Rainy day photos on our drive from Berat to Vlora. Notice the title.  These are not the best photos but I like to think they give a good glimpse of Albania outside of the capital. Clicking will open another window with bigger pics.

The roads in Albania leave a lot to be desired. They are extremely dangerous because of potholes, lack of warning signs ( Read more... )

A week before Christmas, Julien had a couple of days off, so we rented a car and drove south, first to Berat, to visit an ancient citadel, then to a mountain pass for a bit of snow and a view of the sea. Wouldn’t you know, as soon as we decided to go on a trip, the fine weather turned rainy and drear.

Because the roads are so poor and hazardous, we ( Read more... )

No more time to post. Going to have to get my words for the day before the me time evaporates.  No sketching at the café, sadly.

Next post: Berat.


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A couple J works with at the embassy offered to take us to Krujë with them one afternoon to pick up a rug they had commissioned. Krujë is renowned for its medieval market where they sell modern-day kitsch souvenirs and Albanian antiques. We ate lunch together had dishes besides stew!  I will post about the different kinds of stew...one of these ( Read more... )

My Real and Internet Lives have coincided again, as they did with the blue trees.

I saw this fellow the other day in a side street near our apartment:


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Merry Christmas!


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Photos from the other day, sans creep.

When you first enter the big park, a hill covered in towering pines greets you.  In the grass to the left of the wide path of concrete-made-to-look-like-stone-paving, sprout circles of stumps, waiting to welcome the weary or those who want to sit for a chat.


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A white Christmas in Tirana? Not likely.  A rainy one, probable.

A couple of nights ago, we had a monster rainstorm with scads of lightning and thunder, which we enjoyed from the comfort of our apartment.

Other people, with places to be, were not so fortunate.


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First, a word for Authors of Fantasy Whose Characters Eat in Taverns:

If ever you get slammed by critters/readers because your characters eat the ubiquitous bowl of stew, all you have to say is, "My world is loosely based on Albania, and there, they eat lots of stew."

:P

The second day, upon arriving, I ordered takeout from a neighborhood restaurant, ( Read more... )

Perhaps I'm behind the times and this is something that is done a lot, but when I saw this Christmas tree, assembled bottom up, in a florist shop, it shocked me. I called it an "unholy" tree because it felt like seeing a crucifix upside down (I'm not Catholic, but the intention behind flipping the crucifix is what bothers me).  I'm probably weird ( Read more... )