NYC Marathon

It's a breezy, chilly, and cloudy day in New York, but nothing stopped the 38,000 people that reached this city from all over the world, to participate in the annual fall marathon today.

The cheering crowds lined up the entire course that went through all of the city's 5 boroughs, starting from Staten Island, and ending up in Manhattan's Central Park.






The planning logistics for such an event must be incredible - nothing is missing: from ambulances, and medical facilities, to water and wet sponges supplies, from police manning every crossroad, to complete tv coverage, and even portable toilets, all strategically located.




What was interesting to me, located in midtown Manhattan, was the difference between the large crowds on both sides of First Avenue, and the very few groups of people on balconies that could have a far better overall view.



While the restaurants and eateries along the long avenue were packed with diners, totally immersed in their food and conversation, some preferred to just sit outdoors and read the paper in the midst of a very noisy environment that could be heard from blocks away!





I was so busy trying to zero in on the large discard of empty paper cups dumped by the runners, that I didn't even notice that I had, inadvertently, turned a dial on my camera, and ended up even with the a brief video clip. I just tried to post it here, but a bit more time is needed to get acquainted with YouTube, a brand new experience for me!

Disturbing trends

Two recent online articles offer puzzling outlooks in the Albanian political situation: is there a need to add a new foundation to be sponsored mostly with government funds, when there is already a plethora of them enriching themselves at everyone's expense, and such money could be spent more effectively to improve citizens' life?
And is boycotting (also used extensively in neighboring Italy for similar purposes) a veracious method of satisfying the electorate's trust in their government, instead of having the courage of making decisions to benefit the entire country?

Necessary maintenance

A month has gone by quickly without postings from me. Nothing interesting to report on except lots of ‘maintenance’, or I should say ‘ordinary upkeep’ at all levels.

In any case, my days were full amidst some routine medical checkups, furniture reupholstering, a couple of lectures, and some very attention-grabbing Italian tv programs (have subscribed to 24/7 RAI TV, an issue that deserves a separate posting by itself).

Most of my labor during the past 2 weeks, however, went into reconstructing my computing facilities, with some reorganization and archiving of my huge data bases. I’ve had a similar experience a few years ago because of hardware failure, but this time it was due to my need of restructuring and streamlining what I had at my disposal into a single, more efficient, capable desktop system that allows me better software and online conveniences.

This whole exercise remains a challenge; it requires attention and appropriate choices at every step, and knowledge of how to navigate in the solution of the myriad of little stumbling blocks that are par for the course in this work. I’ve reorganized, relocated, documented all hardware with all its cables and plugs, and have nicely fitted also external additions into the equipment cabinetry that I had purposely constructed two years ago. The results are quite satisfying.

Still have to do lots of work with my data, but the operating system (have decided not to go with the new Vista for a while) and the updated applications, coupled with a larger monitor are a pleasure to work and have fun with. Hurrah! Onward now with what else needs to be followed up on.

Annual Albanian dinner

The annual dinner of NAAC (National Albanian American Council) took place on Friday evening at the Cipriani restaurant, again this year, in midtown Manhattan, and it was well attended as usual. One in the past, I remember it well, was held in the lovely restaurant that was on top of the World Towers.

It is an annual affair that attracts between 400/500 people; it includes foreign dignitaries, and it honors, via a couple of awards, special people who have helped the Albanian cause around the world in one way or another. In the past, in addition to some Albanian American personalities, the honorees included Pres. Clinton, Secretaries of State Baker and Albright, and Sen. Dole.

This year's theme being "Kosova Independence Now" , the "Lifetime Achievement Awards" were bestowed posthumously to the former President of Kosova. Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, and the Albanian Patriot and martyr, Adem Jashari, while the "Hand of Hope Award" went to Gen. Wesley Clark, ex NATO Supreme Allied Commander who was, among other things, responsible for the peacekeeping operations and major combat action in Bosnia, during the ethnic cleansing time of the late 90's. His emotional speech recounting those times was interrupted by many standing ovations, as it did the video that followed about the atrocities of the Bosnian war.

NAAC's Exec.Dir. Mustafaj, Gen Clark, Min. Basha


Among some foreign dignitaries and ambassadors was the new, and young, Albanian Foreign Minister, L. Basha, who spoke and graciously made the rounds in the crowded, enormous hall of the restaurant that used to be the headquarters of an old American bank a few years ago.

For me it was a unique opportunity to revisit many friends and acquaintances and I was all talked out by the end of the evening, when the younger crowd lingered to enjoy some (very loud!) music and line dancing.

