Hot day

A real hot day in every sense of the word.

Awaken early by a business phone call, I Immediately felt that the temperature outside must have been higher today because I began to sweat just moving around my apartment. By the time I went out on errands, there was real (after a week of rain) heat going on, as only in Albania can be, because the sun here seems to be closer than elsewhere. The countless outdoor cafés were displaying their myriad of colorful umbrellas and, as usual, many are people that fill these spots at all hours of the day and night. The ones that couldn’t find a place to sit, were carrying on their conversations under the shade of the trees that line every boulevard of Tirana.

As I was traveling by car later on in the day, going from appointment to appointment. I observed the recent positive changes along the roads repaved since last year, the additional constructions of office and apartment buildings, the extra planting of new trees along the long inland waterway (called “Lana”) that crosses the entire city. Only a few years ago this canal was a terribly smelly site with stagnating water, full of discarded garbage, with illegally erected one story buildings all along its path. Now all the constructions are gone (destroyed), its bed has been cleaned up of the debris, its deep margins are fully covered by beautiful green lawns, and its very long sidewalks are lined up with lovely young plantings and old European type street lamps (candelabra style). A nice sight day or night.

After a meeting at midday during which I heated the atmosphere with strong, but ethical, remarks that I felt needed about the conducted business, I went shopping at the great supermarket at the outskirts of the capital. Two of the smaller supermarkets that were available last year in town, and not too far from my apartment, are currently closed for unknown reason, although someone hinted that this was due to non payment of bills, and their consequent bankruptcy. The large, and spacious, American style supermarket was not as busy as during the weekend, thus, I was able to shop quickly and be served with extra attention. The meat was cut European style and to order (as it was in my youth), the vegetable were fresh, the fruits ripe and tasty, and the goodies available all the way around. I really went to town and after cooking up a storm at home, I had a great dinner.

It’s still hot into the late evening, as I am writing this. When I closed the window shades tonight a very bright satellite was shining high up in the sky right outside of my balcony, and I wondered......could it be the same one I see from my kitchen window every evening in NY around 11pm in the south-eastern skies?