Tirana - Days 94-95

Tirana has turned out to be a lovely little city and I´ve ended up staying here longer than I had "planned."

Yesterday (4/18) was international museum day, and instead of saving something like 20 Euros had I been in Paris, I saved a whopping $2 and visited the National Museum of Albania for free. The most impressive thing was probably the massive communist themed mosaic on the exterior of the building...

Other than visiting the hand full of attractions in the city, I have been living quite a "normal" life. Sleeping in a little bit, talking to the girls at the flat, watching movies on their laptop, spending time in cafes, and even cooking on occasion. I can´t believe it but I actually miss cooking! Right now I´m sitting in a little cafe with a borrowed laptop where the z and y are flipped so I end up typing things like thank zou and reallz and backspacing more times than I can imagine. The cafe culture here and in Greece (and I imagine other European countries) is infectious and most are filled with people inside or out depending on weather. As a result, I end up having somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 coffees a day. And as a result of that, I´m always hungry and the plethora of street food available is really dangerous. Just yesterday I was eating a piece of tiramusu by the articial lake of Tirana as dozens of joggers passed by. Classic...and no I don´t feel guilty!

On a more serious note, I feel compelled to tell the story of Besa, one of the CS hosts. She was born in Kosovo and her entire family went to Germany when she was an infant to seek asylum while the Serbs were slaughtering the Albanians in Kosovo. Fastforward 16 years when the German military busted into their home at 4am to deport the family back to Kosovo. Can you imagine being forced to leave everything familiar in an instant at the age of 16? And this was moving from Dusseldorf to Kosovo, where their home was dilapidated and left unattended for 15 years. Plus she barely spoke Albanian. There are too many similar and much more tragic stories, but for me it´s another example of human resilience.

Tirana - Days 92-93

Obviously I made it to Tirana. It wasn't easy let me tell ya.

Lefkada to Tirana is about 450km, depending on which route you take, but via public transportation it took me 11 hours to get there. Kostas actually saved me a lot of trouble by driving me to Preveza, which is a town about 30 minutes away. Bus from there to Ioannina, bus again to the border town of Kakavia, walk across the border/checkpoints, minibus to Gjirokaster, minibus to Tirana, 30 minute walk in the rain to my host's apartment. Done.

My host this time is a girl named Nevila. She grew up in Tirana, teaches German at the Goethe Institute, and lives with two other girls from Kosovo and Austria. It's really nice to be surfing with girls again - hallelujah. I didn't realize it but my past 6 CS hosts have been guys, and the most recent one could really be counted as 5 guys in one since I was with his friends 24/7.

I had somewhat of a negative perception of Albania before I arrived. There are many Albanian immigrants in Greece and the Greeks are generally complaining about how they're bad people who steal, cheat, etc... I also heard the same from the Italian when I was studying abroad there years ago. However, my short time here has been nothing but positive. I asked about 8 people for help with directions last night and all but 1 were super helpful, or as helpful as they could be. One elderly man even walked with me for almost 15 minutes while sharing his umbrella. Plus, the general population here are pretty photogenic. The girl next to me on the bus looked like she stepped right out of a fashion magazine, and of course my first thought was "I wish Kostas and his friends were here to ogle."

The country is geographically beautiful, especially the southern part of the country. As I was crossing the border, there were snow-capped mountains and villages built in the foothills. My minibus to Tirana departed from Gjirokaster and I now wish I had spent a couple of days there. Today, I've been walking around town today and Tirana is not a large city. The central part is pretty compact and is a stereotypical post-Communist city. There are the quintessential communist block apartments and the large square in the center of the city with municipal buildings surrounding it and a large statue of some former hero in the middle. In the case of Tirana, it is Skanderbeg. I actually feel a familiar kinship with the Albanians because walking around certain parts of the city reminds me of my childhood growing up in Shenyang (except there are no Asians).

And things also became much more affordable.

Lefkada - Days 90-91

Still in Lefkada :)

My little travel delay turned out to be a blessing because I was able to spend Easter with a Greek family and experience the traditions. I felt guilty for intruding on their family holiday but they're so warm and generous that I felt totally included.

