The Adventure Contines

 

Family photo op, inside the Skanderbeg Museum, Kruja

I am already at that point where I feel overwhelmed by all the stories and events that there are to catch up on, and so I will just dive in head first, with a much more succinct style than is customary (perhaps for everyone's benefit).  So, on our second full day in Albania, we let our friends from home (Ema, Glen, Kiyaan and Serena) suggest an itinerary for the day. They were going to be heading back to Canada a couple of days later, so this was out chance to do some fun Albania activities with them while we were still here together. 

The plan was to first meet in a little mountain town called Kruja, whose main claim to fame is its close association with the Albanian local hero, known as Skanderbeg. 

One of the many, many, many depictions of Skanderbeg

I could go on at length about good old Skanderbeg - as I have found in the last few days, he pops up everywhere. Museums, town squares, gas stations... you name it, you'll find a mural or a statute, or a bit of iconography or lore depicting or related to Skandergbeg. His heyday was in the mid-1400s, and he is perhaps most venerated for his role as a military leader who lead a rebellion against the Ottoman empire. 

Winding our way up the streets of Kruja

A trip to Kruja, then, is really a trip to see the old fortress that Skanderbeg would have helped protect back in the 15th century, and to visit the Skanderbeg museum.  The trip itself, however, was a huge part of the adventure.  To begin with, we borrowed Faye and Derrick's cute little car, (which only the five of us could squeeze into), so it was up to Clark to get very comfortable very quickly with the circus that is negotiating Albanian driving (and drivers). In a standard. Let me tell you, I consider myself a very competent, confident driver (who also happily drives a standard), but had I been at the wheel, this first foray would have sent me into a panic attack.  Clark was a pro.

One of the fortress towers, with the fog-laden mountains in behind

Getting out of Tirana, and negotiating through the various towns was one thing, but as soon as you get to the base of the mountain, winding your way up to Kruja is another thing altogether.  It was steep and winding enough that Linden, who had the misfortune of being in the middle back seat, was very, very close to being carsick by the time we found a parking spot near the top. It truly felt as though, if you were lucky enough to not go careening off the side of the mountain as a large vehicle passed you going the other direction, you would most certainly end up parked in sky at some point. 

Hazel, giving a half-hearted wave from this picturesque spot right before entering the castle

Anyway, we clearly did make it in the end, found our way to the castle/museum, and eventually found Kiyaan and family as well.  It was a really neat spot to see, scary drive and all.  Though Linden still hasn't stopped talking how "short" the walls were, and how ineffective they would be against invaders.  Clearly no one consulted him when building the fortress in the first place.

 Here are some more pictures from Kruja:

The view from out an arrow slot window

I couldn't help but capture these two brave flowers growing out of the stone wall

Scenic selfie as the fog rolled away

Juniper looking at a map of Albania from the museum balcony

It seems as though the worth of a museum is determined (in Linden's estimation), but the quantity and variety of weapons.  Skanderbeg museum ranked high on his list. Was he supposed to touch these weapons?  No, he was not. Did he come back home and obsessively sketch crossbow designs?  Yes indeed, he did.

Once out of the museum, we found the shade of this tree, and parked ourselves for awhile.  Even up in the mountains, it was so much hotter than we're used to!

Part of the Kruja bazaar.  Stall after stall of clothes, jewelry, ceramics, rugs, and so much more.  We did not end up buying anything, as we had very little sense at that point of money or how much anything was worth, which is kind of too bad.  I'm sure will have many more opportunities to get similar wares in other towns, however.

After Kruja, we followed Glen and family to the next stops on our day of adventure: first to a shop that sold what Glen described as the best ice cream in the world, and then on to one of their favourite beaches. 

At the ice cream shop, where you could only choose from vanilla or chocolate. It really was delicious! 

Freshly landed at the beach

The beach really was spectacular.  There were these umbrellas (each with two lounge chairs), which you could claim, and stash your stuff, and at some point someone would come around to collect 1000 Lek (about $14 CAD). Otherwise, you just had access to the sand and the water.  

A view of the beach itself

Hazel and Kiyaan having fun in the sand

The beach was lovely, but the water was even nicer, in my opinion.  It was just the right warmth, and the waves were just big enough to be fun, without being too scary for the kids.  Even Hazel, who claimed she does NOT like waves, and would NOT go in the wavy water, had a blast in the end.

We came in specifically to get a picture before going back out

Little Miss "I don't like waves"

A group shot before we parted ways

I have to say, that was a very ambitious, busy day to take on so shortly after we arrived (about 4 hours of driving as well!), but it really was a lot of fun. 

The next day we decided to leave the car safely parked, and do a bit of exploring around Tirana on foot.  Faye and Derrick are extremely centrally located, which means that there is a tonne of stuff that can be accessed without too much walking. Our first stop was the National museum.

