ride upward, without a second thought, and safely reached our 12th floor with all our merchandise and a big sigh of relief! What an adventure!
For the afternoon I had a prearranged appointment with a couple of my friends, who wanted, at the end of their work day, to take me out for a late lunch in the country. After hearing what happened, they arrived earlier than expected, and eventually we drove off for one of our favorite places: a restaurant located a few miles out of the city, which I've described here previously. It's always very crowded because of its excellent food. Our lunch was no exception and we enjoyed a variety of their typical specialties.
Usually, we prefer to have the classic espresso at the end of the meal somewhere else, so that we can visit and experience other establishments on the way back home.
Yesterday, we deviated briefly to a side road and reached the sleepy village of Petrela, with its towering castle, which I've visited a couple of years ago.
It's quite a climb to go up there by foot, and we had no intention to do so, especially after a full meal, and also due to the lateness of day.
Later on we stopped at a new, neat looking restaurant/bar that was along the winding road back. It attracked our attention for the interesting style of its windows and the lovely display of flowers along its balcony.
We sipped coffee indoors, prompted by the owner whose place was comfortably warmed up, and watched a beautiful sunset through the glass walls overlooking the surrounding valleys.
Back in town, we stopped for a while at my office to drop some of my earlier purchases, destined to it. Afterwards we enjoyed the first roasted chestnuts of the season that we picked up just before getting back to my apartment where we shared some drinks and chatted some more before retiring for the evening.
The old saying is really true: all is well that ends well!
Although I've a valid license, I would never drive in Albania, and never did in Italy either, for that matter. I prefer to let the locals handle their own unruly traffic, and, at times, unconventional vehicular behavior. My chaffeur in Tirana is an elderly gentleman, who has worked as a driver for 55 years across most of Europe, and I've been one of his steady customers for the past 10 years when in Albania.
I had quite a few to-do's and purchases on my list and I know I could count on him, as usual, for promptness and help in handling bags and packages. In less than than 1 1/2 hour I accomplished a lot with him, and was serviced expeditiously at all stores with typical European courteusness by the sales people that are always willing and ready to help here. Upon my return home, however, I had to face an unexpected, and unpleasant surprise.
As I entered the lobby of my apartment building I noticed quite a bit of water on the floors and stairs, both elevators out of order, and my floor neighbor, who was also loaded with 3 shopping bags, discussing with other people what had just happened. The problem originated on the 6th floor, where the bursting of a water pipe flooded the elevator shafts, and the administrator shut both water and elevator service off for safety, while waiting for a technician to arrrive.
While he and a couple of men were shuttling back and forth between floors, my neighbor grabbed a couple of folded chairs from the small office cubicle in the lobby and, with unraffled demeanor and resigned manner, invited me to join her in sitting down, surrounded by our purchases. I am not fluent in speaking Albanian, but understand it pretty well and can get along with any native without a problem. The two of us had some small chat while I was thinking that, in the worst of cases, for lunch we could have had some of the ice pops I had just bought.....:-)))!
Notwithstanding the inconvenience, most people accepted the situation clamly, and even the most elderly slowly tackled the stairs to get to their respective apartments. For years Albanians have been used to and had to deal with much more than this!
My neighbor and I were the only ones loaded with stuff to carry all the way to the 12th floor, thus we decided to remain in the narrow lobby, monitor the situation, and hope for the best soon. Thanks to the cell phones, which we both carried, we were able to call out. She reached her husband at work, and I my housekeper, who meantime, not knowing what was happening downstairs, was trying to complete her cleaning by using the reserve water we all keep inside the apartments for emergencies like this.
When the technician, who was summoned while attending a funeral, arrived about an hour later, he put one of the elevators back to work. My neighbor and I, plus my housekeeper, who, meantime, had descended via the stairs, quickly grabbed the ride upward, without a second thought, and safely reached our 12th floor with all our merchandise and a big sigh of relief! What an adventure!
For the afternoon I had a prearranged appointment with a couple of my friends, who wanted, at the end of their work day, to take me out for a late lunch in the country. After hearing what happened, they arrived earlier than expected, and eventually we drove off for one of our favorite places: a restaurant located a few miles out of the city, which I've described here previously. It's always very crowded because of its excellent food. Our lunch was no exception and we enjoyed a variety of their typical specialties.
Usually, we prefer to have the classic espresso at the end of the meal somewhere else, so that we can visit and experience other establishments on the way back home.
