Miscellaneous Photos

a candid photo of us meeting the ambassador (read:waiting in line for the restroom)

We had a "field day" in Thanë one afternoon.  Shumë qef (much fun).  Luis attempted to make a tent.  (Note the bunkers high up on the hill.)

I think the tent stood for about 30 minutes...

If you squint, you can read the wine label.  It says Sara, which apparently is the name for everything amazing in this country, including a national park.  :) 

We had to fish the frisbee out of the gross stream a lot.  It was a mini-adventure.

After a while, some local kids showed up and asked us to play football with them.  Liila represented American women phenomenally.  And got a huge bruise to show for it. 

Poppies are in bloom all over Albania.  Gorgeous.

I came home one afternoon and found the kitties exploring my balcony. 

so cute and so sneaky

I just can't resist sharing these kitten photos.  Sorry.

I like to wander around behind the castle walls in Elbasan.  Supposedly this road dates from Roman times. 

Which road to try today?

An EU grant is allowing Elbasan to restore this ancient road.

They are making speedy progress.

View of Elbasan.  See the old castle walls?

Someone wiser than I pointed out the contradiction in advertising logos here.

We took a hike in neighboring Kuqan one afternoon.  Good times.

a view of the valley where we live outside Elbasan

the Thanë side of the valley

life is so hard for these Albanian kittens

Communist-era plaques and statues are sprinkled throughout Albania.

This poster hangs in the PC office.

This was my first view of the beach in my future home of Durrës.  Divine. 

I think I shall come here often.  Did I mention I love Posh Corps?

there is a lot of racist advertising in Albania

gotta love Soviet art, and palm trees along the Adriatic

Even though I often think I know no Shqip, I was able to make this homework assignment in about 5 minutes last week without the aid of my book or a dictionary.  I guess we have learned a lot.

We took a hike in Bishqem one Sunday.  Peace Corps will definitely make me fit, so long as I get out of Durrës frequently. 

We tossed around a frisbee and a tennis ball.  It was a lot of fun, but not the best idea when flanked on both sides by steep drop offs.  No photos of our attempted retrievals sadly.

We begin the descent.