Just another blood feud killing?

Today I lost a friend, Dritan Prroj. He was shot at midday in one of the busiest areas in Shkoder. I was going to say he was shot doing nothing...but that would not be true. He was shot whilst preaching a belief from the bible of peace, love, tolerance and forgiveness and actively involved in helping the poor - he had been extremely busy helping families that suffered during the flooding in Shkoder earlier this year.
The reason he was shot was due to a “blood feud”.
His uncle had killed someone some years ago.
He had taken no part in the killing, nor had he been in agreement with it.

I wonder how Albania can seek to have visas to travel freely through Europe when they do little or nothing to stop these blood killings. Why would other countries want such people to come and visit or live in their land? ( I know not all Albanians have this mentality( thankfully) , but at the same time, the government do little to stop these killings) Surely NOW is the time for the government, in fact all political parties, to join together and to take action and make a new law taking sever action on any blood killings.
Far too many families are living indoors in fear of their lives.

This is the first time, as far as I am aware that a religious leader has been shot in a blood feud.
Dritan was the Pastor of an evangelical church in Shkoder.

Tonight my prayers are for his wife and children and his family. They will be much like me, still in shock and unable to comprehend WHY this happened.

The only good that come out of this ( as far as I can think) is that if Dritan’s death was remembered as the last killing in all blood feuds.
Unfortunately I think it will not be so.

I just hope the media and the social groups now put pressure on the government to ACT and get much tougher against the blood feuds.

Happy New Year Shkoder 2010

Changing Face of Shkoder

Shkodra po ndryshon!

Well Shkoder is looking a little different. Not everything I like. I really think that the fountain isn't that great. I am beginning to think the whole idea of moving the 5 heroes was so they could make the roundabout smaller, and give the big apartment room on the road opposite our house.
i also think that in the centre of the town, within a mile radius of the centre, there should be no apartments higher than at the very most 6 floors!!
You really want to keep the look of the centre of your town, much as they have done in the Piaca - which the local towns house should be very proud of! - they did a great job there.

Do not play on the grass!

Another beautiful day here in Shkoder.

I have been really busy recently, but decided that as my 3 boys have been in the apartment day and night, it was time to take them out for some games. So, down to the park at the bottom of the apartment and we played with the football and throwing the frisbee. Lots of fun. My 4 year old was having a great time!

But then there came a man from the Town House and told us that we were not allowed to play on the grass!

I mean - what is that all about?!

I asked him where we could go to play and he just laughed.
He told me that in Tirana someone was playing in a park, kicked a ball and a woman with a baby was passing, the baby got hit on the head and the child died.
therefore, there was no games allowed in the park.
And that he was employed to make sure that no-one played in the park.

Now, if that is true, then it is a tragic accident for which I am sorry about!

But at the same time, i have got to say...
Has Albania gone mad?!
Is this the proper reaction?

What next?
Are they going to ban cars from the road , because there are accidents?
Stop people selling in shops because there is food poisoning?
Stop people going to the beach as some drown in the sea?

Get real!

Then an old woman sitting nearby proceeded to tell me that abroad no-one is allowed to play on the grass in the parks EVER!
Yeah!?
I told her I am a foreigner and we have many parks full of children playing.
In fact, that is their purpose.
Somewhere for the children to go to and play!!! ( maybe Albania can learn from that!!)
But, no this old woman proceeded to tell me that she had also been abroad and what she was saying was right!

I guess she must know better than me !

Shqiperia ne NATO

The new home for "5 Heronjte"

( Can you spot them - they ARE in the photo!)


I met a friend this week on a visit to Shkoder.
He came up from Tirana by train.
When I met him, he told me that he had found the 5 Heroes.( and full credit to him - because they are NOT easy to find)
he said to me...."They are in a rubbish dump just outside of the city!"

So yes - it is true - the 5 heroes have a new home!!

...and yes there is some good news.
You can actually view the beauty of this sculpture from above and not just below. You can actually touch it. You can actually appreciate just how great a work of art it is.
That is really good!!

...of course, that is if you can actually find where the 5 heroes are!

