One of us forgot to pack a travel kettle so we went to a coffee shop. Albanians love to go to coffee shops to socialise. There are so many coffee places here it's mind-boggling. Modern Western-style coffee shops are everywhere and always full of people. Looking round I notice most patrons are pensioners and very well-dressed, even if it's just going out for coffee. We at home think gym shoes, gym clothes or pyjamas are presentable enough.
Found a new travel kettle right after drinking coffee. So now an electric Turkish coffee pot (cezve) does exist. If they make traditional Turkish coffee in it it'll turn into a deep brown cezve in no time. On my previous visit I was told when Albanians go out they drink Italian style coffee (espresso etc) but at home it's Turkish style.
Hand-painted (traffic) electrical control boxes. Tom and Jerry continue to delight children (and adults) round the world.
There are a bunch of malls now. Seems the city is in a great hurry to modernise.
American fast food chains are also wasting no time. I see KFC and BK. Still no McD yet. Should be here any day now.
The city is changing so fast but they don't dare touch this old Ottoman stone foot bridge. It got cleaned up and fully restored in the 90's and declared a cultural heritage. I still remember exactly where to find this bridge from memory.
Something old can still be found, if I look hard enough.
A typical neighbourhood, laundry drying on the wall, new buildings are at the far end.
Constructions of new huge hotels and high-rises are absolutely everywhere you look. Many streets and neighbourhoods have been demolished. I try to find traditional houses today. This is one of the few I can find.
It's an emotional day. I go looking for places and people and have photos with me. The fist meal I had on the first trip was at this small grill restaurant next to the old central market. I show the photos to the boss and employees asking if those people are still working here. The 2 young men have left to work in Germany and England. The boss is also in one of the photos, she's happy and thankful for the photos (which I give her).
At the same restaurant 7+ years later. Today we order 10 kofte like Albanians. Juicy qofte (Albanian spelling), pickled cabbage and green olives.
Yoghurt sauce again. So looks like Albanians don't use raw garlic in the yoghurt sauce.
I want something else but it's finished so I get lamb's ribs. Ribs are always fatty but flavourful. Hardly any meat on the ribs but what meat I manage to find is good and muttony (to you NZ lamb eaters).
After saying our emotional goodbyes I go looking for people and places again.
Behind the restaurant is the old central market. It's been demolished and rebuilt by an American firm. The meat hall has also been modernised.
I'm still looking for this herb seller. Here is the spot where I took this photo of her. Gone is the corrugated roof, sprawling, untidy typical markets in developing countries. I try to ask a couple of stallholders if they recognise her (showing them the photo and translated question). They don't remember. I wander down another aisle and ask the same thing. Soon enough all the stallholders in this aisle come to me and some of them say they know her and she's still here, pointing at a stall right in front of me. They call someone over to translate into English for me. Apparently half the stallholders have today off but they will be back tomorrow. They are sure it's the stallholder I'm looking for so I coming back tomorrow.
A small side street a few steps away... the green door is all that remains. I had a conversation with a seller here on 2 occasions back in 2015.
This is what it looks like now, totally unrecognisable to me.
I found a photo of the "new market" (official name). They say only tourists and well-to-do locals shop here. Most stalls sell mass produced souvenirs.
But it's not all bad, I found Iranian red pistachios! There's a "Christmas market" happening in the national square, with many stalls selling food products and everthing else. $13 a kilo/2,5 lbs .
I bought a kilo. Couldn't stop eating. Going back to buy 2 more kilos to snack on every day.
