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.