They are in the middle of nowhere.
wait...that is not true.
they are in the middle of a rubbish dump....way outside of Shkoder....



The only people there were two men burning rubbish and a donkey!



Talking of donkeys.
What a stupid decision to send them here!!

And there is more...
I went to get my wife a birth certificate and family certificate today.
First of all, why does she have to have a birth certificate dated within the last 3 months?!
Her details of her birth do not, and never will change, so any birth certificate will ALWAYS be the same.
Anyway, whilst i was there , and waiting ( as you do for a certificate!! - usually for most of the morning!) I decided to check the maps on the wall to see what zone we are in for my wife's identity card.

Maybe I just got very stupid or disorientated, or maybe geography was never my strong point, but I could not find where we live!!

I mean , we live at "5 heronjte".
How difficult can it be to find that!!!

Then I realised the problem.
" 5 Heronjte" does not exist anymore...neither does Rruga Çlirimi....nor nearly every other road in Shkoder. they have all been renamed.
I now live on rruga Qemal Draçini, Sheshi Demokraci, Shkoder. ( ?!)


So here is Sheshi Demokraci!
The lasting legacy of democracy....


I remember seeing a Documentary in 1994 on the BBC in the UK, before I came to Albania. It was by Andy Kershaw a Radio One DJ on a visit to eastern Europe and of course - to Albania. His program only lasted 30 minutes and , 15 minutes were for Albania. I always remember how he finished off his report. he was up in the mountains somewhere having been invited to a wedding. There, he was with Albanians sitting on a wooden seat drinking raki and toasting the happy couple....
As the day went on, someone got in a Mercedes car and started driving round and round a field...as there was in fact no real road to the house where the wedding was celebrated.

The film showed a group of mainly young men laughing as the driver reversed in circles at high speed in a huge field....and Andy Kershaw gave us his prophetic words...

"My lasting view of Albania.....

Travelling at high speed into democracy - but in reverse gear - not knowing where they are going!"

Snowdër

Shkoder in the snow

Yes the snow has come.

It was forecast for Thursday but it has been snowing non-stop for the last 8 hours...and the forecast is for more snow during the night and tomorrow.

The kids love it, it makes a great photo...but I would rather a beautiful warm Spring day!

This is the heaviest snow fall that i can remember for a good few years, so I cannot complain. In fact my boys once asked me why it never snows in Albania like it does in Scotland!
I told them , no-where snows like it does in Scotland!!

I'm sorry for those of you living abroad, because Shkoder is looking beautiful and peaceful tonight!

No More Heroes (5Heronjte)

Today they knocked down and removed the “5 heroes” statue in Shkoder.
What a ridiculous decision!

Just so happened I was in Tirana (with my camera) and missed the whole episode. My wife took some video and phone camera photos and as soon as I find her USB connection for her phone I’ll post them up.

So, I found out about it whilst having a coffee in Tirana watching the news.

What a shock!

I mean, the “5 Heroes” are the view from my window.
I see them every day.
I like them.
They are, in a strange way, reassuring to me!

My middle son used to shout ‘Daddy” and point to the statue when I cycled with him to nursery. ( I have no idea which of the heroes reminded him of their dad!)

I couldn’t care if they fought for communism. I mean, what did they know about communism. I don’t believe they knew very much at all. I think they fought to free Albania! That to me makes them, and will always make them heroes! They were fighting for the freedom of the country and not for communist principles! What were they to know what the next 50 years would bring.

Just as we do not know what the next 50 years will hold.
Maybe in 50 years they will look back at some of our current politicians with great regret wandering how anyone could have ever given them their support!

So, I’m very disappointed tonight!
I certainly do not want a fountain in their place!

When I arrived back from Tirana, I took a walk down to the ‘5 Heroes” to see what was there. Just a pile of rubble. I took a couple of photos. As I was walking away, a car traveling round the roundabout suddenly braked sharply and stopped. The driver rolled down the window. He was Italian, and shouted to me,
‘Where are the Heroes?”
“They took them away!” I replied.
“I’m sorry” he shouted as he drove off, winding up the window.

