Other touring (2 of 2)

One full day was spent going to both the town of Kruja, up in the mountains, and ex capital of Albania during Skanderbeg times, and then down the coast along the shores of Durres and Golem.



Although it was a week day, I was surprised by the large crowds visiting the Skanderbeg Museum in Kruja, which was designed by the ex dictator’s daughter.



When I came to this place in 1993 I was the only visitor, and the museum director was happy to let me roam around by myself within its huge halls. Now, the narrow and steep streets of this town can hardly cope with the many buses and cars that are vying for parking space, and the tour groups inside the museum must be managed by several guides, and paced appropriately for specific presentations.





During our visit we observed entire classrooms that came from as far away as Kosova and Macedonia. The street that leads to the museum is now also lined with many vendors with a great variety of souvenirs, that were no where to be found anywhere, not even in Tirana, when I returned for the first time in 1993.

Thanks again to the gorgeous weather (~75F) we were able to have another great lunch (this time of wonderful fresh fish) at “Benilva” along the coast (on the road that goes from Durres south toward Golem).



We even took in a snooze on the beach lounges of this hotel/restaurant and soaked in some sun, refreshed by the gentle sea breeze of the Adriatic.





Before returning to Tirana we went to the top of the hill in Durres, where the residence of ex King Zog is located, to have a look at the city and its port from above, and we also stopped briefly for a look at the renovated hotel/restaurant ”Adriatik”.





It was a state run resort during the communist time, but now it’s privately owned and it has its share of ‘stars’ in the list of the most modern tourist places in Albania.

Other touring (1 of 2)

While entertaining my friend, I squeezed in a few meetings that I couldn’t postpone, but managed to give her a feeling of daily life in Tirana, which includes shopping for the fresh veggies and fruits at some local markets, in addition to the usual weekly supplies at the larger supermarkets.


One new supermarket “Conad” belongs to the Italian chain by the same name, and it imports fresh goods from Italy on the daily basis. It made its appearance in Tirana last year and, apparently very successful, now plans to expand to 3 other locations, as advertised in newspapers, with lots of openings for needed personnel.

One afternoon we visited the National Historic Museum, which occupies one complete side of the large Skanderbeg square.





Its content changed a great deal since I saw it last about 4 years ago. Its collections have largely expanded and now cover not only what was available during the dictatorship that created it, but also more recent historical periods, with well documented photography and explanations also in English. The Albanian and Arberesh (from Albanian colonies in southern Italy) costume exhibits are particularly beautiful. The 2 hours allotted for the visit are not enough to take in all there is to see in this museum, and I vowed to return to it soon.

silver engraved arms

Italian friend's visit

An old school friend of mine (from elementary times in Italy more than half a century ago!) is an adventurous petite grandma, who has traveled a lot in her lifetime, but has never been to Albania. When I invited her to join me for a visit during one of my stays in Tirana, she readily accepted, and planned to spend a week in the country, unfortunately well known in Italy mostly for its ‘troublesome exports’ ….With her usual verve, and armed with great curiosity, she informed me of her arrival from Milan and I met her at Tirana’s airport a couple of days after I reached Albania.

We spent a wonderful week together, and I am delighted that she enjoyed very much learning a bit of Albanian history and getting to know the ‘real’ Albanians, the ones that have struggled to remain in their country, notwithstanding the hard times, that have maintained their self-respect in the face of poverty, tribulations, and violence, but still live with dignity, and teach their children the old values of honesty, gentleness, dependability, loyalty, in addition to be known for their traditional hospitality!

Her stay was too short to be able to travel long distances, but we (old timers after all!) still managed, in the brief time available, quite a bit of touring around and took a lot of pictures. We were joined by some personal Albanian friends of mine, who took care of suggesting also some visits to Catholic Institutions, knowing that this would please my visitor, and she was.

Petrele castle

an old olive tree along the road

One day we went to the town of Petrele and visited the old castle on top of the mountain, which I had seen for the first time in 1995. Now, after pushing and puffing our way up the long stony road (with no safety railing) that offers, however, a great panorama, one can find a café’ and restaurant right on the summit, with comfortable tables under beach umbrellas perched up among the ruins of the ancient fortress. We chose, however, to eat elsewhere.

ready to climb?

a bit more effort....


On the way back to Tirana, we stopped for a late, but relaxing lunch, at a huge and beautiful restaurant, on a hill, named ‘King’s Table’. We enjoyed good food in a lovely garden, overlooking a mature river, way below us, while being caressed by a gentle and warm breeze. It was a gorgeously sunny day, and so was the rest of the week.