Gen. Clark with a couple of my friends, the Lekas

Albanians everywhere

A few years ago when I visited the then newly restructured Museum of Immigration on Ellis Island in New York harbor, I made an interesting discovery.

In the lobby of this huge and marvelously equipped museum I pushed the "Albania" button that was provided at the foot of a large map of the United States, among the many others related to all of the nations in this world. The map presented then digital displayed statistics of Albanian immigrants for each state of the union.

To my great amazement I discovered that Albanians emigrated to all of the 50 US states in various degrees of concentration!

For years everyone knew that the largest groups of Albanians could be found in 3 major areas of the US: Massachusetts, New York, and Michigan, but not that some Albanian communities, such as the one in far away Anchorage, Alaska, are also very active.

Today's article in "The American Spectator", entitled "Tirana on the Mississippi", confirms the above. It describes a typical scene at an Albanian cafe/restaurant in the middle of St. Louis, Missouri.

Albania-Israel link

The reference is in the middle of an article from the israel.jpost.com

More Albanian discoveries

Notwithstanding the hot and difficult summer more foreigners flocked to discover the 'mysterious' land of Albania this year, and, within it, they did find interesting things and sights.

From lovely little beaches along its long coastline, to nooks and crannies in its majestic mountains, and archaeological sites on land and under water, Albania is beginning to appeal to the adventurous tourist, and consequently to enlarge the horizon for enterprising travel agents.

New-old sites in Albania

Some people spend interesting summer time digging and Albania offers new archaeological discoveries.

Albanian update

Where has the past month or so gone? For me it has been a quiet time at home in NYC, taking care of my dwelling's maintenance, but with an eye on Albanian news on a daily basis, as usual.

While there are no special news on a personal level, much has been happening in the Mediterranean area where the summer of 2007 is still in full swing with it the ups and downs of extreme temperatures, the disastrous fires, the lack of water and electricity especially in Albania, and my heart aches thinking of all this.

On the web, meantime, there is a proliferation of information relating to Albania that spans over many subjects: from the "sworns virgins" (just discovered by the western press !?!) that are still surviving in the northern areas, to the British real estate companies that furiously advertise sales of modern lodgings in Tirana and along Albania's pristine coast, from the environmental and economic projects to attract foreign investments and tourism, to the many more blogs of young people that are enjoying adventurous vacations even in the roughest and remote parts of the country. Albania is slowly and surely coming up in the world, but it still has a long way to go!

Today's posting on the ineffective roles of NGOs that have permeated the country for years without accomplishing much for it, is finally bringing to light a sad and regrettable situation well known and understood by the local population, and the Albanian diaspora, who has stepped in and furnished for years now a more direct and substantial financial input.

Summer in NYC

Manhattan Island never stops or rests, but the effect of summer is definitely noticeable in certain parts of the heart of this metropolis, and I’m not referring to the weather.

Except for the midtown areas crowded with tourists and shoppers of all kinds, and especially during weekends, the residential areas are so quiet and pleasurable that one has the feeling of being in the country instead of the “city that never sleeps”.

Most avenues and streets now are lined by huge trees and walking along them when the traffic seems also non existent is a delightful experience.

Along the rivers that flank the island there are plenty of areas for walks, jogging, or rest, in addition, obviously to the mini parks in many key zones, and the immense Central Park that takes up most of mid Manhattan.

The highways that surround this island are always busy thoroughfares that incessantly take in and bring out of this metropolis most of his vehicular traffic, but many inland areas are small oases of peacefulness for the local inhabitants.

In addition to a variety of street carts that serve anything from breakfast treats to ice creams at some corners, greenmarkets also regularly pop up all over town in specific areas, such as school playgrounds, or empty parking lots, to offer their fresh products that, however, are not much cheaper, but definitely fresher than the one in supermarkets.



As I’ve already mentioned elsewhere, there is a continuous transformation that quietly goes on in many places with buildings’ renovations, beautification of streets, rerouting of traffic, and this happens even at a micro-level, as shown by the following creative disguise of garbage bins crowned by blooming plants!

Summer in NYC can really be an enjoyable experience not only for the tourists, but for the locals too!

Construction boom everywhere

For the past several years, as I travel to Tirana, I observed that roads’ and buildings’ construction there have been a never ending process, which contributes a great deal to the awful pollution that affects Albania’s capital.

