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.

Tirana's contrasting views

Just within a couple of blocks......


Every two days, promptly at 8am, this truck picks up the garbage from the designated local bins, and deals with the difficulty of having an open ended rear....everything is picked up by hand! The remaining litter on the street is swept away a while later by the foot patrol of street cleaners (usually women in colorful uniforms).


Right near the large main Skanderbeg square, in the maze of internal narrow streets amidst tall buildings and remnants of old properties, a homeless man with his ambulatory 'cargo of possessions' - an unusual sight here, compared to New York.


Across the street, the display of clothes drying in the sunshine, is a daily occurrence - it's always wash day for the housewives of Tirana.


A couple of blocks away, the modern bus shelter, is always crowded with waiting passenger....although the rides are quite frequent.


One of the city's main boulevards, named after the ex monarch (Zog I), and repaved last year.

Inefficiencies

By now I should be used to the ad hoc way of operating in Albania, but sometime I never cease to be surprised because daily life always offers special challenges here.

Perfect examples are recent experiences about tax filing for the organization I am involved with. New tax laws went into effect this year, and were immediately applied, but without providing appropriate form changes to the affected business. New technology, already in place, does not necessarily furnish correct data due to improper input, and ‘dulcis in fundo’ there are no real procedures in place. For someone like me that has worked for decades in work simplification, data processing, highly tested computerized processes, working with this way seems inconceivable, but this is reality, and I might add, not only in Albania, but also in Italy where I had to cope with similar experiences until about a year ago.

It’s coincidental that just this morning I read an online letter, addressed to the Italian newspaper “Corriere della Sera”, in reply to someone that, after having lived in the US for a while, found that things ‘got better’ in Italy after his return. The response (in Italian for those who might be interested in) is particularly ironic with counter experiences ‘enough for a thesis’, according to the writer, who offers specific examples of dealings with state offices, and describes employees’ behavior that I can well relate to.

The funny part is that Albanians, traditionally so closely connected to Italians, replicate a lot their mode of living, whether good or bad. A couple of examples are the state new electrical billing that charges customers not on actual usage, notwithstanding the modern metering system, but favors a monthly ‘forfait’ instead, and the tax forms I just dealt with that are as elaborate and large sized (big as a newspaper!) as the ones I’ve used years ago in Italy! (*)

It took the better part of one morning and three trips to accomplish the payment of local taxes at City Hall this week. Original inquiries about what was needed were never replied to accurately, or completely, thus requiring repetitive visits and production of additional documentation that could have been requested ahead of time.

With such a waste of time and experiences it’s very easy to understand how much remains to be implemented in this country to catch up with efficiency. If, according to my friends and relatives, Italy has decades to go on this, compared to the US, Albania is light years behind, unfortunately! I agree with my Albanian friends that it will take an entire generation, but this does not stop me from trying to help out the current ones as they struggle to forge their future.

(*) PS -
As I wrote the above, I thought of checking whether I could get an update on the refund due to me for taxes overcharged in 2005 by the Italian government. I was informed that my patience should be stretched a couple more years since that state is only now refunding individuals overcharged in 2003. No further comments necessary!!

Speaking of transport.....and dates!

Although previously mentioned and photographed, I just stumbled on the new web site of Tirana International airport , which I have already used more than once since its inauguration on March 21st of this year. As an advocate of simpleness and clarity, I like the way this site was designed and pleasantly surprised by the information it provides.

For the many friends, who read me regularly, I just want to let you know that due to the good progress in the affairs I'm handling while here, I've now postponed my return to NY by another couple of weeks. More to follow.....meantime, from 'hot' Tirana (upper 80'sF) a great and a

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Urime!


Thanks to a friend in the US I can also offer a rose!

Transport and quirks

A couple days ago I was walking across Rinja Park, near the center of Tirana, as a shortcut from the luncheon I attended, while on the way to the post office. The paths in the city’s parks have a fair number of benches that are used a lot by elderly people during the daily walks, and by a couple of hobos that from time to time can be seen lying down on them.

During the above walk my eye caught an interesting occurrence. A young outdoor vendor that was displaying a variety of junk for sale, was playing an interesting trick on passersby. He was placing a cell phone on the ground, and strategically located it underneath a bench. Then, from a distance, he would ring that phone to attract attention, and when a person instinctively would bend down to pick up the unit, he would quickly retrieve it via a long and extremely thin wire, invisible at first sight. I wonder whether this apparent joke was just to pass the time or whether it had a more hidden agenda!

Another quirky episode happened to me another day when I decided to take a local bus instead of walking or taxing to my destination.

Until just a couple years ago, it wasn’t easy to travel within or outside of the city with public transport. Private taxis and vans were available in strategic places, and at all hours, but they were old and not very clean. Now Tirana can show off many taxi stands, modern buses, with 9 lines within the city, and long distance routes to the rest of Albania and bordering countries such as Kosova, and Macedonia. Rather new to this capital are also very modern bus shelters with seats that have nothing to envy from the ones in NY City!

The fare in Tirana is 20 leks (~ 20 cents) for any ride, short or long, to any place within the city, while a normal taxi ride ranges between 300 to 400 leks. I have made a great use of the latter over the past years to avoid inhaling the large amount of dust and pollution of this city while walking.

BTW, the number of street lights have proliferated across town, at major intersections, and both pedestrians and vehicles are getting better at navigating the traffic, which is still, however, pretty chaotic and dangerous. There is also still no specific system in boarding or leaving the buses, although some doors are clearly marked “entry” or “exit”, and the ticket agent on board roams around from front to back and vice versa to get the fares.