European Tower

Tirana's Twin Towers

in front of the Pyramid (Expo)

Completely oblivious of normal daily business, and relaxed in good company, I never checked my cell phone until I got home. Unfortunately, I managed to loose it. I believe it slipped out of my pocket while getting in and out of the car, and thus, I had to spend time and money to replace it, another day, when we walked around Tirana, and stopped for drinks at the large Café’ Taiwan, centrally located in one of the city parks.

Cafe's fountains

Cafe's rear access

This structure includes more than one café’ (indoors and outdoors), restaurants, a casino, billiards halls, and bowling alleys on 2 floors.

a moment of relax

(more to come on our sightseeing and pictures in another installment)

Frustration....

Since my arrival in Tirana I'm having all sorts of technical problems with email, uploading, and downloading data, and even blogger does not seem to work well all of a sudden....have loads of stuff to post here, but I must postpone it until I'll figure out how to have an easier time online. Have ordered a high speed connection that should be installed in a couple of days, and I may have to reinstall my system software, which may be corrupted. In any case, drop in from time to time, for some more news.

Tirana International Airport

Having read about the recent opening of a new Terminal at Tirana’s airport I was really curious to see it.

I have vivid memories of what this airport looked like when I returned (after a life time abroad) to Tirana in early 1993. The small one room arrival area then was chaotically busy with passengers that were pushing their way through a couple of passport control booths and were scrambling to get their luggage (being thrown inside through a big hole in the wall) in the midst of other public of friends, relatives, and curious individuals that were uncontrollably allowed into the same area creating an indescribable and wild situation. Since then, during each and every one of my frequent trips, I was able to follow the slow, but steady progress of this tiny place, which showed dramatic changes even within brief periods of time.





When I left last fall I could see the skeleton of the newly planned building next door, with its steel beams and modern roof shaped upward, toward the open sky, and now I couldn’t wait to see the final product. Really impressive, I must say! There is even an observation deck facing the runways, and it looked crowded!

The plane that took me to Tirana in 1993 was subjected to a very bumpy roll upon landing on the single old, and short runway, constructed during the communist era, and made up of concrete hexagonal, and uneven pieces. I remember thinking then whether we could make it into one piece to the arrival spot. No other planes were in sight at this airport except for just 2 lonely Russian Migs, parked discretely at a distance, near a tiny little hangar. Now the new terminal can accommodate one million passengers and the 13 airlines that regularly already service Tirana.

During this trip I used again the very efficient Austrian airline from NY to Vienna, and noticed with pleasure that a new and larger craft (an Airbus A320) was used for the last portion of the trip (from Vienna to Tirana), which is now run in partnership with Lufthansa, instead of the older and smaller Tyrolean plane of last year. On board I was also surprised to hear, for the first time, all the announcements also made in the Albanian language.

In the new terminal twelve are now the passport control stations upon entry: 7 for Albanian citizens, 4 for foreigners, and one for the Diplomatic core.

On this arrival I observed another dramatic change -- which probably reflects a sign of the times -- how people are processed into the country. The Albanians were whisked through quickly, while the foreigners (which made up almost half of the arrivals) had to patiently wait the slow handling on the part of the young (men and women) personnel assigned to this task, who, very intently, asked questions and checked computerized data. This experience is exactly the opposite of what used to happen until just a few years ago. The Albanian crowd impatiently had to wait their turn, while the smaller number of foreigners were sped through.

Inside the terminal




In the midst of so many changes, however, one thing seems to me to have remained, thank goodness, the same: the courtesy of staff and the waiving of the entry visa fee, even with a foreign passport, if the individual is checked to be of Albanian origin. Such at least has been my experience all along, accompanied by welcoming smiles and greetings, typical of traditional Albanian hospitality!

Other big surprises upon exiting the terminal were the huge parking lot and the manicured lawns, freshly smelling of cut grass. Leaving the lot with a car, however, was a totally different, and frustrating experience: the impatience of the locals was quite evident, both verbally and in their mode of driving.

There were 7 men assigned to direct the exiting traffic! They frantically tried to cope with obviously a still to be perfected system, while the tempers flared.....my initial reaction to the huge jam and the enormous amount of vehicles involved -- which, BTW, can be diagonally well positioned under beautifully roofed areas -- suggests, however, that the entry and exit roads are too narrow, and not well directionally marked, with the payment booth seemingly not strategically located, thus forcing drivers to momentarily leave their vehicles, with motor running, to pay the fees. Additionally, the related receipts had to be collected by hand, because of the malfunctioning machine at the exit, on top of the fact that such exit consists of a single lane into which non-stop traffic merges from 3 other separate roads! A bit maddening, I think!