When I was born, this city had a population of 30,000, and the newest part of it (called, since then, Tirana e Re) amounted only to 3 lonely villas! By the early 90’s its population was up to 250,000 and most of its buildings and houses badly needed maintenance after years of neglect. Some of these remnants are still around today right in the middle of the capital, but now the population has more than tripled in size due to the flow of incoming villagers. Additionally, the roads are now traveled by an extremely heavy vehicular traffic, inexistent during the communist dictatorship that didn’t allow private car ownership, and, ironically, enjoyed a clean air environment.

Many streets still need to be asphalted, but many others are been systematically restructured (with underground lying of telecom cables and water pipes) and still many potholes are popping up everywhere, including the main large Skanderbeg square. Even though at times the development of some buildings has been interrupted for a variety of reasons (such as lack of proper license, or lack of funds), construction continues, and will be ongoing for many years to come in Albania.

Well, New York does not seem very different from Tirana these days. And, come to think of it, seemingly for similar circumstances.

More and more old brownstones are slowly been replaced by high-rises that not only have changed Manhattan’s skyline, but also the one of other boroughs, and, consequently, the roads are being affected by the ongoing constructions, the expansion of utilities’ needs, and the replacement of old (6 floors) underground equipment that services the city.



In NY we are also plagued by potholes, due to poor patches, or by the destructive force of our harsh winters. Building boom is on, however, in full force, while the Mayor is trying to find a solution to the maddening traffic, both pedestrian and vehicular, which is not dissimilar from the one in Tirana.

As I can watch, from one of my windows, a new complex coming up just a couple of blocks away from where I live, I can see differences in building techniques and processes between NY and Tirana, but that’s worth another write up.



One thing, though, is common: the ever present tall, over towering crane that’s scary to look at when right below it!

A different kind of birthday

This past week's weather in NY has been,to say the least, spectacular with my kind of temperature between 58 to 72 degrees F! Because of it and since the week included also my birthday I decided on that day to decline another luncheon invitation (had 3 last week) and just be outdoors as much as possible.

The morning went by very quickly with phone calls galore, also from Albania and Italy, but in the afternoon I took a ride all the way to the very tip of Manhattan island, and, when there, I couldn't resist getting on board the Staten Island Ferry which crosses the large bay of NY. It was the perfect day to be on the water!





I hadn't been in that area in years and I was very pleasantly surprised about the many changes that have occurred in it, not only in the skyline, but also at the ferry's terminals. They have been completely modernized inside out, with roofs made of solar panels, spacious terraces to relax on, and digital display monitors for the many bus connections at destination.


(solar panels barely visible amidst the highraisers)

The rides scheduled every half hour are one of several free things that NY offers not only to tourists, but also to its residents, many of whom commute this way every day.



The boats remain crowded, as usual, with people armed with camcorders and cameras, and one has to elbow his/her way to the outside railing to be able to snap pictures, especially on the side that faces the Statue of Liberty.


The Brooklyn's commercial waterfront


The old fort on Governor's Island


The Verrazzano's Bridge (= port of NY entry)


The Manhattan's skyline seen from Staten Island


On right, low, flat, Ellis Island against the coast of the state of New Jersey


Liberty Island

Differences noticed on board from the past are the presence of uniformed policemen that patrol the decks, and the fact that the return trip cannot be taken anymore without disembarking. One has to leave the boat at destination and use a different one to get back.


Downtown Manhattan (void of the Twin towers on the left)



By the time I returned home I felt drunk with air since I don't normally spend so much time in the wind and in such bright sunshine that reflects its rays over the water. I hadn't played tourist in my own town in a long, long time and enjoyed it!

Other surprises and a visit in Albania's history

No, I’m not referring to this past Sunday’s historic visit by Pres. Bush to Tirana, which every Albanian, everywhere, has followed with great interest. Thus, I shall explain.

While still in Albania last month, I ordered 3 books that I could read when I returned to NY. They came to my attention from a variety of sources, while googling (what else ? ) online. They all treat historical events in Albania during WWII , in which I’m especially interested in, as I'll elaborate later on.

As soon as I was able to catch up with all the snail mail I found upon my arrival at home, I began to read the first book (“The OSS in World War II Albania” by Peter Lucas), which seemed to be the shortest one. I ended up literally devouring it! I’m so glad to finally get to know some of the real Albanian history of this period, which is still quite unknown, especially within the country, and needs to be taught especially to its younger generations.