I went with them at Saturday/Sunday midnight to church to bring back the holy flame. I think (if I understood them correctly) the flame is from Jerusalem (maybe the Church of the Holy Sepulchre) and brought to Athens by plane and then distributed throughout Greece. Just about the entire town was out with candles to bring this flame back to their homes. Afterwards, we supposedly broke the fast by eating a soup with lamb innards.

Kostas and his friends went out drinking at 2am and I decided to pass. Call me a party pooper but I just wasn't up for the banging music, smoke, and communication barrier. They came back at 7am :)

Today we visited his cousin's family for some more lamb and innards - this time roasted over coals. The entire town was roasting whole lamb and firing off guns when it was ready to be eaten. Other than that, we did more walking, biking, and scouting for girls...

Tomorrow I'm going to attempt to make it to Tirana, Albania via a series of buses.

Lefkada - Days 86-89

I have completely forgotten what date and day of the week it is. It took me a couple of minutes to work out when I arrived here in Lefkada.

I was meant to leave Lefkada today but I'm having a little difficulty finding bus routes and schedules to Albania, and it's the Orthodox Easter this weekend so things are out of the ordinary anyway. As a result, I'm "stuck" here until Monday. Stuck in paradise - woe is me. If only the weather would cooperate!

For the past four days I've been basically walking around town and hanging out with Kostas and his friends. Me and five other guys...too much testosterone. It has been a mixture of cloud and rain everyday with the exception of one; then everyone and their mothers were out enjoying the sun. That was the day we (me, Kostas, his friend Filipa, and a British girl named Rosa) took a drive down to the southern end of the island to a place called Porto Katsiki. Google it (the water really IS that blue). The scenery blew my mind. Of course there are plenty of beautiful beaches in the world, but I think the break in crappy weather combined with the dramatic cliffs intensified the experience.

We had to descend down a flight of stairs and go around a portion of the cliff to access the beach. Of course there were waves crashing in and we had to time our run around the rock perfectly to avoid getting wet. Major fail. Everyone was wearing jeans so we futilely rolled up our jeans as high as they would go and got ready for the mad dash. You never realize how inconsistent and unpredictable waves are until you have to dodge them. Long story short, my entire bottom half was drenched. I can't even imagine how graceful I must have looked trying to run around the boulder on pebbles (they hurt!) and then being pummeled by the wave.

Small price to pay though. We basically sat on the beach and ate crackers and drank wine until the sun went down. By that time my pants were only slightly damp, but we had to make that mad dash once again and the tides had rolled in even more. Again, major fail. I don't think the others failed as miserably as I did though.

The past couple of days I've spent a lot of time with Kostas and the gang; going to cafes and bars. They are always scouting out women, so I feel slightly out of place, haha.

Happy Orthodox Easter!

Athens/Lefkada - Day 84-85

Well I never did catch that sunset at the Temple of Poseidon but that's okay :)

I got a late start to my last full day in Athens. My host didn't have to go into work until noon-ish so I hung out around his place talking philosphy yet again. This time it was the topic of whether or not opportunity comes those to are not equipped/prepared. Honestly, I felt like everything I said in those three days were total BS but he seemed to eat it up. If he's willing to ask questions and listen to my made up answers, who am I to not participate?

Today I managed to catch the bus but it was no easy feat. Luckily most people here manage to speak some English so I was able to ask around...can't wait until I get to Albania or Bulgaria where supposedly "no one speaks English." What will I do then?? Anyway, I read online that a public bus leaves from Omonia Square, but when I got there, I couldn't find a bus or any signs. I asked at least 5 people and everyone gave me a different answer. This street, that street, a different square, no idea, etc... I finally stumbled upon a man who seemed confident and spoke with authority in his voice - he directed me to a different square. So as I was headed that way, I came across a student demonstration/protest and the police closed off several street blocks...the bus stop was conveniently located right after the barricade. No buses until after the demonstration. As a last option, I go back to the bus stop where I waited for an hour the previous day hoping the buses would just detour around the protest and go by there. I ask another woman when the bus for Sounion arrives; she didn't even blink an eye and said "1:30." It was 1:00pm. I walk about ten steps in the opposite direction before the bus drives by. Now Greek letters are a bit confusing so I wasn't 100% sure the bus said "Sounion" but I make a dash for it anyway and just barely catch it. Yea right...1:30...