Yesterday, we deviated briefly to a side road and reached the sleepy village of Petrela, with its towering castle, which I've visited a couple of years ago.
It's quite a climb to go up there by foot, and we had no intention to do so, especially after a full meal, and also due to the lateness of day.
Later on we stopped at a new, neat looking restaurant/bar that was along the winding road back. It attracked our attention for the interesting style of its windows and the lovely display of flowers along its balcony.
We sipped coffee indoors, prompted by the owner whose place was comfortably warmed up, and watched a beautiful sunset through the glass walls overlooking the surrounding valleys.
Back in town, we stopped for a while at my office to drop some of my earlier purchases, destined to it. Afterwards we enjoyed the first roasted chestnuts of the season that we picked up just before getting back to my apartment where we shared some drinks and chatted some more before retiring for the evening.
The old saying is really true: all is well that ends well!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Blessed sun!
After almost 10 days of on and off, and, at times, heavy rain, which swelled the Lana, Tirana's water canal that crosses the city, full sunshine is finally with us again for a few days.
The million trees that now line up almost every street in this city shed a lot of their autumn colors, but, amazingly, after all the above soak the shade of green is back, especially in the ground areas.
Wish I had more time to just sit on my balcony to absorb some vitamin D, but I did manage a few minutes of it in the past couple of days. What I lack is a nice lounge chair, which would be perfect for an idle exercise of this type once in a while!
A propo of this, the other evening, after dinner with a friend in a wonderful fish restaurant, located just behind my apartment building, a good looking glass frontispice of a business facing the restaurant attracked my attention.
How could I have missed this place, named 'Master Gym", before? It was 10pm and the place was about to close for the day, but my friend and I decided to pop into it for a look. A very friendly and vivacious young lady eagerly gave us a tour of the premises, their flyers and their costs.
They are well equipped to offer fitness programs, aerobics and yoga classes, shower and sauna facilities, and even massages, all for very reasonable fees (ie: 8 session per month for $40.-). Being so conveniently located this is certainly a place to keep in mind for me.
Today is a gorgeous Sunday and I decided to take it easy, after a busy week, but I had to interrupt briefly this writing to catch the view I have from my desk....
The sky above me is crissed crossed by several planes flying south....
I wonder...where are they going?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Guided visit of Tirana
As forecasted the rain began to soak Tirana on Monday, and the city traffic became impossible to handle. The bad weather, unfortunately, continues and may not end soon!
A friend, who lives in NY, made a short trip last week to the northern Albanian city of Shkodra, where she has relatives, and, on her way back home, we agreed to meet in Tirana. I invited her to stay with me and she readily accepted when I suggested to arrive here at least on Monday night, since she had to fly out of Albania on Wednesday morning.
She visited Shkodra repeatedly since 2006, but had not yet had the chance to really get acquainted with the capital.
After her arrival on Monday night we had a late dinner at an Italian restaurant, located just one block away from my apartment. The plans we made on how to spend her only full day in this capital went out of the window the next morning, when we had a leisure breakfast. Somehow, however, we ended up doing a lot during the rest of the day, and by the end of it we were both exhausted.
As we went along, we laughingly kept on telling each other that this was really a typical Albanian way of living. Without rushing, we were able to move around and see several things and places, and also tour the National Albanian Historic Museum in the center of the famously large Skanderbeg square. This city center area is now really messy and difficult to navigate for both cars and pedestrians because, according to an ambitious urban plan, it's being reconstructed and completely repaved.
We managed to have an aperitiv at one of the hundreds outdoor bars of Tirana with another American woman, widow of an Albanian. She resides in California, but at the tender age of 80, spends about 6 months a year in this city, where she rents an apartment, goes to a gym twice a week, and even teaches journalism at a local private school.
Afterwards, we had a satisfying lunch at one of my favorite places in town. Their, so called, salad bar offers a large variety of very tasty vegetarian dishes, in addition to meatballs in tomato sauce, and the typical 'bykek' (the appetizing phyllo dough that comes stuffed with spinach, or ham, and cheese).
Although normally one cannot take pictures inside a museum, I opted to copy what another tourist (part of a visiting German group with a guide) was doing. The museum staff never stopped us, thus we merrily went along and walked all 3 large floors for a couple of hours.