Some of my Albanian friends (especially the one of my same age) are just as excited as I am that such documentation is coming to light. We can relate to it so intimately because we were growing up during that time and our families were involved in some of those events and history. Because these events had such an impact on our lives, whether lived inside or outside the country, it comes natural that we want to know more and more of what went on around us in those days.

I am now half way through the 2nd book (“An Englishman in Albania” by D.R. Oakley-Hill) that covers the memoirs of a British officer directly involved for many years in Albanian affairs (covert and not) before and after the dictatorship took over the country. He got to know the country from border to border and learned its language. What fascinating accounts!

But, this past week end I also had a surprise visit by a young (4th level) Albanian cousin of mine, who resides for more than a decade in Michigan. We got together previously during some of my trips to Detroit, but he came to NY this time on an interesting ‘mission’ (the custom of which goes back to ancient times) …..to ‘pick up and escort a bride’, from NY to Detroit, for a wedding that was celebrated there this past Sunday. He was part of a group of people, mostly friends of the groom that, by tradition, accompany the bride from her residence to the future husband’s family. While this was done in the past, in the old country, through mountain trails on horse back, with imaginable difficulties, the modern transport by plane is not less void of its own inconveniences. Last Friday the FAA suffered computer problems that affected many airports including NY and Detroit, so, while waiting for others to arrive, we spent some time together catching up on family news.

To my great surprise he brought along a huge family tree, drawn by him on a large white cardboard (the size of a newspaper), and he wanted me to review some of the data that belongs to my direct family. It’s an amazing reconstruction of different family branches stemming from a unique and common trunk, starting from my great, great, great grandfather.

A few years back I had furnished him some of the original family tree information, dating back to Skanderbeg time, as it was documented by my father and found by me in 1993 in the national archives of my family. He then started documenting the younger generations, going back to the point of where our families were part of the original stem. It’s a great labor of love, which is certainly worth publishing!

Albanians are very good at passing ancestors’ history within their own family, but this is usually done verbally by transmitting the information from one generation to another as they grow up. I’ve used some simple software for more than a decade now to collect and match the data I picked up not only in the archives, but as I met relations of mine on both sides of the Atlantic, thanks to facilities also of Internet. I’ve done the same thing on my maternal side, and have collected so far data on about 670 individuals. Now you can understand why I’m surprised and enthralled by what I continue to find, can add, and relate to what I already know about my extended family, and the history behind it!

Fair time

June among other things is also the time for street fairs in NY every weekend.
As I was trying to reach a friend for lunch I couldn't understand why the bus I needed was delayed more than usual. Finally another one that normally has a different route, arrived and I took it just to shorten the distance to my destination. When on board, I realized the it was re-routed due to a street fair in my own neighborhood.





When I made it to my appointment on time, I found out that my friend had a similar experience in the another part of Manhattan (at the opposing end of mine). After a leisure lunch (we had a lot to catch up with after my recent long stay in Tirana) we decided to walk a bit and digest the rather spicy greek dishes we had ingested.





Since the weather had turned a bit less humid. we strolled for a few blocks to savor the smells and sights of a street fair. Finally I was glad to get home and enjoy my quiet and cool apartment, where, having available quite a variety of fruits myself, I relaxed with an home made, fresh fruit punch, while reading an interesting book that I'll talk about later on.

A surprise in NY

I couldn't believe my eyes yesterday, when I went to the nearest bus stop in my own neighborhood in Manhattan........Am I in Tirana or NYC?


Just over a week ago, in my blog entry of May 16, I documented the new modern bus shelters in Albania's capital, and now, I see the same style structures being built in NYC!

Two major differences, however, are to be noticed. The first few shelters I've seen here, do not include, at least so far, any seats, so no rest for the weary legs! The waiting time between bus rides in Tirana is usually very short, but in NYC one must, alas, wait forever for a bus to come....! Distances, coupled by never ending vehicular traffic, are incredibly time consuming in the States.

Tourism news update - Albania

Southern Albania is finally coming up in the world of international tourism, thanks to at least one cruise liner ....

Back in NY

Contrary to the going over, coming back from Tirana to NY is a long haul!

Although Austrian Airline is consistently good in punctuality, service, and food (absolutely delicious, with hot small rolls and desserts unbelievably tempting!), the overall time needed to complete the return trip, door to door, is loooong!

I left my apartment in Tirana at 3AM, and in less than 1 1/2 hour I was in Vienna. Here the layover for the overseas connection is, unfortunately, 5 hours, which can be leisurely spent in a very confortable and efficient environment, but who wants to spend one entire morning in an airport?

