Mini vacation

This past weekend I traveled to Amherst (MA), via an Amtrak regional train, to spend a couple of days with a friend that invited me to visit. He had moved out of New York 3 years ago to work at the University of Massachusetts and, in the last 1 1/2 year, lives in a lovely, and comfortable house in a peaceful and quaint area of this state.

The train, named the Vermonter, originates in Washington, DC, and its final destination, 13 hours later, is the state of Vermont, close to the border of Canada.

It runs on a single rail bed, and, along the way, the electric engine is substituted by a diesel one that blows its horn at all road crossings (and there are many in the countryside!). During the engine switch operation in CT, which takes about 15 minutes, passengers are allowed to step out onto the station platform for a smoke or a stretch. Good service and regular announcements accompanied us all along the way.

I had reserved discounted seats in the business class car, where the snack bar/cafe` is located, and where some passengers also can use table equipped booths. Needless to say some passengers entertain themselves by using their laptops, which can be easily plugged into power strips next to each seat. I was perfectly happy to have left the steamy, and extremely crowded NY station, and to just read a bit, snooze, and plain relax!

My friend was waiting for me at the station, and after a short ride into the countryside we both relaxed for a while, sipping champagne in his house, which was pleasantly air conditioned throughout, before he prepared and served a delicious dinner.

Nothing beats the spaciousness of a home. His has a beautiful large, well equipped, windowed kitchen with a roomy breakfast dining area from where one can watch the occasional local animal life that hops across the backyard, or appears and disappears into the thick bushes of the surrounding areas.


The master bedroom where I was accommodated has a large bathroom with lots of closet space and is well designed and equipped with seniors or disabled people accessibility in mind.

After a full breakfast the next day, my friend gave me a real tour throughout the huge valley around Amherst, the tranquil surrounding towns, and a great view from the top of Sugarloaf mountain, where one can see the entire Connecticut river valley.





The weather was very hot and humid, as in NY, and by lunch time the dark clouds began to release a heavy rainstorm. My friend informed me that the area needed water badly, thus, the local agriculture would benefit greatly from the downpour. From all the information he furnished while driving me around, I learned a lot about this area of MA, where the main activities relate, only and mainly, to academic institutions of all kinds and farm life.

The institutional campuses cover extensive areas, as do the farms, some of which are owned and operated by these schools, also for educational purposes. I noticed large fields of tobacco and learned that the "Commonwealth of Massachusetts" (as they like to call it) is one of largest producers of this crop. One interesting note regards the practice of large shopping centers in the area that normally close at 10pm, but, during the opening of an academic year, they remain open for an additional 2 hours, during which only students can shop at their hearts' content until midnight.

After a relaxing and delicious lunch at a local inn my friend suggested we change our previous plan to eat dinner out, so that we didn't have to cope with the storm, the heat, and humidity. Instead, on the way home, we shopped at a huge center that has branches throughout New England, called "Big Y" .




There he picked 2 live lobsters, which were steamed for us within 15 minutes, and became part of the risotto course, cooked at home, where, after dinner, we watched a nice movie on his enormous tv screen.

Early Sunday morning we went out to a local bakery that serves full breakfast from 7am to 2pm, and the place was packed and business there was brisk!

By midday my mini vacation was coming to an end, and I re-boarded the Vermonter to return home. The train, which was fully booked, became the victim of another storm when it was just a few miles outside of NYC. We stopped in the middle of nowhere for over an hour, and the cafe` on board did a booming business for over 2 hours, after which we finally reached NY Penn Station. A taxi ride through NY traffic brought me home in a relative short time, relaxed and reinvigorated, thanks to my friend, and ready to tackle the week ahead.

Discovering Albania

More and more travel reporters are finally discovering Albania, and their articles now appear on Internet almost daily. Some of them also created lovely blogs about their experiences in the country, such as Carol Pucci, who writes for The Seattle Times.

Her recent article prompted me to read her blog about Albania. There she discloses the fact that she may have Albanian ancestry, as proven by her extended trip into southern Italy, where she could find family roots.

I can attest to the changes mentioned in her article because of my frequent trips to Albania over the past 17 years. Overheard comments from foreign business visitors while traveling to Tirana always confirmed my judgment.

In the early days it was hard to impress upon the locals I knew that what was evolving after more than half a century of hideous dictatorship was noticeable and remarkable. They were too busy trying to grasp what it meant to emerge from a long term isolationist past, and learning how to deal with sudden regained freedom. Now, after almost 2 decades of slow, and at times painful development, there is a greater awareness, thank goodness. With it comes more positive thinking, and greater hopes for the future, but also a host of other drawbacks, which naturally stem from being free. They are too complex to be discussed in this context, but need to be watched, studied, and eventually conquered.