Starting from the main floor upward, the exhibits cover prehistoric periods that lead to the Illyrians (Albanians' ancestors), then, throught a variety of beautiful maps, display also the many foreign invasions that took place over the centuries (from Roman times to the Ottoman 500 year occupation of the balkan territories), and so on.
the model of the 3500 years old southern citadel of Berat
representation of the Congress of Lezhë of 1444
The above northern city today houses the grave of the national hero Skanderbeg. Here he had formed a league of Albanian princes to fight the Ottoman empire.
costumes of the Arbëreshë
These are ethnic Albanian communities still living today in southern Italy and Sicily, where they maintain their own distinct culture and identities. They migrated there since the 15th century when Skanderbeg helped militarily both King Alfonso V of Aragon and King Ferdinand of Naples and received from them land as compensation.
collection of old rifles with carved silver handles
The League of Prizren was an Albanian political organization founded in Kosovo in 1878, which aimed to unify all Albanians.
November 28, 1912 - Albanian Declaration of Independence lead by Ismail Qemali, who was the 1st Head of State of modern Albania.
Sami, Naim, and Abdyl Frasheri: 3 brothers, and prominent figures of the National Renaissance movement in Albania in the late 1800's.
The most interesting floor displays for me are on the 3rd and top floor of this museum. They represent the more current history of modern Albania, with the Fascist occupation of 1939, the resistence movement during WWII, and the formation of the Communist totalitarian dictatorship that lasted for more than half a century.
Thanks to some friends of mine, my guest and I concluded the tour of Tirana by riding in they comfortable car when they picked us up in the late afternoon, after work. With them we were able to observe the immense number of constructions that is ongoing in the outskirts, and hilly areas of this capital, which includes also another mega shopping center - the 6th of this kind in this city.
Finally, we rode upward toward the Dajti mountain and had drinks at a cafe` that overlooks the city. It was already dark, but the view of Tirana could still be detected in the distance.
After a quiet dinner, again in a restaurant within the condo complex where I lodge, my guest could not even tackle packing. We both hit the sack, totally pooped!
A friend, who lives in NY, made a short trip last week to the northern Albanian city of Shkodra, where she has relatives, and, on her way back home, we agreed to meet in Tirana. I invited her to stay with me and she readily accepted when I suggested to arrive here at least on Monday night, since she had to fly out of Albania on Wednesday morning.
She visited Shkodra repeatedly since 2006, but had not yet had the chance to really get acquainted with the capital.
After her arrival on Monday night we had a late dinner at an Italian restaurant, located just one block away from my apartment. The plans we made on how to spend her only full day in this capital went out of the window the next morning, when we had a leisure breakfast. Somehow, however, we ended up doing a lot during the rest of the day, and by the end of it we were both exhausted.
As we went along, we laughingly kept on telling each other that this was really a typical Albanian way of living. Without rushing, we were able to move around and see several things and places, and also tour the National Albanian Historic Museum in the center of the famously large Skanderbeg square. This city center area is now really messy and difficult to navigate for both cars and pedestrians because, according to an ambitious urban plan, it's being reconstructed and completely repaved.
We managed to have an aperitiv at one of the hundreds outdoor bars of Tirana with another American woman, widow of an Albanian. She resides in California, but at the tender age of 80, spends about 6 months a year in this city, where she rents an apartment, goes to a gym twice a week, and even teaches journalism at a local private school.
Afterwards, we had a satisfying lunch at one of my favorite places in town. Their, so called, salad bar offers a large variety of very tasty vegetarian dishes, in addition to meatballs in tomato sauce, and the typical 'bykek' (the appetizing phyllo dough that comes stuffed with spinach, or ham, and cheese).
Although normally one cannot take pictures inside a museum, I opted to copy what another tourist (part of a visiting German group with a guide) was doing. The museum staff never stopped us, thus we merrily went along and walked all 3 large floors for a couple of hours.
Starting from the main floor upward, the exhibits cover prehistoric periods that lead to the Illyrians (Albanians' ancestors), then, throught a variety of beautiful maps, display also the many foreign invasions that took place over the centuries (from Roman times to the Ottoman 500 year occupation of the balkan territories), and so on.
The above northern city today houses the grave of the national hero Skanderbeg. Here he had formed a league of Albanian princes to fight the Ottoman empire.
These are ethnic Albanian communities still living today in southern Italy and Sicily, where they maintain their own distinct culture and identities. They migrated there since the 15th century when Skanderbeg helped militarily both King Alfonso V of Aragon and King Ferdinand of Naples and received from them land as compensation.
