In Recognition Of Those Who Serve

Celebrating at the Marine's birthday ball

This has been a weekend dedicated to appreciating and recognizing the military past and present.  Last night we celebrated the 238th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps by hosting a table of Albanian military officials at the annual Marine Corps Birthday Ball here in Tirana.  This was our third ball in Albania and from the venue and atmosphere to the food and our dinner companions, it was the best one yet.  The Marine Corps, perhaps more than the other branches of the service, is steeped in tradition and ceremony and that was once again on display last night.  I am moved each and every time I watch the precisely executed ceremony and hear the birthday greetings from the Commandant of the Marine Corps.  It never gets old and reminds me that the birthday ball signifies so much more than a big party and a reason to dress up.

We stayed out later than we intended to last night so getting moving this morning for the annual Remembrance Day ceremony hosted by the British Embassy was difficult.  However, as we stood in the damp air at the Commonwealth War Memorial surrounded by other military members, Albanian and international alike, and stood at attention in front of the somber white tombstones of Commonwealth soldiers, I was again reminded why we were there.  As the ceremony's emcee reminded us, taking time out from our busy schedules and standing in silence for two minutes is nothing compared to the ultimate sacrifice of the thirty-eight young men buried near us.  Without the sacrifices made by these sons, brothers, husbands, and fathers, it is likely that we wouldn't even have the opportunity to stand there.

Commonwealth Cemetery--Tirana,Albania

(A little bit of background information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as to why there is a Commonwealth Cemetery in Albania:  "Following the end of the war in Europe, an Army Graves Registration Unit entered Albania with the task of concentrating the remains of Commonwealth Servicemen, lost in the struggle to secure Albanian freedom, into a site chosen in the capital, Tirana.  However, due to the political situation in the country, this task could not be completed, through 52 sets of remains were recovered in the short time available. Eventually, in 1955, after repeated requests to enter the country were refused, the Commission took the decision to commemorate the 38 casualties on special memorials erected in Phaleron War Cemetery in Greece.  The situation remained thus until 1994, when a change in the political situation in Albania allowed a Commission representative access for the first time.  He discovered that the original individual burials had moved by the Communist authorities to an unmarked collective grave located under a path near the university buildings in Tirana.  In the beginning of 1995, the 38 special memorials were removed from Phaleron and re-erected as close as possible to the site of the mass grave, in an area designated the Tirana Park Memorial Cemetery.  In 1998, following a study of the Graves Registration unit files, it was possible for the Commission's records staff to confirm the identities of a further seven casualties previously buried in Tirana War Cemetery as unknowns.")

And finally, tomorrow is American Veterans Day, the day we recognize and remember the veterans of all of our wars.  Not to be confused with Memorial Day which remembers our war dead, Veterans Day recognizes everyone who has served in the American Armed Forces.  Unlike many federal holidays in the United States, Veterans Day is always celebrated on the 11th of November rather than the Monday closest to the actual day.  It is a sheer coincidence that tomorrow happens to be a Monday and as such, we are in the midst of a three day long weekend.  For too many Americans, Veterans Day is just another day off from work and school, a day to hang out with friends and family, and a day to shop the holiday sales.  But this day is about so much more.  So tomorrow, please take a moment to stop and say thank you to a veteran.  It is only because of their sacrifice that we are able to enjoy the freedoms so many of us take for granted.  I know I will be giving my thanks and I hope you do too.

And Then The Walls Came Tumbling Down

Unfinished building

Land disputes and issues surrounding land use are an ongoing battle here in Albania. According to a USAID report, 70% of all civil court cases involve unresolved land disputes with many stemming from claims over property ownership dating back to before 1945.  And this problem is more than just an urban legend.  I've had more than one conversation with Albanians from all walks of life regarding their on-going battles to (re)claim land that had been in their families for generations before being seized by the government during Communism then redistributed to others after 1991.  I don't recall hearing about any resolutions; rather the problems ebb and flow without a satisfactory answer ever arising.  But just because the land ownership isn't clear doesn't mean people don't build upon it.

The reality is that property ownership is just half of the land problem in Albania.  The more visible and prolific issue is that of the construction, most often illegal construction, of buildings that has left much of the country pock-marked with half finished concrete shells of buildings.  Zoning laws and their enforcement are virtually non-existent in Albania with buildings popping up seemingly overnight in the least likely or appropriate of locations.  (Albania's "urban planning" gives a whole new meaning to the term mixed-use with commercial buildings abutting houses, houses sitting atop industrial areas and more often than not, their all sharing the very same footprint).  There are so many times that I see a building in the most unlikely of locations and wonder why it is there in the first place. And because of the lack of clarity surrounding property ownership, it is all too common to see houses essentially built upon one another.  It is almost as though someone finds a spot they like, (half) builds a house, then someone else comes along who also likes the spot and builds their own structure.  The new structure may block a once spectacular view, driveway access, or even the road itself but that just seems to be the way it goes here in Albania.

The view from our house:  a partially finished "family" house on
the right and a painted but unfinished high rise on the left

I only have to look out my own window to see evidence of unfinished construction projects gone awry.  Sometimes, as is the case on our street, they are multi-story houses with "finished" and occupied first and second floors.  Several generations of a single family may live in the finished part leaving the top stories undone and exposed to the elements.  Other times the incomplete structures are large scale apartment buildings soaring skyward yet lacking windows, doors, and innards for years on end.  Most often, however, they are three to four story concrete structures with curving staircases but no walls or roofs.  You can see these in both urban and rural areas often making me pause and wonder why someone selected that particular location to build in the first place.

