WELCOME TO 2-2-2 TUESDAY
Here are 2 Cultural Highlights, 2 Quotes, and 2 Brief Stories for you to enjoy.
Inspired by Albania (Tirane, Valbonë, and Thethe)
2 CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS
1.
Albanian Highs and Lows:
Have you heard of the Albanian Alps? They put the HIGH in highlight.
Unlike the Swiss, German, or Italian Alps, they are relatively untouched.
Also known as the Accursed Mountains, these peaks represent some of the highest peaks in the Balkans. They are truly stunning.
As you hike through the terrain, you’ll enjoy rugged summits, glittering glacier lakes, and mystical forests with lush green trees. As you gain elevation, you’ll find stone cafés nestled among the mountain tops.
Not surprisingly, the Albanian Alps enjoy rich biodiversity from ranging from herbs to wild animals. Worth noting, you can spot bears, wolves, and golden eagles in these mountains. Typically, they are not looking to eat humans, so a bit of healthy respect and common sense should keep you safe.
What about the LOWs of Albania?
First, travelers to Albania will be happy to hear the prices are low compared to other European countries.
On the flip side, Squat Toilets are the less appealing “low” of Albania. As the name suggests, you need to squat down to use this type of toilet. Why? The “seat” is level with the floor. It surprised the heck out of me as I needed to rush into the first public Albanian bathroom I could find. The optimist may turn this low into a positive by framing the experience as a leg day physical challenge. Squats are healthy, right?
Fortunately, these squatty potty toilets seem to be the exception rather than the standard.
I survived, and you can too.
2. Herding Sheep To Dinner:
Have you ever tried to herd sheep?
A few days ago, the opportunity knocked. We were enjoying a leisurely walk down a dirt road taking in all the marvelous mountain views.
All of the sudden, our Airbnb host started yelling furiously in Albanian from a few hundred yards away. Why? Her sheep had scattered and ran away from her. Apparently, they were frightened by an excited puppy dog.
You may be surprised to know that sheep can run pretty darn fast.
Farah and I jumped at the chance to help slow the sheep, turn them around, and guide them back across the meadow. They responded really well to us simply holding out our arms as imaginary boundaries while walking to along the edge of the herd. We were able to quickly funnel them back into the right direction.
Sheep are cute little creatures when you see them up close and interact with them.
Unfortunately, that’s not the end of the story.
On the next night, our host excitedly told us she had a great surprise for dinner with a huge grin on her face. Moments later, a whole roasted sheep entered the room on a platter. Wow. That sure did take a turn.
We felt like we somehow contributed to the sheep’s demise. On the bright side, it was a true farm to table experience and we know the sheep was eating well. As they say, “you are what your food eats.”
2 Quotes to Consider
- “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
– Winston Churchill - “It is a fault to wish to be understood before we have made ourselves clear to ourselves.”
– Simone Weil
2 Brief Stories
1.
Albanian Hospitality:
Debora was no ordinary host.
As we arrived in Valbonë, Albania, it was gray and gloomy. Cold rain poured down on us. We frantically looked for the entrance to the property we had booked for the night. On the brink of defeat, our panchos were taking a beating.
Several minutes later, we found our way to her beautiful stone house, and knocked.
Debora immediately jumped outside to help us find a place for our packs, and encouraged us to take a seat under a covered patio. She instructed us to remove our panchos as she draped a large warm blanket around us. She clothed Farah with a sweater and large coat. She spoke to us in full, lengthy Albanian sentences as if we could understand. We don’t speak a lick of Albanian, but her words held plenty meaning in her warm, caring tone. She then hurried back inside.
“Wow, she’s amazing” we thought to ourselves as we started to warm up.
A few minutes later, she returned with tea and cookies. Needless to say, she taught us a thing or two about hospitality.
2.
Why I’m Glad Our Flight Was Canceled:
Outside of safety-related reasons, you’d be crazy to feel happy about cancelled flights. Right?
As strange as it seems, the multiple delays and eventual flight cancellation led to some great outcomes as we tried to fly from Madrid, Spain to Tirane, Albania.
Reason #1: Spanish Parenting Skills On Display
A young Spanish couple befriended us and inspired us with their fun parenting skills. It’s challenging for anyone to wait several hours at an airport, but parents deserve some serious props. The Spanish father set up exciting competitions with his two toddler boys. He got down on all fours and assumed the position of an olympic sprinter. He then counted down, and ran at “go!” How could his boy not get excited with that kind of attention? He also encouraged the young boys to repeatedly run and touch a distant wall as he timed them. Each time they returned, both Mom and Dad celebrated with them as if they had won a gold medal. The enthusiasm was contagious, and many of us fellow passengers found ourselves cheering for his kids. It was great entertainment for everyone. “Genius. The kids will surely sleep like rocks on the flight”, we said amongst ourselves.
Reason #2: Accommodations
Our original flight was scheduled to land in Albania around 1am in an airport far from the city itself. To make matters more challenging, we read that transportation in Albania would be nearly impossible at that hour of the night. For this reason, we chose NOT to book a hotel, and to just sleep in the Albanian airport for a few hours until the buses started to run around 7am.
Well, those plans changed, and an interesting opportunity presented itself.
The airline finally cancelled the flight at around 1am in Madrid. Sure. This was very annoying after waiting for several hours. However, the airline provided lodging at a nearby hotel in Madrid for passengers who inquired. As a result, Farah and I were given a comfortable hotel room, breakfast, and tickets for an earlier (better) flight time scheduled for the following day.
Reason #3: New Friends
As we waited at the airport for several hours on the second day, we formed a solid group of friends! It was a highly unlikely and interesting way to make friends from France, Spain, Australia, and Venezuela. Our initial interactions came from asking each other about flight updates. Somehow, we hit it off almost immediately.
We sat on the floor for hours swapping stories and laughing at the situation. We joked that we’d fly somewhere else together as a group if the airline didn’t get their act together. The joke almost became a reality as we searched flights to Istanbul, Turkey.
Hours later, we went through security with our new friends and even found a way to sit together on the three hour flight. We started a WhatsApp group chat and maintained our friendship throughout our trips in Albania. We all agreed that our new crew was the best thing to come out of this situation.
It’ll be fun to keep in touch after our random meetup.
If there’s one great lesson that keeps surfacing in this travel year, it’s this: Stay open and look for evolving opportunities as plans inevitably change. It seems this will be a helpful approach all stages of life.
Thanks for tuning in to 2-2-2 Tuesday!
If you have any feedback, comments, or suggestions, we’d love to hear from you. Have a wonderful week!
– Zack and Farah