I’m sorry too!

Edit: ( to add article from Newspaper Shekulli. Sorry, but it is in Albanian. But this man explains exactly what i am thinking. Të lumte gojën!)


Vrasja e dytë e 5 Heronjve të Shkodrës

(Marre nga Shekulli)

Prelë Milani*

Kulti më i shtrenjtë i një kombi janë heronjtë e tij. Sikur ta dinin këtë gjë anëtarët e përkohshëm të Këshillit Bashkiak Shkodër, nuk do të guxonin të votonin verbërisht, për të hequr nga sheshi qendror i qytetit, një nga përmendoret më madhështore të arkitekturës sonë të shekullit XX.

Më një nxitim të qëllimshëm, në tetor të vitit të kaluar, me një prapavijë të qartë politike, për denigrimin dhe mospërfilljen deri në absurditet të vlerave të LANÇ-it, me arrogancën e numrit të kartonëve, mospërfillës ndaj opinionit qytetar, në mënyrë të çuditshme, një këshill i zgjedhur në mënyrë të çuditshme, alla militare, me 27 kartuça partiakë, "legjitimoi "heqjen e një dëshmie të historisë, për ta zëvendësuar me një shatërvan apo "shurrtore"!!

Ky vendim ishte gjyqi politik për dënimin e dytë me vdekje të 5 Heronjve të Shkodrës. Duke përdorë si maskë të ashtuquajturin "plani e ri urbanistik", ustallarët e sundimit absolut politik 18-vjeçar të këtij qyteti, shfrytëzuan rastin të realizojnë në mënyrë të kamufluar, atë që kishin deklaruar disa herë nëpër aktive dhe tubime partiake përpara militantëve të tyre fanatikë: zhdukjen e 5 komunistëve të Vigut nga qendra e Shkodrës.

Vonë, shumë vonë, pas 17 vjetësh u zgjua nga gjumi letargjik Këshilli Bashkiak, për të zbatuar planin rregullues të qytetit të Rozafës, të murosur në hekur e beton. Qyteti i karafilave, në një rrokopujë kaotike ndërtimesh ngjason si një lis i dërmuar nga sëpata e pamëshirshme e druvarëve me pushtet politik, që pushtuan sipas qejfit hapësirat e gjelbra e publike të qytetit.

Tre muaj pas gjyqit politik bashkiak, dje erdhi ekzekutimi dhe vrasja e dytë e 5 heronjve të pavdekshëm. Dje, mercenarët e rinj ekstremistë të baskisë, urdhëruan sulmin me goditje të përqendruar ndaj përmendores madhështore.

Në prezencë të qindra e qindra qytetarëve të mbushur me habi, trishtim dhe revoltë të brendshme shpirtërore, u sulmua mbi të gjitha një vepër e shkëlqyer arti. Përmendorja u shkul me forcën e absolutizmit partiak, me rushkullin e fadromës, me dhëmbët e matrapikut dhe çengelin e vinçit të policisë shkatërrimore.

Aksioni spektakolar u zhvillua nën mbikëqyrjen rreptë të uniformave policore që vëzhgonin çdo lëvizje dhe përgjonin me radio në duar, duke demonstruar karshillëk. Shkodrës po ia marrin frymën pallatet hijerënda.

(Pallati i Jozit në lulishten e vjetër të qytetit, godinat madhështore tek Kinena verore, Rozafati i ri i Topalli + Gurakuqit, që e kanë futur plotësisht nënsqetull godinën e Radio Shkodrës dhe të filialit të TVSH-së në Shkodër.

Këshilli Bashkiak, me heshtjen, pa aftësinë dhe afrate e dyshimta u ka lënë dorë të lirë grabitësve të uritur të sulen në një garë ndërtimesh të shfrenuara pa kurrfarë kriteri, pa pyetur për traditë, pa pyetur urbanistikë, pa pikë mëshirë dhe vdekjeprurëse ndaj objekteve private e publike.