I must say though that, once out, we sped toward Tirana using a brand new stretch (7 km long) of smoothly paved road, which shortens a great deal the distance to the capital. Tired, I finally made it in, safe and sound!

Albanian diaspora

Today’s article in the Italian site, called DireGiovani , (http://www.diregiovani.it/gw/producer/dettaglio.aspx?id_doc=1172) brings to mind my trip to Bologna 2 years ago. I stopped there then, while on the way to Albania, to attend an International conference by ECAS (European Citizen Action Service, headquartered in Brussels) that was aiming at “building networks of cooperation and dialogue between Civil Society and the Public Administration in the enlarged Europe”.

The 2 day event was run under the auspices of the Emilia Romagna region, which has always been ahead of all other Italian regions, in creative endeavors and initiatives, not only locally, but also abroad (I’ve in fact attended other events by them right here in NYC).

While enjoying the conference then, I noticed that among the hundreds of registered attendees there were also a few Albanian names and related NGOs. I had looked forward interfacing with them, but was disappointed since none showed up at this gathering.

What I find interesting now by reading the above and I didn’t know then, is that Emilia Romagna has quite a large and well established Albanian community. It’s the 2nd largest ethnic group in this region, with more than 40,000 registered residents. Among them 8,000 school children and 1,500 university students (500 of them in Bologna alone). The Albanians here come 3rd for entrepreneurial and business activities after the Chinese and Moroccans. These numbers sound remarkable as compared with what is talked about the Albanian diaspora in the US of more than half a million.

Every one knows that the largest concentrations in the States have always been in the Great Lakes area, Massachusetts, and New York, but I was extremely surprised by what I found out when I visited the newly restored Ellis Island Historic site almost a decade ago. Although I cannot remember specific figures, the museum statistics indicated that Albanians are present in every one of the 50 US states, including a large group in distant Anchorage, Alaska.

Wish I could attend the current Bologna seminar, entitled “The Albanians in Emilia Romagna: 16 years of….data, emotions, and reflections” -- its apparent goal is aiming at recognizing third parties contributions, reducing prejudices, equalizing civil rights (eventually allowing also voting privileges), without having to renounce identities, for a truly multiethnic society.

Instead now, I must attend to wrapping up loose ends here in NY and prepare for the next upcoming trip to Albania, where I’ll land shortly. I am also looking forward to some additional company: a long term Italian school friend has decided to come (from northern Italy) to visit me for a week in Tirana, soooo….. keep tuned in!

Living varieties

The bus I take to the pool where I exercise is usually not crowded due to the midday ride hour since the aqua aerobics classes are always scheduled between noon and 1pm. The ride to the sport fitness center I belong to is rather short, but it gives me a respite from the busy morning usually spent at the computer with all sorts of activities, catching up on the previous night news and email, especially from overseas. The return trip is equally a nice break after some strenuous physical work, when muscles feel aching all over, but the warm that exudes from every limb due to better circulation feels marvelous!

This morning I had to rush to wave the bus because when I saw it coming and I was still far away, it looked like it had no intention of stopping due to no other passengers waiting. As I was sitting right across from the driver, I couldn’t help observing his style. Contrary to so many others that, outwardly not showing any concern for schedules, drive as of they were taking a stroll in the park on a Sunday afternoon, the guy I was watching this morning, although quite sure of what he was doing, was speeding and zigzagging in the maddening traffic as if he needed to win a race!

The sport center I frequent has more than a swimming pool, including one of Olympic size, and one of them is rather unique for two reasons: it’s fed with very hot water and it’s equipped with a movable floor. It’s used for special therapeutic exercises and clientele, such as arthritic, disabled people, or babies accompanied by parents. Its floor is raised to the top edge to facilitate the entry/exit of the users, and then it’s lowered to whichever water level is needed.

While waiting for the other pool to be readied for my water aerobics class, I had more than one occasion to watch the babies class, with unexpected pleasure. Each baby is accompanied by either a father or a mother, who follow the instructor’s suggested exercises, and the results provide a variety of reactions, distinctly showing the personalities of both the parents and their offsprings.

