SJ10 - Albania the Beautiful!

If you are keeping tabs, you will have noticed that I did not write a post yesterday, Thursday, Sept. 17.  Tami and I took a day off from traveling and visiting to relax at Tom's house while he went to the office and got caught up. I also spent part of the day preparing to teach the teens on Saturday and preach for the Lushnje church on Sunday.  It was a welcome sabbatical in the midst of my sabbatical.

Now for today.  I have to tell you that Tami and I are very pleasantly surprised at the amazing beauty of Albania.  We had no expectations coming here because we knew very little about the country outside of Tom's ministry posts over the past 13 years. Those posts have been about people and ministry, never about the landscape and scenery.  Let me clue you in on what may be a well kept secret: Albania is absolutely beautiful!  I eluded to this in an earlier post, but today Tom took us on an all-day-long, meandering journey through the south of Albania. It was stunning!  Have I said it was beautiful?  Well  its is!!!  Let me just give you the highlights with a few pics below. I will post albums for each place on Facebook so you can get a better idea of the amazing sights and landscapes we enjoyed today.  Here we go...

Gjirokaster Castle
This stunning castle dominates the landscape of the town of Gjiurokaster (JEE-roh kas-tur). It has survived Albania's many changes of leadership, power, and philosophies including the Byzantine period, the Ottoman Empire, the Dictatorial Communist Regime, and the freedom the Albanians enjoy today. Some parts of the castle date back to it's beginnings in the 4th century BC. Today it stands as a monument to history and houses a museum of the town's history, which mirrors that of Albania as a nation. 

 

Syri i Kalter - The Blue Eye

High in the mountains we found this serene, crystal clear stream. It is coupled with a quaint set of rental cabins, a cafe, and an amazing blue crystal spring.  It has been plumbed to 50 meters deep without finding the bottom of it's source.  The is the Blue Eye. We spent about 45 minutes just walking up and down the river taking pictures and enjoying the peace and quiet.  Tami and I agree that if we ever come back to Albania, we have to rent one of these cabins and stay here for a few days.  Those of you who know me well, know I love certain areas of Oregon for their quiet and beauty.  Tami and I also love the majesty of Yosemite.  We have also marveled at the beauty and variety of Yellowstone. The stream and surrounding area of the Blue Eye cover a much smaller area, but they are no less beautiful and captivating than any of these other sites.  I really didn't want to leave.

 Sarande, Vlore, and the Sea
Along a winding highway through spectacular mountains, we saw village after village nestled into lush green valleys.  The coast of the Ionian Sea here is right next to towering mountains and majestic cliffs.  Eventually we came to Sarande,  a beach front city that serves as the favorite vacation spot for Albanians. Along the way, as we stopped to grab a bite to eat or to take some pictures, we saw several tourists from Germany and Italy as well. Obviously Albanians aren't the only ones who know about this seaside jewel.

Moving on down the road to Vlore, we continued to be enthralled by the views, as the majestic mountains roll right down to the sea. Along the way, the landscape  changed as well. High in the mountains, above the tree line it was rocky and rough, giving way to olive trees and thick green brush. In one section we dropped down into a fertile, forested valley with enormous ceders and what looked like elm and poplar trees.   We were rushing on to get down to Vlore and other sights, so we did not take the time to stop here for pictures. The picture you see here was taken from the car.  It is a bit blurry, but hopefully you can get some idea of how thick and lush the great trees were.

In Vlore we were again drawn in by a bustling, seaside community.  Here, the  the Ionian and Adriatic Seas meet.  Even though it is the off-season (school just started up all over Albania) there were still plenty of people dipping their toes in the water or enjoying the cool breeze on the beaches as we drove by.

New  Location for Teen Camp???
Along the road, Tom jumped off the beaten path to take us to the location where they hold their camps in the summer.  In this photo you can see where they set up tents and create their camp for 3 different weeks each summer.  Each week is for a different age group.  When I got out to take this picture, I was greeted by a chorus of cow bells.  Cattle wander all over the site, even when camp is in session. Tom also told us that there are wild pigs in the area, but we were not fortunate enough to see any of them today.  One reason they come here for camp- about two hours out of Lushnje - is so they can go to the beach as often as possible.  It is definitely a different beach experience than we are used to, because as you can see in the picture below, the beach must be shared.

Albanian Hospitality

I would be remiss if I closed this post on the beauty of Albania and didn't mention that the most powerful beauty we have seen here is in the Albanian people themselves.  Everywhere we have gone we have been welcomed with warm greetings and usually a kiss on both cheeks.  Tom is clearly loved by so many people here. They are all thrilled to meet his"vajza dhe burri i saj" (daughter and her husband). From local pharmacists and business owners, to random people on the street, to the members of the church and teachers in the English program, we have been blessed and encouraged by their respone to meeting us.  Almost everywhere we have gone to eat, they have graciously given us some special added bonus with our meals.  Sometimes it was a free coffee or dessert after the meal. At other times it was an additional item along with what we ordered.  Many times this was because the shopkeeper or owner knew Tom, but at other times it was just because they were gracious people, happy to meet Americans. In several places we visited, the American flag was flying right beside the Albanian flag and the Greek flag.  I was curious and asked Tom about this. He explained that it was just because the Albanians love Americans.  That has been evident in our experience here. Cynically, I guess you could say that the real answer is that Albanian merchants love to receive American dollars, but our experience here suggests that the people are not that shallow. While they are happy for us to buy and spend, their generosity and the warmth of their welcome seems far more genuine than just looking to gain from our ability to pay.

We are so grateful to God for the work He is doing here in Albania. He is building a strong people who beautifully represent the name of Jesus throughout the country.  We are also proud and thankful to be able to see how Tom has been an integral part of that work. The Spirit of Christ is moving in the people of Albania and we have been blessed to see and experience the results.