Në qoftë se për hir të një plani të ri rregullues, bashkëkohor të standardeve evropiane (që në fakt nuk rezulton i tillë, përkundrazi, mjaft i kontestuar nga specialistët), duhej lëvizë monumenti. Atëherë atij i duhej gjetur vendi i duhur brenda qytetit si pjesë e vlerave të veçanta të tij.

Dërgimi i tij përtej Zallit të Kirit, aty ku dergjen dëshmorët e Shkodrës, me varre të shkallmuara, të rrethuara me male plehrash dhe të mbuluara nga tymrat e zeza të djegies së mbeturinave, do të thotë që edhe ky monument të pësojë të njëjtin fat si monumenti i partizanit të varrezave që u tërhoq zvarrë për t'u shitur për hekurishte në Mal të Zi, në vitin e mbrapshtë '97.

Deshi zoti dhe një polic i ndërgjegjshëm, thonë se nuk e lejoi të kalonte Urën e Bunës. Shtatorja e partizanit të Varrezave të Dëshmorëve ka 8 vjet që qëndron në ambientet e Drejtorisë së Policisë Shkodër.

Në atë zonë të shkretë dhe të tymosur, ku prehen dëshmorët e Shkodrës, askush nuk i garanton të pestit në bronz se nuk do të hidhen në erë përsëri si monumenti i vjetër i tyre në Vig dy.

Nuk i garanton njeri se nuk do të goditen nga e njëjta dore pa gjak shqiptari, siç janë goditë bustet e Qemal Stafës, Vojo Kushit, Manush Alimanit, siç janë gjymtuar Migjeni, PashkoVasa, Vasil Shanto, etj.

Nisma të tilla, në dukje juridikisht të ligjshme, mbartin ngarkesa negative dhe nxisin frymën e përçarjes dhe urrejtjes se grupimeve sociale e politike të shoqërisë sonë. Ekzekutimit i djeshëm nuk ishte thjeshtë një zhvendosje e një përmendoreje, por është një hedhje guri dhe fshehje dore mbi integritetin e memories kombëtare.

Nën vellon e demokracisë dhe të antikomunizmit me dy gishtat lart, ka vite të tëra që në Shqipëri, e sidomos në Shkodër, vazhdon heretizmi ndaj vlerave të Luftës Antifashiste. Shpërngulja fizike e 5 heronjve është një tentativë e dhunshme për të shtyrë, spostuar sa më larg drejt periferisë dhe madje për ta fshirë një kapitull të rëndësishëm të historisë së popullit tonë.

Në Shqipërinë postkomuniste, rivlerësimi objektiv i historisë është detyrë e historianëve objektivë. Historia nuk mund të shkarravitet sipas qejfit të çdo sharlatani politik që i jepet rasti të hipë në karrocën e pushtetit.

Historia e heronjve të Vigut është e shkruar, është e ditur. E zezë, e shëmtuar, makabre ishte vrasja e tyre, si vetë ngjyra e këmishëzijve fashist dhe pafytyrësia e kolaboracionizmit. Ka disa zvarranikë gjakftohtë që thonë; se këta "dëshmorë" nuk luftuan me gjermanin dhe për rrjedhojë nuk meritojnë përmendore. Nuk e dinë këta të gjorë se duke arsyetuar kështu, nxjerrin akoma më lakuriq vrasësit e tyre kolaboracionistë.

Ata nuk kishin shkuar të luftonin me shqiptarët, por të bashkonin shqiptarët në luftë kundër nazi-fashizmit. Ato ishin idealistë të vertetë, paqedashës e atdhetarë. Kush ua vrau pranverën atyre?!

Çfarë sakrifice më sublime mund të bëjë njeriu në jetë se sa të flijohet si engjëll në emrin e Shqipërisë. Mjaft na kanë nënshtruar, shtypë e poshtëruar gjithfarëlloj pushtuesi. Për të shpëtuar këtë vend nga këto plagë vdekjeprurëse, u flijuan heronjtë.