Some display a terrified look of getting their head under water, or being helped to kick their legs, and may even cry while desperately holding on to their parent; others (the majority) plug away with nonchalance, and a few are exactly the opposite, and display total independence from the holder and perseverance in retrying the learned exercises. All this going on is topped by babies’ giggles and cries, parents’ inciting prods, and the instructor’s singing along to lead the group. It’s quite a scene!

Humboldt, the philosopher, used to say that the world is beautiful because it’s diverse – it surely is, with such a variety of personalities, young and old!

Spring tasks and travel

Another month flew by me, but I haven’t been twirling my thumbs during this time! It’s a matter of fact these past few weeks have been packed with all sorts of activities, and a good part of them included complete medical checkup and a multitude of related tests, while attending to some important deadlines in my private affairs (not yet ready for publication, however!). Bottom line is that I completed all of the above with flying colors and I’ve self imposed a pat on my shoulder!

At my age, I’m lucky to enjoy good health and continue to have the energy that I’ve been known for throughout my entire employed life. In my retirement, which I triggered at an early age to pursue my lifetime dreams, I still maintain a constant work schedule, although I have now carved out the evenings for some enjoyment and relaxation.

Although I’ve less ‘time off’ in planned vacations than when I worked, these past few years I’ve been more itinerant in the pursuits of the above mentioned dreams. It’s more complex and costly to plan and carry out travel plans these days, but the discomfort of trooping around for me is offset by the rewarding results in what I’m trying to accomplish.

This past month even the weather was a real challenge here in NY, but the sub zero temperatures are, hopefully, finally over. Today we expect to reach 58F and I’ve made great progress in the annual tax forms preparation; thus, it’s time to plan the next travel to (guess what!) Albania, my favorite destination!

Now, am off to the pool for some aqua aerobics!

Fast start

I am incredulous that January has come and gone! I usually enjoy the quietness of the first week of a new year and 2007 was no different. It seems like father time stands still for a few days after the frenzy of the holiday period and before the flurry of activities that the new year brings about.

During the first half of this January the weather was even unusually warm, but a couple of weeks ago we finally began to feel the harshness of winter, which in NY can be rough due to its constantly strong blowing wind. At midday today, while the sun shines splendidly, the temperature is at 18 degrees Fahrenheit.

In the past 3 weeks I’ve been involved in lots of activities related to my several projects. As my work pace picked up speed, my calendar also got crowded with appointments for my annual medical check ups and related tests, some of which are still ongoing. So far I have received good results, and, as I tackle what else I need to do, I feel lucky not to have to face the outdoors. I can operate and work within the confines of my residence, with sunny exposures south and west, and, even enjoy my own greenhouse effect surrounded, as I am, by my several plants!

Greetings - Urime !

SEASON’S GREETINGS AND BEST WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL!

GËZUAR FESTAT E FUNDVITIT SI DHE SUKSESE NË 2007!

A celebration for Lina

Among the season’s festivities, the one I attended on Sunday was a special one for
a long term, dear friend, who turned 99 on that day.  

Angela, mostly known as Lina, but also called GrandMa, Nonna, and Ma, was surrounded by 4 generations of descendants that include 10 great grandchildren, lots of great nieces and nephews, in addition to a host of other friends.



We all had a wonderful time at a cozy restaurant in the area of Queens, N.Y.  


The luncheon started around 1pm, and it went on for 5 hours with lots of good, hearty Italian food and a huge strawberry shortcake (her favorite) to close the feast.

The lady we all love is physically frail, but her mind and stamina are to be admired.  During the entire afternoon she greeted a lot of people, who were swarming around her with balloons, flowers, gifts, and a lot chatting.

It was practically impossible to take a good picture of her because the crowd was hard to navigate, when everyone happily moved around to talk not only to her, but with everyone else around, to get updated on each other’s news, and to take photos of the event.   Some flew into town just for the occasion and it was the perfect opportunity to visit while celebrating a longevity of work and dedication to family and friends.  Happy Birthday, Lina, and many more to come!

Catching up

Again, my return flights back to NY earlier this month went very smoothly, which is quite a feat today. Austrian Airline was efficient, as usual, and their food and services are something to rave about in these times when traveling is a stressful chore and everywhere one turns may encounter some sort of problem. I must add this was all in economy class too, and I was lucky enough this time to have 3 seats to myself to boot!

As expected, however, upon arrival home I had to face the usual accumulation of mail that, especially at this time of the year, can be overwhelming, to say the least.  