Arrival in NY was even 10 minutes earlier than expected, but - guess what - we had to sit on the plane on a runway for over 10 minutes because the arrival gate wasn't ready! Another 40 minutes was lost waiting for my luggage, which I thought would never come. The unloading, actually, is pretty quick, but the volume of checked baggage of a full booked 767 plane must be seen to be believed!

Probably due to the anxiety of wanting to get home quickly, after 9 hours cooped up in the air crossing the Atlantic, I found that the last 2 hours of the trip, on US ground, were the worst. Dumped in 90 degree temperature, even with some air conditioning, the drastic change was a bit much to take, and the traffic to Manhattan was hell! That surprised me since this is a holiday (Memorial Day) weekend and I thought that most people were off somewhere, picniking, as per tradition, but the highways were clogged up for miles! I finally entered my apartment in NY at 5pm (= 11pm Tirana) local time!!

I understand that beginning with next month there will be direct flights by an Albanian Airline from Tirana to NY, and, I guess, we have to see how that will work out! Meantime, back to the chores here at home, which include sorting out one huge carton of accumulated snail mail.......

Latest news

Being so close to Italy, every time I turn on the TV I cannot escape seeing the latest happenings there, and for the past 3 days the number one issue is the tragic state of affairs in Naples about the garbage that hasn't been picked up because they ran out of landfills!

There is actually a revolt on the part of this Italian city population, who is now buried under 13,000 tons of garbage, and is keeping the firemen busy by burning all this trash in loco (120 interventions in just a few hours)! The scenes are horrific, and the health situation is becoming increasingly risky with the dioxins being released by the fires into the air. The city Mayor (a woman) has declared a state of emergency, and she has closed also the public schools involved in the affected areas. I guess Tirana's situation does not look so bad anymore regarding this subject - at least the garbage is picked up regularly, including Sundays.

This week even a new truck appeared!

The latest frenzy in Albania instead is the forecasted visit by Pres. Bush on June 10th, just before the presidential elections in this country, since this is the first time of a US president's visit. A complete stand still of its chaotic traffic is expected for that day in Tirana. While some foreign articles (such as the one in Forbes) continue to advocate future investment possibilities, today's local papers are speculating on at least 3 different alternative routes to bring the presidendial caravan safely into town and indicate that Mrs. Bush will be visiting the National Museum of History, while her husband is in meetings.

Meantime, I'm preparing myself (mentally and physically) to go back to NY soon, since I've accomplished what I could do so far here, and will probably return after the summer. Daily life in Tirana is so easy going, compared to NY, but much is now waiting for me there. So I need to roll up my sleeves: close house here, and open house there!

Preza

Notwithstanding the rainy weather, today I had the chance to visit this place, situated north-west of Tirana, perched up on a mountainous area, with a terrific view of the entire plain that from the capital extends all the way to the sea. Unfortunately, because of the weather, the full panorama was not possible, but I was told that on a clear day one can see as far north as the towns of Krujë and Lezhë.

This is only a rear (east) view with the lake, named after the town.

The winding road that goes up the mountain for a few km. is typically narrow, but completely lined by beautifully green and delightfully fragrant bushes in full bloom, which were a sight by themselves, with their large splashes of yellow and pink colors.

Once we reached this community I was surprised to see, with the exception of some old ruins and part of the old fortress and its tower, that most local residences consist of big 2 story homes, completely modern looking, surrounded by high stone fences and large entrance metal gates.






The small museum is located near the tower, next door to the spacious, rustic and attractively furnished restaurant that was carved out, with its modern parking lot, right on the edge of the mountain. Inside it there was an amazing display of green plants that lent an aura of a greenhouse, while one can dine and take in the immense view through the windows that form a wall along the entire length of the restaurant.


Outside, this property extends on more than one level, with large terraces and a gazebo on the top. It must be delightful to be here on a hot and clear day!

As I was told, and if I understood the information correctly, the castle was built in the 1500’s by the Turks, and Preza, with its renown horsemen, was at one point the capital, but for only 24 hours! One inopportune sight here are the 2 high tech communication towers that, photographed from the back of the old castle, frame the remains of the old structure.




Amazingly, even in a week day like this, the parking lot got filled up and the restaurant was busy serving, good and spicy local food that, however, included some meat that was a bit tough.


By the time we finished lunch, the view completely disappeared, and we were en wrapped in clouds, while the rain began to pound the soil. My hosts, however, skillfully drove me back to Tirana, where the traffic was, as usual, maddening.