To get back at what happened to me the other day, I handed the ticket agent my 20 lek coin, and he gave me back 10 leks. Instead of giving me a ticket in return, he requested that I pay again, totally oblivious of what he just did. Rather than having an argument that I couldn’t sustain in Albanian, I dished out another 20 leks, but let him know that what he did was incorrect! A bit surprised, but disregarding my remark, he proceeded to collect more fares, thinking that I must have been a crazy tourist. I, however, was experiencing another case of ‘non concentration on the job’ that becomes more frequent in today’s world everywhere.

Capricious weather

After a few days of cloudy and rainy weather, today the sun is shining again in Tirana and we have 80F degrees at noon.


Temperature and weather changes happen very quickly here due to the topography of the city, with the Adriatic sea just a few miles away and the Dajti mountain chain surrounding its rear. The clouds swiftly fly by and the sun plays peek a boo, on and off among them, when the weather is not completely clear, but, interestingly, there is not much wind all the time, as it’s always the case in New York. Sunny days are always very hot by midday, when the sun beats down unmercifully (and it seems so much closer than in the US!).

It would be interesting to study the differences in barometric pressures between Tirana and NY. Physically I feel much better in the former, where I don’t experience the osteo-arthritic pains that plague me instead in NY! Dealing with the smog, heavy dust, and visible pollen from the trees lining all the boulevards is another story.

In Tirana evenings, however, are usually very pleasant and a light jacket is needed, even though the midday temperature may have been high. I have been here for several years now during both late spring and falls, and I’ve always slept with 2 woolen blankets at night!

This morning I had to run an errand and found myself sweating profusely by 10:30am, but for my sleep in the cool bedroom heavy covers are always present!

BTW, today I finally managed to get a decent picture of the Skanderbeg statue in the middle of the large square bearing its name, which is a maze of, and never ending pedestrian and vehicular traffic. It's such a challenge to criss cross it either by foot or in car!

Interesting chat?

Wish I could sneak in the group of the women in green coats, with funny style hats, reminiscent of chinese times in Tirana. They are assigned to park's maintenance in front of the Pyramid (ex Hoxha museum). The night rain of the past couple of days, however, has taken care of watering the lawns, and the hose (better seen when enlarging the picture )is not needed! Time for a chat, instead!

Day of rest

What a gorgeous day this Sunday! We have had beautiful weather in Tirana for over 3 weeks now, but the forecast for the next few days is for badly needed rain.

I was invited by some local friends to lunch with them out, and we had an excellent fish meal at a restaurant I had discovered last fall, called “Peshku", which, BTW, is within a short distance from my apartment.



They wanted me to have a taste of a variety of fish, and, after a delightfully crunchy mixed salad, with a light dressing of good olive oil and balsamic vinegar, I enjoyed 4 different types of beautifully grilled fish, served with mixed vegetables.

There I had an interesting encounter, when a couple of gentlemen entered the dining room. One of them, whom I’ve met several times over the years in NY, and still works there as an Albanian government representative, was very surprised to see me here, and we exchanged greetings.

Right next door to the restaurant there is an Italian company, called ‘gelateria artigianale’that, I know, produces excellent varieties of ice cream ('gelato’ made according to home recipe), but we decided to walk a bit. A while later, my friends and I stopped at an Albanian and Macedonian pastry and ice cream parlor where they wanted me to try a local product. The menu offered a huge variety of flavors and combinations, including some which were also named American style (ie: ice cream sunday, what else?). Excellent stuff!

It was great to stroll along an unusually non crowded Rr. Durresit on a Sunday afternoon, when the traffic, normally impossible to cope with, was very light and it was not a problem to cross the avenue -- during the week this is quite a feat!



A great contrast, hidden just a block away from this renovated and modern thoroughfare, there are narrow winding streets still populated by ancient structures, obviously still in use, and dominated by a maze of electrical wires and cables amazingly hanging in midair……

Overall a very relaxing and pleasant day!

And life routine goes on.....

My visiting friend from Italy went back home a week ago, happy about her Albanian experience, and, at the same time, sorry to have to resume her daily activities.



And so was I. Life goes on and my tasks here seem never ending. We have been very lucky to have wonderful weather throughout, which reaches the mid to upper 70’s (F) by midday. I hear from NY that the big apple continues to be cold and rainy, with lots of floods also in other states.

This past week has gone by very fast with meetings interspersed with daily chores, which come by having my own place to stay when I am in Tirana. The other side of the coin is that it offers a flexible schedule for meals, sleeping, entertaining, and shutting off the rest of the world, when wanted.

As you may have gathered by my most recent postings, I now have a high speed connection available 24 hours daily. I’ll spare my readers with the experience of the related installation -- suffice to say that I was ready for it, including the setting of the modem and a plan for the cabling. I suspected that the technicians would come without a plan on how to bring inside my apartment the dedicated line from the street, and I was right. They gladly accepted my suggestion and in no time the work was completed and the connection tested ok. After that I went to town downloading additional software and updating other packages, which couldn’t not be done via dialup. Hurrah!

More beach pictures

These shots of a state run resort along beach #13 in Durres, where only state employees and their families can enjoy vacations at a very cheap price, is a self enclosed park with many amenities and gardens.



I was lucky to be able to enter the premises to take the pictures by standing on my own parcel of land, where the government decided to plant some beautiful flowers (without asking my permission, however!).....



...too bad I can't enjoy yet this lovely spot!

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)