The Road to Bardhaj (Barth-eye)

On our trip to the river that I shared in my last post, we had talked to some locals who told us that there was a bridge going over the river a little farther down the road. Without food or water with us, we decided against it. The next day, though, we decided to go to the bridge and see what was beyond it. We had seen a nice little village from where we had been on the river bank. We headed out with a couple loaves of bread.

I was enjoying the beauty so much, that I didn't notice the clouds

This must look quite different when the river is full. The water is very clear

Just after crossing the bridge, we saw a woman sitting on the edge of a grassy lot that had a couple of tethered cattle grazing.

We saw several men driving horse-drawn carts, some loaded with hay. 

It was so beautiful. People in this part of the world really make the most out of their land, growing all sorts of things on it. 

Every new step gave us another angle on our scenic route.

A house with a view of mountains in every direction. We had been walking for quite a while. With no public restrooms around, and children with little feet and legs, I kept thinking that we should be turning back. Scottie informed me that it was only another ten minutes to these foothills pictured above. I had no intention of going there, but apparently the boys did. Being almost 5km/3mi (which I didn't know at the time) from the hostel, I knew that, as beautiful as this road was, I didn't really want to ever do it again. I figured that we might as well keep going if they were up to it. 

After turning around at the foothills we got to see the beautiful sights again. 

As I was admiring the view from where all of these people live, we noticed a sign that said that this property is for sale. So appealing!

Many yards that day, had piles of hay that they had cut with scythes.

This one also had cattle grazing.

A kush looking field. 

Here was another plot for sale.

We were finally about to cross back over the river. We got caught in rain multiple times.

We got back on the main road with the large mountain to the north and the hostel to the south. We picked up our pace and made it home before too long. 

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

http://iamonebook.com

https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing

https://www.waredesignworks.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks

To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:

https://x.com/AmyJoyCarlton?t=Ohwl7Pf5LhWSzYG40USr2w&s=09

https://x.com/WarePublishing?s=09

https://www.instagram.com/waredesignworks/

To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos

https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!

Down By the River

 Living out of two rooms in a hostel has been pretty easy, but without much to do, we have taken to going out for a long walk everyday to explore our surroundings. We bought a couple of used strollers for Tucker and Willem. We're still a bit slow. Every older child is responsible for pushing a stroller or holding one or two siblings' hands. I'm so thankful for the beautiful spring weather that has helped to make it so pleasant, and to have enough older kids to look out for the younger ones on these walks. 

This was an unpleasant industrial road with a wonderful view of a large mountain at the end of it. 

The next day, I asked the kids where they wanted to go. They said that they wanted to go to the river, which we hadn't seen. Although it's not too far from where we're staying, the map showed that we had to go quite a ways to access it. We headed down the dismal industrial road to get to the river.

After getting off of the main road, we went through a quiet and pleasant neighborhood. Everyone has high walls and gates, so you can't see into anyone's yard. Crossing this old railroad track, we were almost to the river. 

The garbage was awful, including a HUGE dead dog that looked like a lion. The views were amazing. Breathtaking! We could see mountains all around! I don't think that I had any idea that we were surrounded by mountains, because we had spent several days surrounded by buildings! 

The pictures truly don't do it justice, as in person you could look with one glance and see such a beautiful expanse while feeling and breathing in  the fresh air. Also, this format doesn't allow you to zoom in. 

We just had to look past the garbage. We took this dirt road for a while, which apparently was a public road that followed the river. We saw several women out taking care of their gardens and animals. 

Above is a herd of sheep with bells around their necks, traveling by themselves down the railroad track. 

Everything looks very fertile around here. I was wondering if they are selling their produce in town. 

Willem had a great time! 

Someone had been working hard! 

I wonder if the people enjoy the views from their home, or if they think of it as commonplace. Growing up in Rhode Island where there aren't any mountains, and having spent the last many years in a flat area of South Carolina, the mountains are amazing to me! 

There was a flock of chickens living within what looks like a teepee made out of scrap wood. I think that they belong to a woman that I had seen working in her garden, just beyond it. "Mirë mëngjes (mere munjess)!"  I had called out to her, which means, "Good morning!" 

The kids really thought that we should get out of there! They thought that we were intruding, but as far as I could tell from the map, it was a public road. We were just the only ones on it. I was having a great time, and was inspired to sing, "Climb Every Mountain!" 

