We left Boston around 7:15 pm on Monday, May 8th. We had a 4 hour layover in Iceland, then a 7 hour layover in London before arriving in Tirana, the capital of Albania, at 11 pm, their time, 5 pm Boston's time.
We tried to sleep on every flight, which worked out really well. We had enough sleep to get by, but were tired enough to sleep on every flight, and then to sleep well once we got to the hotel. We had two separate friends volunteer to come with vehicles to pick us up from the airport, and they gave us rides to the hotel.
The hotel and their workers were very nice. It had just opened two months earlier.This was the kids and I having breakfast in their restaurant the first morning. They went out of their way for us. Albanians really like Americans.
This is the gated street entrance to the cute little house that we have rented in Tirana.
The courtyard was filled with treasures!
I was surprised to find ivy on the walls, honeysuckle, roses in several colors, and an orange, olive, and lemon tree, all bearing fruit right now.
If you look on the left, there is a guest house in the back.
Below is the entrance or mud room.
We can put our shoes in this piece of furniture. Albanians don't wear their shoes in their houses.
From the entrance room, you would walk into this central room. All of the rooms are off of this one. We might use it as our living room.
The first room to the left of the doorway in the central room is the bathroom. We were without water for our first few days, so it made cleaning a bit of a challenge, as we were only using jugs of bottled water.
We're hoping to install glass doors for the shower. Most Albanian showers have no curtain or glass. They have a drain in the middle of the bathroom floor to catch all of the water.
The next room is the dining room with an attached kitchen. Not only does the couch seat many children during mealtimes, but it folds out into a bed that one of the kids uses at night.
There are places much more modern here. One thing we liked about this house when we saw it online was that it wasn't so perfect, as our nine boys are a bit rough on things. Hopefully they can help us to improve this home!
Next is the boys' room, with three beds and plenty of room for more.
This next room is the one that Edward and I share with the three youngest children. It has a built in bookshelf that has books in several languages, including Italian, French, and Albanian. I love French, so I am hoping to read some of them. The window faces the front courtyard.
Lastly is this room on the front of the house where Edward and one of our sons ripped up the flooring that had been laid on top of tile, trapping moisture.
All in all, I love that in the midst of the city, my kids have an outdoor area to play in that locks with a key from the inside and outside, so my little ones can't wander out, and no one can wander in.
As much as I really liked the house online, and I do believe that it has great potential, the house is very musty and is in need of repairs. Edward got a dehumidifier today and hooked it up just before we left today for the next month. We're hoping that it will help as there is so much moisture in the air inside this concrete house. It had been unrented and closed up for three years.
The guest house has a bathroom, and it had a bed, which we brought into the main house. Edward is planning to set up his woodshop there in the guest house.
Update: To see what ended up happening with this house after several months, check:
https://faithfamilyliving.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-end-of-era.html?m=1
Although I had been here for a week back in 2004, I have been very surprised by the number of shops all over the city. Everything is shiny, fancy, and clean. There are lots and lots of cafes and restaurants. The shops usually specialize in something.
It is currently Monday, May 15th and we are on a coach bus heading to Shkoder, a small city near the border of Albania. We have reserved a couple of rooms in a hostel for the next month. We plan to look for a house or apartment to rent there for the next couple of years.
These photos were taken on our ride there.
Our current plan is to be in Shkoder three out of four weeks per month. We will try to start a church there, in our home. One week per month, we plan to take a bus back to Tirana to visit with the people that we know there, while Edward and maybe the older boys, get a lot of woodworking for his business done. He plans to ship his finished work to one of our friends back in Rhode Island, who will then ship out the pieces to individual customers in the US.
Edward has a good handle on the language, which has been really helpful. We're all intent on learning the language. The kids and I had been taking Albanian lessons online for a year and a half with Eva, a woman from the church in Tirana that Edward had helped to start when he lived there back in 2000-2002. It was special to meet her and her family in person.
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