Tirane again.

Monday in Tirane, i got some rest, slept in. Stavris flexible work allows him to sleep a little more when he feels like it. Today i go up the hills, on the national park. The view is unfortunately obstructed by the smog. The weather is really heavy and the air is far from being clear. This heavy heat also somehow discourage me from getting any higher and as i get of the carrier, i simply have a small walk and lay down in the grass, in a shady spot. Next to me, a family is having a big day out, a picnic on big napkins, loads of roasted lamb, salads and drinks. The whole family is there, maybe 30 people. The kids play around. The boys play football, drive dads cars, running after each other and sometimes after some girls :) The remaining girls dance to the music. The family is quietly seated, eating and chatting under the shade of a big tree.
As i get back down, it has gotten even hotter and i decide to escape the heat and sit in a wireless cafe, drink a cold Mociato, write mails, tell my host in Pristina when i will arrive and hopefully write some blog post. In 3 or 4 hours, i only get to write mails, forget about the CS host and dont blog anything... But i did get two contacts for the new project running on my brain for the past days, to get something published weekly in a paper...
As i hurry back to Stavris for my cold shower (the water stopped running for about 2 weeks in this part of city and only works somewhere between 7 and 8...) i find the apartment empty and locked so i get back into city center, the blok, the place where young people walk around, hit the bars and where the very young go for a tour on the carousel. I meet Stavris brother and soon as we are talking about meeting Nora, we bump into her on the street! Coincidence? Sure... 10 steps further we bump into the brothers freind who were just talking about him :)
We agree that this might mean something and cant decide what. I am starving and get some Qofte at Tumi’s the most delicious around. A nice bun, two pieces of meat and some sour cream are a delight! We go for Iliria’s (the nae of Albanians ancestors) where we share a couple beers and talk about tourists, garbage along Albania’s streets and roads. Nora and her friend advice me into the right way to get to Kosovo, getting to Koman and taking the ferry boat from there. I will follow their advice.
Stavris musical friend is there again, his presence being much more pleasant without ipod in his ears :) We head for an other bar and have an other very interesting but never ending and not concluding discussion. thanks you for that girls! It did help however.
the bed time discussion with Stavri who cant get any sleep tonight turns around tourist activity in Albania. He justifies his position of elite/luxury tourist trips for Japanese groups. This tourism bringing more money for less effort than that of Noras friend who targets outdoors, sports and green tourism. Smaller groups, cheaper hotels, more personalized itineraries. More effort less money. I can just say that i am glad this sort of tourism exists and that people break their ass for it as it is the one i would choose if i d go for an organized tour. :)

Tirane 2