I jad them pose for a picture before heading back. Just as we did head back, we saw a herd of goats coming around the corner. I was relieved that it wasn't a pack of dogs! Several goats had big udders. It made me wonder about our two pregnant goats that we had sold to a friend before moving. I knew that they should have been due to have their kids anytime. 

I was delighted, to say the least, to wake up this morning to a text with these pictures from my friend, telling me that Buttercup had given birth to a little doeling the other day!

We would have loved to be there. We had been eagerly waiting to see them give birth. We are so happy for them! 

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

http://iamonebook.com

https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing

https://www.waredesignworks.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks

To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:

https://x.com/AmyJoyCarlton?t=Ohwl7Pf5LhWSzYG40USr2w&s=09

https://x.com/WarePublishing?s=09

https://www.instagram.com/waredesignworks/

To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos

https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!

Life in Shkoder, Albania

* I was having trouble getting the photos to fit properly, so to see the full picture on your phone, you'll have to swipe to the right.

On May 15, 2023, our family came here to Shkoder. It is a small city in northern Albania. 

This is one of a few streets in the city that cars aren't allowed on. These few streets are very nice and draw any tourists that might be around. 

The very next day after arriving was our son, Isaac's, birthday. After eating out in Tirana for a week, we were excited to be able to cook. I knew that baking a cake would be a challenge, as I was doubtful that I would be able to find all of the necessary ingredients. I was right. It was a bit of a flop, but it tasted really good. 

For some things, like this package of baking soda, I took a picture of the item, then used Google Lens in my photo editing. I can choose to have it translated, and it does it within a second!

We have booked two rooms in a hostel for one month so that we can find a place to live. It has a kitchenette. 

I was happy to find oats at the store and be able to make oatmeal, which we had daily in the US.

I love the ease of cleaning up a compact kitchen. I am so impressed by this cabinet with an open bottom that has built-in dish racks! The utensils don't need their own drawer, they stay in this utensil holder with drains. 

My kids, who were used to country life, are getting accustomed to the ways of the city.

This sign on a gate to a house means, "For Rent." If the kids and I spot a sign like this while we're out walking, I take some photos and send them to Edward. This particular house pictured below, was already rented by the time we contacted them. Some things here are surprisingly overpriced. Rent is one thing that is very cheap! 

A common sight that we see both here and that we also saw in Tirana, is stray/wild dogs like this one hanging out in front of stores. Occasionally they're in packs. 

They are usually very mellow and quiet, but we are cautious. 

In Tirana, I was surprised by how many shops there were all over the city. They were all very clean and shiny. They usually specialize in something. This particular shop is in Shkoder. 

There are shops for everything all over the city. 

Apparently Shkoder is known by Albanians as, "The City of Bikes." 

Most shops in Shkoder are selling used items. It's almost like a citywide yard sale or flea market! 

Most of the shops put things out on the sidewalk. Many do not even allow people inside, it's almost like their storage or garage area. 

They have produce stores all over the place! Most of it comes from Shkoder or areas close by and is very inexpensive. 

We go shopping daily and load up on fresh fruits and veggies. We are enjoying it!

This good bread costs about $1.00 per loaf. We go through several a day. 

This isn't the greatest representation or photo of their ice cream options, but they have so many creative varieties and it is so good! You can get ice cream (akullore) for about $.40 per scoop with a cone! They also offer this at many pastry shops (patiçeri) which are also all over the place. It is a common sight to see people with a cone even in the morning! We have taken advantage of this special treat several times seeing it was out of reach for us as a family in the US.

The treats at these patiç(ch)eris (pastry shops) are usually between. $.50 and $1.50!

This is Shkoder's idea of Tractor Supply. I couldn't enlarge this photo, but they were selling their chickens from cages on the street. I noticed that the dogs and chickens are so beyond one breed, they don't look so good. It is such a contrast to the US, where people tend to value breeding certain kinds of animals. 

We are enjoying exploring the city, getting to learn the language, meeting people, and learning their customs and ways of living. 

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

http://iamonebook.com

https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing

https://www.waredesignworks.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks

To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:

https://x.com/AmyJoyCarlton?t=Ohwl7Pf5LhWSzYG40USr2w&s=09

https://x.com/WarePublishing?s=09

https://www.instagram.com/waredesignworks/

To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos

https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!