Despite the overcast weather, the drive down the coast was splendid. All along the way are the blue waters of the Mediterrean and winding cliffside roads with tunnels blasted from the mountains. Reminded me a lot of traveling along the Amalfi Coast with study abroad buddies 7 years ago. The bus arrived at Sounion and there's really nothing there but the Temple of Poseidon and a restaurant/gift shop. In my minded I had planned to walk around the nonexistent town a bit and maybe hang around for the sunset, but the combination of bad weather and the fact there was no town to speak of means I headed back a lot earlier than predicted. So I ended up buying some veggies at the local market and made myself dinner.

I'm currently in Lefkada town on the island of Lefkada. The bus ride here from Athens was a little over 5 hours and again, a feast for the eyes. Certain parts of the drive made me think I was in Switzerland. I had no idea there were snow capped mountains in Greece.

My host here is a local guy named Kostas :) How much more Greek can you get? And he's so typically Greek in not only name but appearance - the ruggedly handsome fisherman type, haha. He grew up in Lefkada and went away for school and work and just recently returned to work. His parents live in the flat below him and his brother in the flat above him. Lefkada is so quaint and instantaneously likeable. There's a marina, an old fort, pedestrian streets lined with shops, and bicycles everywhere. In fact, Kostas and his friends took me on a bike tour of the town yesterday and my bum is still sore. Luckily, the place is relatively flat and bicycle seems to be a really popular form of transportation. You see people riding around with the fruits of their shopping trip in their bike baskets.

The pace is much slower here and the people friendlier...as with any smaller town compared to the capital city. Kostas and his friends really just ride around town on their bikes in the evenings and maybe hang out at a cafe drinking 1 euro espressos. I'm sure part of the reason is the economic depression and everyone is seeking cheap thrills, but something tells me they would be doing this anyway. So I do what they do. Take the bike out and ride around town, stop for an espresso and people-watch, walk into a bakery to grab a spanakopita. The only difference is I don't stop every few meters to talk to someone I know; maybe if I hang out here long enough though.

There are some well-known beaches on the other end of the island and hopefully I'll make it there in the next couple of days. It's far too cold to swim this time of year but just the scenery will do. If you're thinking of a holiday this summer...come to Lefkada!

Tel Aviv/Athens - Days 80-83

It's been a bit difficult getting uninterrupted access to internet here in Athens, which is a bit ironic given my host owns an internet cafe. I haven't updated since my last day in Tel Aviv.

I'll just skip to the Athens portion since my last day in Tel Aviv was uneventful. I basically just hung out with my host since he was off from work and we walked to a little street stand to eat a terrific sabih (sp?). He had been talking about this place since the first day I arrived, so there was no way I was gonna leave Tel Aviv without trying it! He made it sound like it was just down the street but when we walked out of his apartment he said, "It's about 2.5km from here, is that okay?" Of course it's okay...as long as I'm awarded by food. It was basically a pita impossibly stuffed with eggplant, egg, salad, hummus and other assorted spices. And I'm missing it as I write this...

Anyway, my flight to Athens was at 7am and it being Israel, I was advised to arrive at the airport 3 hours in advance. 4am arrival would mean a 3am departure and of course I can't rely on public transportation at that hour. So I just decided to take the last train at midnight and wait it out at the airport :) I surprised myself given my level of alertness at 5am and thought I was still quite spry in my old age, but that all went to pieces when I passed out the minute after I boarded the plane. I remember nothing about the flight...not the takeoff nor the landing...but I do remember they served Greek yogurt.