Summer in NY

When I left Tirana, Albania, last month the summer heat was felt there with midday Fahrenheit temperature in the mid 80's. Most boulevards, however, offer some shade to pedestrians, flanked on both sides by long lines of mature trees, and the evenings are very pleasant. Although there is not much wind such as we experience in NY, the clouds there would appear in the morning and, after a brief shower, disappear quickly giving in to the sun that can scorch heads by noontime.

This month in NYC we have constant higher temperature in the 90's, and last week we even went over the 100 mark! Many hats and parasols that are quite common in Albania have also appeared in NY streets these days. The air conditioners are working full force, and the city electrical grid is overburdened. Some area have experienced blackouts and the media is reminding everyone to conserve usage of electricity by running appliances during the night hours, if possible.

NYC has opened hundreds of cooling centers to help some people, especially elders that may lack air conditioning at home; small children can enjoy being splashed by sprinklers in the playgrounds, and the outdoor public pools are quite crowded.

Three weeks ago I resumed my aquatic sessions at the indoor pool, where I am a member to exercise and enjoy aqua aerobics at least twice a week when in NY, even in winter.

Although it takes time to go and come from the place, for some of us that cannot take a good, long vacation away from the city, it's a great feeling to be able to sweat in the water rather than on pavement, and be ready to tackle the rest of the work day after a refreshing shower.

Happy Independence Day

July 4th, 2010!!

Deficiency of accurate language interpretation

This very thought-provoking article from BalkanInsight.com brings to light a momentous need of better translations not only of Albanian literature, but of all sorts of languages interpretations. They are the key to greater understanding of cultural differences in the world, and, in many cases, especially in legal matters, are critical for the just outcome of whatever is being dealt with.

I not only agree with the idea proposed in the article for Albania, but especially applaud the last paragraph and hope that the knowledgeable and educated Albanian diaspora will respond to the wished-for challenge. It's a great way to contribute to your country of origin even from far away!

Differences

After a few days of walking in my neighborhood to shop, today I took a bus to go to an appointment in midtown, and for some reason my attention focused on the traveling crowds. I realized having made similar observations months ago, but now after a long stay in Albania, I couldn't help noticing greater contrasts in the population on the move between the two countries.

It was mid morning, thus the younger set supposedly was already at work in NY. These days work places and offices have flexible hours and the old "rush hour traffic" that ruled the streets of NY (in early morning and late afternoon) for decades is a way of the past. The traffic pattern now is more or less the same all day long.

The majority of people I was watching today, lined up at every stop, represented the older set, most of them meticulously well dressed and some accompanied by a care taker. Lots of them carried canes, some took more time to get on and off by themselves, others needed special help by requesting the lowering of the platform that can load and unload wheel chairs. Dealing with the continually increasing number of elderly, in addition to the never ending heavy vehicular traffic, NY buses have slowed down their traveling pace and their waiting time. Thus, if you miss one bus, you patiently have to wait for the next, and by the time it arrives the riding crowd has considerably increased in size.

Except for Saturday and Sunday afternoons, when most citizens are resting or have left the city for the nearby beaches or mountains, Tirana's traffic is also heavy all day long until the wee hours of the night. Fewer are the bus lines, but the service is very frequent. Most people, young and old, walk a lot to their destination because the distances are not as great, and the public transport services only the major boulevards and not the cross streets.

The elder population that walks Tirana in mid morning consist mostly of men, also very neatly dressed, usually wearing business suits and hats. They take care daily of the family food shopping, facilitated by the availability, every couple of blocks, of local farm, extremely fresh, produce, and loads of small and large markets. Their spouses usually remain at home to take care of house chores and cooking. After the main meal of the day has been consumed by the family in mid afternoon, the couples are eventually seen together in late afternoon strolling along the avenues, or visiting friends or relatives.

Personally I know a very spry 90 year old man, who gets up every morning at 4am, prepares breakfast for the entire family, and then goes out to do the shopping. Another 80 year old professor that still teaches law at the University takes a long morning walk around the great park every day, rain or shine. Based on this kind of daily life I can understand why very few people in Albania use canes, or walkers, or wheel chairs to be mobile.

In contrast with NY is that Albania is a country with the youngest population in the world, who, to my great surprise, is extremely respectful of its elderly. Most of them, however, populate the many cafe` at every hour of the day, probably due to high unemployment rate. The seniors instead congregate in the various city parks to play chess or cards, or walk their grandchildren to whom they are very dedicated. They represent the nucleus around which the family spins!