Deri kur duhet të lejojmë baglaxhitë dhe jashtëqitjet e këtij populli të shumëvuajtur të na përdhosin simbolet e paprekshme të krenarisë kombëtare. Pesë Heronjtë e Vigut nuk kanë asnjë lidhje me sistemin që u instalua në Shqipëri pas Luftës së Dytë Botërore.

Ata dhanë jetën për idealin më të shtrenjtë të një kombi, si mijëra të tjerë bashkëkohës të tyre që kontribuuan dhe na radhitën në aleancën më të madhe të njerëzimit kundër nazi-fashizmit. Përveç epokës kastriotjane, ne si komb nuk kemi tjetër luftë më të lavdishme dhe krenari më të madhe kombëtare.

Ndaj, i duhet thënë një herë e mirë ndal vandalizmit dhe sulmeve të paprecedente ndaj vlerave dhe simboleve të kësaj lufte. Në qoftë se dje diktatura, në mënyrë të çmendur vuri dorë mbi objektet e kultit, ajo aventurë nuk do të përsëritet më kurrë. Monumentet e LNÇ-së duhet të jenë po aq të paprekshme si ata të besimit fetar.

Konkretisht, 5 heronjtë, si pjesë e jetës së përditshme të Shkodrës në qendër të saj, duhet të jenë, aty të paprekshëm, si heronjtë e 2 prillit, si monumenti i Isa Boletinit, etj.

Forcat e djathta në Shqipëri, nëse pretendojnë të jenë vërtet demokratike, duhet të mbajnë qëndrim të prerë ndaj fenomenit kolaboracionist dhe të çlirohen një orë e më parë nga reminishencat neofashiste dhe truket politike antikomuniste, që manifestojnë emocionalisht, herë pas here në lidhje me rehabilitimin e elementëve kolaboracionistë.

Shkodrës i ka mbetur në majë të gjuhës fjala mburrëse, "jemi djepi i kulturës". Jemi djepi i kulturës dhe shkallmojmë të gjitha monumentet e heronjve! Jemi djepi i kulturës dhe rrafshojmë shtëpinë-muze Luigj Gurakuqi, i heqim edhe emrin e tij një rruge të vjetër të qytetit. Jemi djepi i kulturës dhe tjetërsojmë shtëpinë-muze Migjeni, madje e mallkojmë me herezi si të kuq.

Jemi djepi i kulturës dhe ngrihemi të mos pranojmë shtatoren e Nënë Terezës. Jemi djepi i kulturës dhe u ngremë përmendore gjeneralëve pushtues dhe bashkëpunëtorëve të hapur të fashizmit Jemi djepi i kulturës e luftojmë si Sanço Panço me kryqet dhe minaret, të cilët nga ana tjetër, në rivalitet njëri me tjetrin, na kanë rrethuar si bunkerët e Enverit.

Një komb që nuk e din të djeshmen e vet, është foshnjarak, prandaj nuk mund të dijë as të sotmen, as të nesërmen mjerane që e pret.

*Poet dhe Publicist / Shkodër

Value for Money

Where do you get true value for money?
It's got to be Albania.

Went to Elbasan today. We didn't have a good start, as we never got as far as 5 Heronjte without the second car running out of diesel. So off I set to get some bottles of diesel. I found a garage and filled up 3 x 2litre bottles of diesel.

Neither of the 3 x 2litre coke bottles were full. They would have been at a level just about less than full. Yet the reading on the petrol pump was not under 6 litres, but was almost SEVEN litres.

So, what conclusion can I make?
That the Coke company in Albania actually give you more than 2 litres of coke in their 2 litre coke bottle!

I mean, surely that is the only reasonable conclusion, is it not?
Surely, the petrol pump was right, and not cheating me!
Next, someone will tell me that the diesel was watered down!

Doorway to the real Albania

I have been out running this past month. I really need to get fit AND lose some weight :-( ... at least that is what the doctor said.
I may post more about me running another day for anybody interested.

I have been running through the streets and lanes of Shkoder….and my longest run so far has been 5km….which isn’t bad, because I couldn’t run for 1 minute when I started.