The League of Prizren was an Albanian political organization founded in Kosovo in 1878, which aimed to unify all Albanians.
November 28, 1912 - Albanian Declaration of Independence lead by Ismail Qemali, who was the 1st Head of State of modern Albania.
Sami, Naim, and Abdyl Frasheri: 3 brothers, and prominent figures of the National Renaissance movement in Albania in the late 1800's.
The most interesting floor displays for me are on the 3rd and top floor of this museum. They represent the more current history of modern Albania, with the Fascist occupation of 1939, the resistence movement during WWII, and the formation of the Communist totalitarian dictatorship that lasted for more than half a century.
Thanks to some friends of mine, my guest and I concluded the tour of Tirana by riding in they comfortable car when they picked us up in the late afternoon, after work. With them we were able to observe the immense number of constructions that is ongoing in the outskirts, and hilly areas of this capital, which includes also another mega shopping center - the 6th of this kind in this city.
Finally, we rode upward toward the Dajti mountain and had drinks at a cafe` that overlooks the city. It was already dark, but the view of Tirana could still be detected in the distance.
After a quiet dinner, again in a restaurant within the condo complex where I lodge, my guest could not even tackle packing. We both hit the sack, totally pooped!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Weather watch
The weather forecast for Albania, although available on local news and TV, is also observed through the Italian TV channels that most Albanians follow on a daily basis.
They have done this for years, even during the communist dictatorship, when watching foreign programs was strictly forbitten (but that's is also how most of them understand the Italian language)!
This reminds me of when I was a child in Italy, during WWII and the fascist era, when it was also forbitten to hear Radio London, which broadcasted every evening a program destined to Italian audiences. Everyone would listen to it, on a queue tee, in complete silence and with ears close to the radio to keep the volume at the lowest possible level.
Getting back to the weather forecast, everyone here knows that when southern Italy experiences clouds and precipitation, Albania can can expect the same within the next 24 hrs.
This past weekend was really gorgeous and the sunsets worthy of being transposed into paintings. Fascinated by the clear lines of Tirana's surrounding hills and their coloring as the sun was disappearing prompted me to snap the couple of pictures below.
The scene below also struck me for its chaotic look. Myriad of buildings keep on spreading toward the hills of the capital, and from my balcony it all looks like an untidy behive!
On Saturday I took advantage of the good weather to go shopping for food and other necessities, while on Sunday I had lunch along the beach area of Golem on the Adriatic with a couple of friends, who invited me there.
I was told that most Albanians hit the beaches mostly during the months of July and August, but who could resists this beautiful sunny, Sunday afternoon in October?
Several were the families with children playing, and street vendors, who also displayed kytes that easily flew around in the nice sea breeze. Some even ventured swimming, while some speed boats drove, dangerously for my taste, too close to the coast line.
In the distance some merchant ships were anchored in the bay waiting to discharge their cargo in the port of Durres.
They have done this for years, even during the communist dictatorship, when watching foreign programs was strictly forbitten (but that's is also how most of them understand the Italian language)!
This reminds me of when I was a child in Italy, during WWII and the fascist era, when it was also forbitten to hear Radio London, which broadcasted every evening a program destined to Italian audiences. Everyone would listen to it, on a queue tee, in complete silence and with ears close to the radio to keep the volume at the lowest possible level.
Getting back to the weather forecast, everyone here knows that when southern Italy experiences clouds and precipitation, Albania can can expect the same within the next 24 hrs.
This past weekend was really gorgeous and the sunsets worthy of being transposed into paintings. Fascinated by the clear lines of Tirana's surrounding hills and their coloring as the sun was disappearing prompted me to snap the couple of pictures below.
The scene below also struck me for its chaotic look. Myriad of buildings keep on spreading toward the hills of the capital, and from my balcony it all looks like an untidy behive!
On Saturday I took advantage of the good weather to go shopping for food and other necessities, while on Sunday I had lunch along the beach area of Golem on the Adriatic with a couple of friends, who invited me there.
I was told that most Albanians hit the beaches mostly during the months of July and August, but who could resists this beautiful sunny, Sunday afternoon in October?
Several were the families with children playing, and street vendors, who also displayed kytes that easily flew around in the nice sea breeze. Some even ventured swimming, while some speed boats drove, dangerously for my taste, too close to the coast line.
In the distance some merchant ships were anchored in the bay waiting to discharge their cargo in the port of Durres.
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Daily life in this city
Good weather turned ominous for about 24 hours earlier this week.