Happy Father's Day

to fathers everywhere, even though fatherhood is celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of June only in the majority of countries, and not around the world.

El Capitan - Yosemite National Park

Back in NY

Thinking of what usually expects me when I return home after a long absence, I was not eager to leave Albania and get back to NY.

Sure enough I found a huge pile of mail and paperwork that took me hours to sort out. The jet lag must be dealt with, while dozen plants that always survive while I am away are thirsty and need a lot of pruning, the dust that permeates NY even when the windows are kept closed, has to be eliminated, left over bills have to be paid, the laundry attended to, the windows washed, and so on.

It's a never ending cycle that, however, this time was lightened by an unexpected coincidence. My return happened just a day before my birthday, and it turned out to be quite pleasurable because, while in the midst of the above chores, I had pleasant and surprising interruptions. I received several phone calls from local and overseas friends, online messages, regular greetings cards and even flower deliveries....Wow!


Am tired, but, overwhelmed by what's around me, onward I go, hopefully, in good health to tackle new plans and new experiences, but remain surrounded by loving people!

Switch of life style

The last week in Tirana was hectic. As usual, notwithstanding all my efforts to conclude plans and chores on time, I am affected by local circumstances, way of life, and people's habits.

When in Albania I have the distinct impression of not being in control of my time because I always have to wait for someone else, or for something else to happen before I can proceed with what I need or wish to do. Many, many times I experienced the same feeling also when in Italy. What I am referring to does not apply to vacation or pleasurable trips, when mind and body are set to relax and rest, but to ways of conducting any kind of business or related issues, which I've had to deal with for decades.

This is the exact opposite of how I live and function when in NY, where for over half a century I've grown accustomed to accomplish both personal and business plans in an organized, and efficient manner. European life is very different and more enjoyable since it includes a more even balance of work and pleasure. This is probably why many U.S. visitors cannot understand our harried daily way of living, which, by default, carries with it a greater amount of stress to which we all adapt to. Let's not underestimate that, during our daily activities, we also have the disadvantage of covering greater distances by the very nature of our geographical setting.

Overseas things get eventually done, but in a way that generate a different kind of hassle, for me actually an aggravation due to time constraints, the outcome of which, as a consequence, is less satisfying personally.

Notwithstanding all of the above, and having had to postpone again my return at the last minute, I've accomplished much of my planned undertakings also during this trip. The reentry was not uneventful, thanks to the incorrect performance by the airline employee that handled the rearrangement, but I am now back in my NY base, safe and sound.

An unresolved Albanian issue

A traditional problem that still persists today in Albania is the matter of blood feuds.

This century old custom, based on the long established law known as the "Kanun", still produces untenable situations today, as described in this recent article by BalkanInsight.com.

Now, probably for the first time, a movie on this subject has also been completed in loco that depicts what afflicts several family lives especially in the northern part of the country.

Work in progress

After my Italian guests returned home, my work schedule resumed in full force last week.

While in the midst of networking, negotiations, and legal matters, which are taking quite a bit of time daily, and spill over sometimes onto the night hours, I squeezed in time, here and there, to advance as much as possible the plans for the physical setup of the offices that will be able to use a wing of my property.

Electricians, carpenters, painters, and cleaning personnel are making quite a bit of progress, which will continue throughout the summer.




Water, electrical services, windows and doors fixtures are all fixed, new venetian blinds and telephone are installed, old computer is refreshed, and online connections are fully operational.

In addition to some, just received, donated furniture for a 2nd office room, I obtained estimates for special cabinetry that can be installed for the eventual library, once the major physical work is completed inside and outside the premises.

Also made a few new purchases to add necessary furnishing and equipment for a more complete functioning by the fall.

The shipment of books of all sorts (in 3 languages), historical documents, recordings of training materials, collections of scientific and technical papers, etc. that I accumulated throughout the years of my professional work, and arranged for shipment from NY to Albania this spring, is currently crossing the Mediterranean sea and will reach the Albanian port of Durres around June 25.

These resources will be added to the publications already donated in loco and will form the library of the organization we are setting up in Tirana for educational purposes of its younger population.

What remains to be done now is to find funding sources to staff appropriately the organization so that it can function and grow in the future.

Farewell dinner

The last evening in Albania of my Italian visitors was spent with my associates, who invited us all for a dinner in the country.

They picked us up at 7pm and drove us to a lovely and excellent restaurant named 'Reka' I've been to a few times, which is on the way to the city of Elbasan (south of Tirana).

It's located in the middle of the countryside, near the village of Bërxhite, and is known for specialty dishes from Dibra (an area NW of the capital, near the Macedonian border).