Anyway, I have been enjoying running around the streets and seeing “normal” Albanian life. Yes, I do get LOTS of really strange looks and a “jogger” seems to be a strange sight in Albania. But there are some things I really like, and I am enjoying running.


One of the things that has struck me is some of the old Albanian doors to private houses. There are many of these and one street could have about 20 different kinds of doors. It is the old wooden doors that I really like.

I think to myself, what kind of story could these doors tell us if only they could speak.
What kind of joys or sorrows as people have come to celebrate weddings or attend funerals in the yard outside the house. Children leaving to go to school, or a bride leaving her family to start a new life with her husband.

I wonder who might have lived there, and when was the house built. It is funny, an open door always seems to be so inviting! As though it is saying, come inside and share a meal with us!

Too close a shave?

This does not inspire me to visit this barber shop!

Just imagine going in for a shave and as you are all lathered up and waiting for the barber you lean back and see the sign!

He is a barber but also an ambulance service?!

Anything is possible in Albania!

Took this photo today when i was in Koplik.

A man selling sheep from his car boot.


Then by chance I saw this on another website.

Theth

A recent article from the "LA Times".

THETH, ALBANIA -- The "Accursed Mountains" tower high above the Shala Valley, snow clinging to their summits even in the summer. Their jagged peaks hide one of Europe's most remote areas, where tribal culture lives on even as the modern world encroaches.

For about half the year, Shala, a protected national park, is cut off by heavy snowfall that blocks access to the two rock-strewn dirt tracks snaking through the mountains. The only way in or out is a seven-hour trek by foot to the nearest road, if the snow is not too deep.


Here a rapidly vanishing way of life lingers in the traditions of the Kanun, the code of 15th-century prince Lek Dukagjin. But fewer and fewer locals are willing to endure the harsh winter in Theth, a Catholic village of roughly whitewashed stone houses scattered along a valley where snow piles so high that even visiting a neighbor can be impossible. Less than two decades ago, about 200 families lived in Theth year-round. Now there are 10 or 15.

"Everybody leaves during the winter," says Dilda Dednoja, a lively 69-year-old who stopped spending winters in her home in Theth's Okol area about seven years ago.

"In the winter you got stuck in the snow and you really wanted to leave," she said, describing a life of privation and toil where food was stockpiled in autumn to last until spring, firewood had to be dragged into the house and villagers were isolated even from each other. "There would be 4 meters (13 feet) of snow outside the door; there was no doctor, no school."

Agetina Carku lives on the valley's slopes, in the first house on the dirt track leading from the mountains into Theth. At 76, she has been shuttering her home in the fall and moving into the northern city of Shkodra for the last two winters. But she'd still rather stay in the mountains.

"When I come here, I am reborn," she says, watching fireflies flicker in her garden on a summer night.

"I still wanted to stay, but the young generation doesn't want to work so hard. I can't stay here alone, I have to follow the family. It is a practical need, but it's also the tradition."

It is in isolated pockets such as these that Albania's traditions are strongest.

Many still live at least in part by the Kanun, a code handed down through the centuries in which "besa" -- loosely translated as word of honor or sacred promise -- is paramount. The code was adhered to by Albania's Muslim majority and Catholic and Orthodox Christian minorities.

The code covers everything from inheritances and the rights of the church to the treatment of livestock. Disobeying the Kanun could lead to harsh penalties that might include banishment or the transgressor's household being burned. A slight could lead to a blood feud that lasted for generations.

In Theth, nobody will sell land to an outsider, or even to another villager. Brides must come from outside the valley, a tradition that follows along the lines of the Kanun's rule that marriage within the same clan is forbidden.

"The Kanun is the law. Just like the state law," explains Gjovalin Lokthi, 39, a gruff "kryeplak," or elected chief of the village.

"With the Kanun you can get killed over honor," he says, sipping homemade raki in what was until recently Theth's only bar -- a wooden shack he converted from a goat shed. "But it's better to get killed, because what good is your life [if you spend] 100 years behind bars?"

