Second day of the trip

Our friend Arbi sent a driver to pick us up this morning and take us to meet up with him near the Adriatic Sea. He and his very pregnant wife have rented a place by the sea. It was great to see them both and to spent time by the sea. We then went to a small village near by where we had lunch at a fantastic restaurant by the name of Fiore. Arbi said the village was not known for anything but the restaurant and watermelons!!! We started the meal off with pasta and seafood and then we had a huge platter of shells -- mussels, shrimp, calamari and other delights from the see. That was followed by fish. We ate for what seemed like hours and hours. After that we went to Durrees which is a small port nearby. It used to be a center of trade and has a Roman amphitheater that was built over 2000 years ago. We walked through the tunnels and up and down the stairs. It is in remarkably good condition considering its age. It was discovered in the 50s when an earthquake hit the area and it war revealed. We then headed back to Tirana where we met up with Gentiana and Eddie again and we went to dinner. The place they selected was up on a room of a building and it was lovely. The Albanians live outdoors during the summer months and there a large number of places that are set up on roofs and sidewalks. We had a sampling of Albanian cuisine and it was excellent. Lamb and vegetables. We walked around for a while and then headed back to the hotel about 2am.

Albania was not what I expected it to be - it is full of life, very colorful, and the people have a great sense of optimism. They are growing and are about equal now in GDP as the other Eastern European states. Which is an amazing fact since they started so far behind those countries 18 years ago when communism fell.

We are off to Athens tomorrow where the weather forecast calls for a high of 99. What fun that will be. But I am excited to see Athens but sad to leave my friends here in Albania.

If I can find where I packed my card reader I will post pictures.