It was a beautiful and pleasant evening that allowed us to eat outdoors, under a rectangular gazebo, completely covered by flowering topiaries and in the midst of beds of roses.




All dishes were delicious.

After the usual antipastos of cheeses, such as 'gjizë, and miscellaneous salads, we tasted grilled dishes of liver, thin beef steaks, and the baked Dibra specialty of 'jufka me ragu'. Slightly crispy, home, freshly made tagliatelle, are baked with chunks of veal that melts in your mouth.


Noone could resists the 2 types of desserts, extremely sweet, followed by sliced fresh fruits, and, to close the meal a shot of local strong 'raki' (grappa) was in order.

When we left I was presented with a care package of the specialty dish, which was baked extra for me to take home.

At midnight, back in Tirana, safe and sound, we all said goodbye and retired to our respective lodgings.

Additional sightseeing and tasting experiences

On Monday morning my Italian trio came to my place after breakfast at their hotel, and had their first taste of freshly baked Albanian byrek.

The wife of one of my associates rang my bell at 9:30am and delivered a stack of these hot phillo dough wrappings filled with cheese that she knew could purchase in a specialty shop, along with individual cups of a yogurt drink.

In another bag she had more than 2 kgs (4 lbs) of gorgeous ripe cherries, and a couple of pints of local strawberrries that emanated an incredible aroma. Their taste was also incredible!

While I got busy with my own work during the day my guests spent their remaining days sightseeing Tirana and surroundings on their own. One day, I arranged for them a tour by taxi to the town of Kruja. The old citadel and the modern museum are a must to see in this habitat perched up in the mountains, about 35 km north of Tirana. I visited the place several times and have described it with pictures in previous entries of this blog in the past.

This historic place was the home of the national hero, Gjergj Kastrioti, known as Skanderbeg, who lived there in the 1400's. Also known as the 'Dragon of Albania', with his armies he not only ousted the Ottomans from Albanian territory, but kept Albania free from foreign occupation throughout his lifetime.

He also helped King Alfons of Aragon fight the barons that had rebelled against him in Italy, and later on was rewarded with land in Italy's south that became populated by Albanians, known to today as 'Arberesh'.

Every evening, around 6:30pm, my Italian visitors came to my apartment for snacks and drinks, and then we would go out for a late dinner. We tried different restaurants every day, tasted their specialties, and drank their local wines, which were very good everywhere.

Returning north

On Sunday, after a good, hearty breakfast at our hotel, included in the price of room, we left Saranda with its chaotic construction environment, and headed northward.


We planned our return via inland, instead of along the coast. Although this road northward is not as good as the one we took coming down, the route change would allow us to see other interesting areas of Albania.

Before reaching the Delvina area, we deviated toward the lake of Bistricë to visit a great source of water from the surrounding mountains, the name of which escapes me now.

Buses full of graduating students were encountered along the road and at this tourist place, full of lush greens and extremely clear, cristalline, rushing water.





Our trip then continued toward the city of Gjirokastër, where we stopped for refreshments and visited its huge, medieval castle, perched up on top of the old and new city.

This city is spreadout on different levels, and a modern section has been added in recent years, but the most interesting part of it is the old town with its stone houses, slated roofs, and many windows.




We were surprised by what we found inside the old castle: all remnants of the 2nd World War, abandoned by the Italians and Germans forces when they had to retreat from the Balkans.

Cannons of all sorts, long and short range, including anti-aircraft, and even a small Italian tank.

Outdoors were older type of ammunitions, and an American war plane that was shut down by Albanians during the communist era.








Continuing our trip northward, we went through oil fields (where some old pumps seemed to be functioning), the town of Tepelenë (historically famous for its ruthless ruler Ali Pasha), Memaliaj (a town completely built to house the miners needed in that area), and all along the road we were traveling we were accompanied by the large, and mature Vjosa river with its sandy, white shores.

After the towns of Ballsh and Patos, we returned to Fier, and Lushnjë, but never stopped until we reached Kavajë, where we wanted to have a late lunch. I have been there before. The place is known for its excellent fish cuisine, but almost did not recognize it. It has tripled in size, and, as usual, it was packed with customers.

At sunset, after a brief visit at my beach in Durres, we had dessert in the busy waterfront area of that city, where there is a cafe` known for its scrumptious, specialty cake.

By 8:30pm we were back in Tirana, tired from the long ride, but happy about this wonderful experience.

Except for my visiting trio, who had some drinks to view the night life in the now fashionable Tirana e Re, everyone else retired for the evening to get ready to face another work week on Monday morning.