Theth's "kulla," or tower, is a reminder of the devastating legacy the blood feuds can have. Now a tourist attraction, the windowless stone building was where the men of a feuding family could take refuge -- for months or even years. Easily defendable with sheer walls and slits for windows, the men survived on livestock kept on the ground floor and food brought by the family's women, who were not targeted.

Kullas are no longer used. But there are still families in northern Albania forced into isolation because of feuds, unable to walk out their front door for fear of being killed. And sometimes these days it's not just men but whole families who fear for their lives.

The Kanun has survived despite four decades of communist rule after World War II, with hardships such as mass imprisonment in labor camps and attempts to stamp out tribal practices.

"What the people went through here is pretty amazing," says Michael Galaty, associate professor of anthropology at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., who led a four-year anthropological and archaeological research project in the Shala Valley that also studied the effects of isolation. "You go from this isolated tribal culture to one of the harshest totalitarian dictatorships the world's ever known, and from there straight into the globalized community."

But many in Albania -- particularly in the rapidly modernizing capital, Tirana, -- now perceive the Kanun as brutal and arcane, with its dictates that blood be paid for blood and that a woman is "a sack made to endure."

The Kanun "has been repeated for centuries and is deep in the conscience of the people," says Ismet Elezi, a retired professor of criminal law at Tirana University who spent 50 years studying the code. But "the young generation is interested in rock and pop, not in the Kanun, although they apply it. . . . It's usually the older people who push youngsters to apply it, though they don't know how."

Even in an area as isolated as Theth, it's clear the outside world is creeping in. Now satellite TV dishes are visible, and a cellphone relay antenna erected recently ensures near perfect coverage in an area where the country's landline grid is still out of reach.

Increasing numbers of tourists are willing to endure the bone-crunching journey by four-wheel drive to get into the valley. The villagers have started taking paying guests into their homes, and it is not clear how much tourism they will be able to accommodate.

For now the villagers of Theth still greet visitors with raki and small cups of thick, sweet coffee. After all, under Albanian tradition and the Kanun, you cannot turn away a guest.

"5 Heronjtë të Vigut" to be removed!

Well, I really cannot believe it!

It has just been decided by the council committee(keshillit bashkiak) that the statue of the 5 heroes (5 Heronjtë të Vigut)is to be removed and replaced to the graveside of those that fought for freedom from Italy. ("varrezet te deshmoreve")

The statue which has been in the centre of town for over 25 years and is one of the landmarks and best known sites in Shkoder will be replaced by....a fountain!

I mean, sorry, but surely this is ridiculous!
Had I posted this on April Fools Day, none of you would have believed it!

Surely this is an important part of Albanian History, rightfully respected and one of the most best known, most loved and most photographed sites in the town of Shkoder.
I should know!
I live a stones throw from the statue, and pass it numerous times every day, and there are LOTS of tourists EVERY DAY all around it taking photos from all different angles.

How, anyone in their right mind can think that a fountain should be there instead of the 5 Heroes...I do not know!

The decision was based on a vote of 27 for the replacement against 9 against.
And so the 5 heroes are to be replaced on a decision by the 27 numpties!

A day without cars!

Seriously, I need an explanation for this one!
Yes, I am all in favour of looking after the world and being more "green". And yes, that means we need to start in our own town. But what is the purpose of this day?

Is it to try to encourage more people to use their bikes?
Surely not in Shkoder!
Every man, woman, child, dog and cat in Shkoder has a bicycle - and they use them!( well,I exaggerated a little about the dog and cat, but you know what I mean)

Is it to get less cars on the road?
You can start off by making tougher regulations for cars on the road. Some cars being driven should NOT be on the road. They are being driven with broken wings or broken headlights. As a pedestrian, I do not want to be hit by a car - and certainly not by a car with a broken light. It would be like getting hit by a broken bottle.

If you want less cars on the streets of Shkoder, then PLEASE give us more buses and buses that come regularly and make a full circuit of Shkoder. That would enable many shoppers to go to the markets and return by bus, at the very least somewhere near to where they live.

The answer can't be to tell people to get on their bikes!