Walking along Skanderbeg Square, with the museum just ahead of us

A close up of the mural, with Linden underneath

The museum was an interesting mix - all the way from artifacts dating to thousands of years BC, to the present. Albania has a very unique, and often tumultuous history, and it was worth the entrance fee to even just see how that was represented by this national museum, and what was or was not highlighted. However, it was a very, very hot walk to get there, and I kept Hazel going by promising air conditioning once we arrived, and then... there wasn't.  Just some strategically placed big fans, blowing warm around.  So we maybe didn't last as long as I thought we would.

I was, as you might imagine, quite taken with the ceramics on display

Linden's favourite room, for obvious reasons

Taking a break on the relatively cool staircase

Guess who? It's... Skanderbeg!

An art piece, depicting the horrors of communism

A whole area devoted to Mother Teresa , who was (I hadn't realized) Albanian-Indian

This was about the point everyone decided they were done. Hazel was, as you can see, mostly out of her gourd by that point. Also of note - I brought all my old maternity/nursing clothes for Faye, and they all look great!  This was my favourite dress.

We had thought we might hit a couple of other things while we were out and about, but after grabbing lunch and seeing an outdoor market, it was clear that the kids, anyway, had hit their limit. It was a lot of walking in a heat much more intense than they're used to, and everyone was happy to just go home and chill.  (Literally. We hare very grateful for the ample air conditioning at Faye and Derrick's).

I have not yet introduced the king of the house - Silla. Derrick found him as a teeny tiny abandoned kitten on the streets of Sudan, and now he's living his best life in Albania.

The kids love him... 

...(especially Hazel and Linden)...

... but I think Linden might be Silla's favourite. Silla likes to get into trouble on a regular basis, so they are kind of kindred spirits, I think.

Hazel has been enjoying having me read through all of her old board books that we packed up and brought for the new baby when she arrives. 

Family journal time

The joys of having multiple gelato places within a two minute walk from the apartment. I do believe Hazel has managed to have a gelato every single day that we've been here so far.

The next day (July 9th), we had two main outings: the first was to brave a nearby mall to get some necessary birthday and beach-related items. Derrick took me, Clark and Hazel to Teg, and we managed to procure most of the things on our list (and, as it turned out, a few things that had NOT been on the list, but that Hazel managed to convince me were necessary for someone on the cusp of turning 5).  At home, Faye beat Linden and Juniper at a game of Settlers of Catan.  Then, after a quick lunch, Juniper, Hazel, Clark and I set out to got to a place called Bunk'Art2. 

Much like Skanderbeg, this is a topic that I could explain at length, but don't have the time here.  Basically, During the communist reign of Enver Hoxha, there were 175,000 (yes, close to 200,000) fall-out bunkers built around the country (meant, apparently, to protect against potential nuclear and/or chemical attacks, or just "anti-communist enemies", generally speaking).  A few of the more prominent ones have been turned into something between a museum and an art installation.  This one, for instance, is right in the middle of the city, and had both an apartment for the Minister of Internal Affairs, and a secret hallway which led into the Ministry itself. You go through these narrow bunker hallways, into tiny bunker rooms and get a feel not only for what such a structure feels like, but also a real glimpse into the horrors of that time in history. It was a very, very dark experience, both literally and figuratively. 

The entrance

One of the art installations

The exit.  Hazel did NOT enjoy the experience - I left early with her.  It was too scary for her, and she wasn't even able to read all about the torture and the other atrocities that occurred

Taking advantage of one of the "cooling stations" throughout the city, which supply a continual cool mist for pedestrians

Back at home, Linden (the lazy chump who decided not to partake in either outing), had been busy, doing some watercolour painting with Faye.  This has since become an ongoing interest - he has produced a number of works over the past few days.  

Getting into the watercolour groove

So far, his subject matter has been pretty much exclusively different mountain ranges (no doubt inspired by the ever present mountains around us), and I have to say, I think he's getting a feel for it!  We'll have to see what he's turning out by the end of the trip.

One of his first paintings

Hazel, of course, has to do what her brother does.

And finally, yesterday was the big day: Hazel's 5th birthday! All she requested was a pool. She wanted to go swimming somewhere without sand and waves, and wanted to try out her new water wings and face mask.  First, though, we had a few things planned in the morning:

Hazel's official 5th birthday shot

Juniper arranged a mini-scavenger hunt which involved gummy bears...

... And party hats, and a few small presents

You know it's a party when everyone gets their own party hat!

Then, after lunch, we all set out to find a pool that was, again (thankfully), within walking distance.  Well - everyone but me, who headed in a different direction, to get a massage for my poor, sore neck.  But everyone else spent the afternoon having a blast, and with her new gear, Hazel was bursting to tell me how much time she spent with her head under water. The only downside is that now it is all she wants to do!

Living it up at the pool

Finally, it was time for a pizza party (Hazel's request), which we wended up ordering from Ninja Turtles themed "Turtles Pizza" down the street, and then cupcakes for dessert made by Juniper.  A great 5th birthday, I'd say!

Pizza party: one margarita, one porcini, and one prosciutto 

Half icing, half Nutella, with gummies on top

Sweet...

... and silly!pr

Ok, it is now 9:30pm in Albania, and I'm going to wrap this up for the night.  I've got all of today's adventures to catch up on, plus whatever else we do between now and my next post, so check back soon!