The jet lag that wakes me up at 3am in NY for a few days allows me to face the task of clearing out the mail – this time it consisted of more than 520 email messages (received in just one week, and mostly junk), over 100 requests of contributions, a dozen faxes, and one full carton of catalogs, without counting the bills, and invoices that, fortunately, I can pay online as I travel.   Now I’ve got to deal with the duties of the season, the gifts, the greetings, and some special events planned by friends, in addition to the handling of papers, calls, and documentation that take a great part of time on a daily basis all year around because of the work that I am involved with, on a volunteer basis.  

NY is all decked out for the holidays, and not only in public places and stores.   Small lights and colorful decorations are everywhere now, including along all the avenues of Manhattan, on the trees and on the balconies of the high-rises, while the strong smell of pines for sale permeates many blocks and corners.


The rush is on, and the plans for holiday planning are evolving......... !

Time Out

At the end of the short stay in northern Italy, one day was reserved for a breather, before  tackling the return trip to NY.  I spent it indoors, without even putting my shoes on that day, at the home of one of my maternal cousins, located up in the mountains at the foot of the Italian/Swiss Alps.

The few hours there passed quickly with other visiting relatives and some more good food.  The air was very brisk outside, but one of the family cats found a cozy spot to snooze, on a window sill, in the feeble sunshine of the winter afternoon.  

It was the perfect day for polenta with “tapulocco” , which is shredded beef cooked in wine and spices.

No surprises in food here, while in Albania I forgot to mention previously that I saw and tasted, for the first time in my life, an exotic looking fruit native to the Dajti National Park. Its color is bright red and its size is that of small cherry tomatoes, but with a very fuzzy, however soft, peel that is surprisingly edible. When popped into the moth, its taste is sweet and resembles the one of persimmons.  


When it came time to pack to come back home from Italy, I found that I couldn’t squeeze into my suitcase the additional items received as gifts, and, I had to buy an extra duffle bag at the last moment.  

Among some of the delicacies I received was a tray of “marrons glaces” (very large glazed chestnuts) typical of the holiday season in Italy. I shall enjoy them with friends on Christmas eve.  

Italian dining

Amidst the many appointments that I had planned, and maintained, as per daily schedule in Italy, I attended some leisurely meals at places well known for their delectable food. They were all outside of the big cities, within the general area of Piedmont, where I spent my youth, around the hills that are at the bottom of the Italian side of the Swiss Alps, which produce some of the best wines of Italy, dating back to the 13th century.  

Varied were the reasons for the dinners.  I owed one since two years ago to a local business man, who was very helpful in settling a real estate matter back then, and never charged me a fee for his service.   Another took place unexpectedly, because of the opening of a newly renovated bar, now owned by an acquaintance, who insisted that I participate while in town.   The largest dining experience, however, took place on the first Sunday of this month.  I feel honored that it was specifically planned by the local participants to coincide with my presence in town.  

The event represents an old tradition, called “Pranzo dei Coscritti”, which means “dinner for people whose birth is registered in the same year”.   The practice started almost a century ago (probably around WWI) and was restricted then only to the male population that reached the age of 18, and was then drafted into the military.  I had no idea, until a couple years ago, that this annual custom eventually extended to include women. Although it eventually departed from the military concept, it was preserved for all town people of the same age, regardless of their civil status, background or education, to enjoy a big annual luncheon affair together. The town has an organizing committee that keeps track of this population, and the day of the planned gathering initiates with attending mass, followed by a brief visit to the local cemetery, in memory of the departed ones.  


The dining usually takes place within the town, or surrounding areas, where all local specialties can be enjoyed.   These places, which may have been former farms, are now known as “agritourismo”, which, by law, are supposed to serve only home grown foods, staples, and products typical of the region.  




The affair that I have attended twice in the past couple of years starts around 1pm and lasts several hours. The rule is that if the participants are not single, the respective partners or spouses, cannot partake the luncheon, but join the group afterwards, when we usually end up at someone’s house for the rest of the day with more food, drink, and songs that stretch into the night!  

To complete the picture I should add that some of the foods served have become quite sophisticated these days, as compared to the past. The portions still are no where near what we serve in the U.S.; on the contrary, each course usually consists of a ‘taste’ of many variety of dishes for a more pleasurable dining experience, accompanied by different wines.  

It’s also interesting to notice that it’s rare to see anyone really get drunk or out of order, if when a bit tipsy.   The sipping and nibbling that spans over the entire day must have a beneficial effect, and these events turn out to be a real joy!