Athens is smaller than I expected. Of course I'm only exploring the central part of the city but everything seems to be within a 15 minute walk. My host, Rony, lives smack dab right in the middle of the all the action so I totally lucked out in terms of location. However, he is a very eccentric character. Like I said, he runs an internet cafe and also a barber shop next door. Originally from India, he grew up in the village slums always hungry and hunting for food. Perhaps because of this, he is very spiritual and genuinely kind. He lives a VERY simple and minimalistic life and uses his income to fund an orphanage in India. Impressive. Rony is also an amateur philosopher and is constantly asking me questions like, "What has life taught you?" "What is a friend?" "How can I live more simply?" We've been staying up until the early hours of the morning examining life and I'm a bit sleep deprived, haha.

I've been walking around the city exploring the area at the base of the Acropolis. It seems like everything is a "tourist" street. They are lined with gift shops and restaurants, but are constantly filled with foreigners and locals alike. The Greek have a joy of life and apparently really enjoy eating out. However, since the economic crisis...they've been forced to limit these outings to maybe once a week instead of every other day :) That's a major generalization but true of many. Yesterday I visited the Acropolis/Parthenon and also the New Acropolis Museum. I remember studying the Parthenon years ago in an architectural history class and how it's an example of perfect construction. The columns are tapered and angled so they appear straight from a distance, and you can really see this up close. Unfortunately I was also sharing the space with about 100 American teenagers on a educational field trip. The New Acropolis Museum opened just a couple of years ago and is indeed a "masterpiece." The design is brilliant and beautifully set up. It is a very modern structure but based on the ancient design principles. Probably the most worthwhile 5euros I've spent.

I have another day here before going to Lefkada - an Ionian island. I decided to skip the famous islands like Santorini and Mykonos and save them for a return trip. Lefkada is on the Western coast and is on my way to Albania so it works out well. Today I will take the bus out to Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon. It's supposed to have amazing sunsets but the weather isn't really cooperating so we shall see. I tried to do this yesterday but waited for an hour and the bus never came.

Now I'm gonna grab some food. A fresh baguette, some olives, maybe a gyro?

Tel Aviv - Days 78-79

People say Tel Aviv is the anti-Jerusalem - night and day. And they're right. Just from walking around these past couple of days, I can see that Tel Aviv is a very liveable city where religion takes a backseat to modernity and hedonism. Whereas one can explore Jerusalem and the Old City for days and days, Tel Aviv lacks some of the exotic appeal and most of the "attractions" can be seen within a day or two.

On day one I inadvertently saw everything I wanted to see in the city...and I didn't even take any buses. The various museums here don't really interest me so I decided to focus on the several markets and craft fairs and also the oceanfront Promenade and Old Jaffa city. For architecture buffs, there are some cool neighborhoods here with distinctive architectural styles. For example, Sheinken Street and its surroundings are dotted with Bauhaus style buildings and tons of upscale boutique shops and al fresco restaurants.

I managed to catch an arts and crafts fair in a different neighborhood. It was absolutely buzzing with people on a Tuesday morning...who would've thought? I suppose it's partially because Passover is this Friday and people are out shopping for gifts. Most of the things were Jewish themed - hamsas, menorahs, mezuzahs, and matzah holders.

Anyway, after the madness of the market, I took a stroll along the oceanfront Promenade and enjoyed some people watching and book reading. It was a perfect, sunny, breezy, 73 degree day :) The reading didn't last long since the book was called "Extreme Rambling" and about a British man who decides to walk the entire Wall dividing Israel and Palestine. It just seemed so incongruous for the setting.

The Promenade naturally leads to Jaffa and its old city in the very South end. It is yet another city in Israel with biblical significance - shocking. In this case, it is because of the prophet Jonah and the whale. It's also where Andromeda was rescued by Perseus.

That was my first day in Tel Aviv and today I was a total bum. I read (that depressing book) in a park, window-shopped in a mall, and bought some groceries. Ask me how much hummus, shawarma, falafel, pita, and baba ganoush I've had in the past two weeks. Those items have been 95% of my diet since Dubai. Not complaining though. By the way, hummus is pronounced like "who moos" with a throaty "h."