To avoid an expected downpour I went out on Tuesday to do food shopping at one of my Italian favorite stores, and came home loaded. Now, of course, it means more cooking has to follow...
I made it home just before the storm, which lasted throughout the night and the next day.
Here the clouds seem so close, especially from my apartment, perched up on the 12th floor along one of the main boulevards of Tirana.
Just like in NY mother nature can create havoc in city traffic during and after a storm, and Tirana is no exception, as seen below.
So far, on alternative days, I go to my old premises, which remain for now in deplorable conditions, and are in need of huge repairs.
However, in a separate wing of it, I continue to set up, as started last spring, some rooms destined for office use in the future. Some areas are beginning to take shape, and the telecommunication facilities are fully functioning.
Have also began to unpacked some of the stuff shipped from the States, which arrived here during the summer.
Except for a small refrigerator, which will be purchased soon, there is even a budding kitchen corner....
where a coffee machine would also, eventually, find an appropriatey place. It's a must in the Albanian society where everything takes place over a cup of coffee, whether prepared in turkish style, or with an expresso machine.
To avoid an expected downpour I went out on Tuesday to do food shopping at one of my Italian favorite stores, and came home loaded. Now, of course, it means more cooking has to follow...
I made it home just before the storm, which lasted throughout the night and the next day.
Here the clouds seem so close, especially from my apartment, perched up on the 12th floor along one of the main boulevards of Tirana.
Just like in NY mother nature can create havoc in city traffic during and after a storm, and Tirana is no exception, as seen below.
So far, on alternative days, I go to my old premises, which remain for now in deplorable conditions, and are in need of huge repairs.
However, in a separate wing of it, I continue to set up, as started last spring, some rooms destined for office use in the future. Some areas are beginning to take shape, and the telecommunication facilities are fully functioning.
Have also began to unpacked some of the stuff shipped from the States, which arrived here during the summer.
Except for a small refrigerator, which will be purchased soon, there is even a budding kitchen corner....
where a coffee machine would also, eventually, find an appropriatey place. It's a must in the Albanian society where everything takes place over a cup of coffee, whether prepared in turkish style, or with an expresso machine.
Saturday, October 02, 2010
Autumn in Tirana
October has started and the trees are beginning to show their fall foliage in this capital.
The weather has been very good since my arrival, alternating cloudy days with a bit of rain, with full, splendid sunshine like today.
Online I read that the US Eastern coast continues to experience wild weather changes with high winds and plenty of rainfall due to the very active storm season, and consequently is suffering power cuts, floodings, damages, and scattered evacuations.
Here in Tirana we currently have temperatures that range from 76F in midday to 55F during the night. One can still sweat at noontime and have beautiful cool nights for sleeping.
As usual, having a washing machine at my disposal inside my apartment is a blessing. Thanks to this gorgeous weather, my wash this morning dried in no time.
No wonder here no one owns, or uses a drying machine, and the same can be said for in Italy. That's why in these countries quite a variety of laundry is always seen hanging inside or even, perilously, outside balconies or windows.
My housekeeper took care of my apartment during my absence from town, and even transplanted into larger pots a couple of plants that are growing in it, and yesterday, she presented me with a lovely doily that she crocheted for me during the summer!
What can I say? I am blessed to have such good, friendly service and wished I had something similar in NY....meantime, I am getting spoiled by it!!
The weather has been very good since my arrival, alternating cloudy days with a bit of rain, with full, splendid sunshine like today.
Online I read that the US Eastern coast continues to experience wild weather changes with high winds and plenty of rainfall due to the very active storm season, and consequently is suffering power cuts, floodings, damages, and scattered evacuations.
Here in Tirana we currently have temperatures that range from 76F in midday to 55F during the night. One can still sweat at noontime and have beautiful cool nights for sleeping.
As usual, having a washing machine at my disposal inside my apartment is a blessing. Thanks to this gorgeous weather, my wash this morning dried in no time.
No wonder here no one owns, or uses a drying machine, and the same can be said for in Italy. That's why in these countries quite a variety of laundry is always seen hanging inside or even, perilously, outside balconies or windows.
My housekeeper took care of my apartment during my absence from town, and even transplanted into larger pots a couple of plants that are growing in it, and yesterday, she presented me with a lovely doily that she crocheted for me during the summer!
What can I say? I am blessed to have such good, friendly service and wished I had something similar in NY....meantime, I am getting spoiled by it!!
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