Spelling Albanian

They tell me Albanian is an easy language, as you pronounce the words just as they are written. So unlike English that has different pronunciations for the "ough" sound - "bought", "through", "enough", "cough", "thorough" and "bough" ( all these have different sounds!). - Albanian is far easier to pronounce and to spell.

Well, maybe not that easy!

The Trials of Shopping

Shopping is different from abroad, and you really need to have a lot of patience to shop in Albania.

There are some things that no matter how long I stay in Albania, I just can’t get used to.
I am referring to the form of “bartering” for a decent price.
Most shops don’t have prices. You have to ask the shop keeper how much the article costs.

So, you want to buy a new pair of shoes. You ask how much they are and then you have to haggle the price down. That is something I have never been used to and still am not used to. It is far easier just paying the price they ask for!

I have an uncle in Scotland that gets discount on all his purchases, even though there is no sale price. He always seems to get a bargain by asking for money off. No doubt he would get on great in Albania!

Me, I am resigned to be embarrassed at asking for money off. I just don’t do it. I get the feeling that the shopkeepers are looking at me thinking to themselves, “ This guy is foreign, he must have lots of money!”, and then I should ask for a couple of pounds off the price!?
( If I did that, then they would be probably thinking, “ Typical Scotsman!”)

Another difficulty is in the cost of an item.
Albanians still speak in the old money. So they will tell you the price is 20,000 lek when it is really only 2,000lek. This can still be very confusing. Especially when buying something like a painting that you really do not know how to value!

Then another most frustrating problem is when you come to pay for the item.
At times, just as as you are paying, someone will eneter the shop and ask the shopkeeper the price of an item, and the shopkeeper will leave you and go and serve the other person. I mean, he is adding up your bill, and you have your money in your hand, and someone comes in and says…
“A kilo of cheese please” and the shopkeeper stops adding up your bill and starts serving the other person.
I am left pulling my hair out!

Once you have got past these problems, you get your weekly shopping in plastic bags that have the strength to hold no more than a bunch of grapes and you can head off home again!

If you have purchased a new pair of shoes, then be prepared to be asked about 100 times - Where did you buy them and how much did they cost you!
Sometimes I get stopped by complete strangers in the street asking me about something I am carrying and where I bought it, and how much it cost!

Then on return to the house you will be asked - how much did you pay for the tomatoes or peppers, and why you bought apples that are “soft” and “bruised”!

Shopping – it seems to be gift that men are never born with, and never learn!

Hot weather

We arrived back in Albania in the middle of July.

I thought that would be ok. I expected that like previous years we would get some thunder showers and even maybe a couple of days rain during August to keep the weather cool. But this summer has been particularly hot.
The weather has been regularly above the 30’s and only now are they forecasting a chance of rain at the weekend. We even had some thunder today…but it immediately disappeared.

What is worse is that we have just been given electric meters so rather than paying a set fee each month, we must pay for what we actually use. So we have been using the air conditioner less than normal, until we see how much the bill comes to. Neighbours have been getting from 12,000 new lek, to 20,000 new lek ( approx £130 UK, or $240 US) for a month.

That means, with no air conditioner, I have been really struggling. As a Scotsman I am just not used to this heat, and at nights I wake up soaking with sweat! It’s a bit like living in a sauna!

The thing about Shkoder is that the humidity is VERY high! We had friends up from Tirana last week and they couldn’t believe how hot it was in Shkoder compared with Tirana.

Between sweat rolling down the back of my neck, and the mosquitoes I am not getting much sleep!

Piaca - work started

So the work on pedestrianizing the "Piaca" has begun, and they expect to be finished within 2 months.
The plans look really good,

and if they do turn the renovated bank into a large museum for "Foto Marubi" then this little street will become very popular and I am sure rent will go up for the shops there.

It does leave me with a couple of questions...
1) Why did they just repair all the pavements on this street only to come along now about a year later and rip them all up again.
Surely that is a waste of money!?
(Especially as they took money from the shops and businesses along that street to help pay for the new pavement!)

2)Why was this not planned earlier? - maybe during winter, so that it would have been ready for this summer and the many tourists that come down from the Former Yugoslavia every day in their bus loads!