Albania's national elections this past summer swept the Socialist Party back into power after an eight year hiatus and with them came the promise of enhanced zoning enforcement and the destruction of illegally constructed buildings.   Call me skeptical but upon hearing this I wondered how these promises would be enacted.  The first evidence I saw of enforcement was the toppling of large billboards along the Tirane-Durres autostrade here in Tirana.  One day the median and roadways were lined with giant advertisements for cheap flights, imported liquors, and "designer" clothing and seemingly overnight the billboards were overturned, or at least crushed and partially knocked down, up and down the road.  I hoped they would be completely removed and sure enough, by the end of the week the only remnants of them were their concrete foundations.  But the enforcement didn't stop there.  A few weeks later an illegally constructed building here in Tirana was imploded.  Or at least that was the intent as a large explosion filled the Sunday afternoon air.  The building may not have fallen the way it was planned but eventually the concrete came down making a very public statement about buildings that had been illegally erected.

A part of the demolition campaign

This past week, we noticed even more evidence of buildings being torn down.  Driving along the shoreline in the resort community of Vlore, everything looked just a bit different.  At first we couldn't decide if it was simply the beach during the off season that made the area look so desolate but then we realized that buildings that had been sitting on the sand just last month were no longer there.  And it wasn't just a single structure; one after another there were vacant lots where shoddily built beachfront structures had once stood.  Some buildings were merely toppled over (like the picture on the left) but most had been completely demolished.  This included a very large concrete palace like structure that was rumored to have been built with the intent of becoming a resort but never reached fruition.

The difference was immediately noticeable and I wonder how far it will go.  The exact number of actual illegal structures in Albania is debatable.  It was estimated that in 2006 there were 220,000 illegal buildings in the country with between 80,000 and 120,000 additional ones being constructed since then.  That number just sounds high but then again, we've lost track of the number of new dwellings we've seen go up here in Tirana in the short time we've been in Albania.  I have no idea how many of them are legal, but I can't even imagine what the country would look like if even half of the illegal ones were demolished.   Just in the past few weeks alone I've seen buildings that were completely demolished with little evidence remaining that they even existed but I've also seen others that were simply toppled making them more unattractive than they had been in their incomplete, but erect state.

So how far will this clean up campaign go?  Only time will tell but it does appear that the government is at least off to a roaring start when it comes to fulfilling this campaign promise.  The concrete walls are definitely coming down here in Albania in more ways than one.

The Legand Of The American Spy Plane

The American "spy" plane

Tucked into a corner inside the Gjirokaster Castle in southeastern Albania sits the wreckage of a U.S. Air Force airplane.  Every four to five years these castle grounds play host the national Albanian folk festival, a large scale event celebrating the country's rich folk lore that essentially puts Gjirokaster on the international map.  A large performance stage dominates the open space within the castle walls reminding visitors of the festival's presence even during the off years.  (Rumor has it that the festival was supposed to have taken place this past fall but will now be held next fall instead- hence the "every four to five year" description).  While the rather well preserved castle grounds are also home to a Bektashi tomb, an artillery gallery, a haunting Communist era prison, and the National Museum of Armaments, it is the wreckage of the American plane that attracts the most attention.

The story of how the plane came to be in Albania varies depending upon whom you ask.  A placard near the plane provides a bi-lingual (Albanian and English) explanation that this American spy plane was forced to land at Rinas Airport in Tirana during December of 1957 after developing mechanical problems and flying off course.  The pilot was later "returned" to the United States.  1957 found the world in the midst of the Cold War so propaganda around the downed plane was over the top.  By the time the plane was moved to the Armament Museum in 1969 it had been labeled as the "American spy plane" and cited as an example of the external threats that Albania's Communist (and extremely paranoid) leadership claimed were trying to destabilize and over throw socialism in Albania.  

A more likely version of the story says that the plane did develop mechanical problems while flying over Albania and made an emergency landing after requesting permission from Albanian authorities.  Was the pilot spying on Albania?  Unlikely, but it sure does make for a great story and played into the fears of the time.  Even today, over half a century later, with Albania being a close ally of the United States, the ambiguous language at the site of the plane wreckage speaks volumes.  Wording such as "forced to land" and "returned" to the United States are definitely open to interpretation.  Did the pilot choose to land his plane on his own to avoid crashing or did the Albanian military force the plane to come down?  Was the pilot a spy or simply flying his assigned mission that happened to involve going over Albanian air space?  Who knows where the true story lies?  

History is often open to interpretation and visitors to Gjirokaster are able to interpret the history of the American spy plane as they wish.  

Wordless Wednesday: Masked in Albania

Rolling Along Like A Napkin Ring

Yesterday was a busy and trying day.  During my lunch break I ran over to a local restaurant where we had dined over the weekend in search of an elusive toy airplane (Sidney's favorite), which had gone missing.  The restaurant staff was concerned when they couldn't find it but I dismissed it to our own carelessness at not double checking that we had everything before we left.  (I later found out that Sidney had hidden the said toy in a drawer for the weekend yet had plead innocent as to not knowing where it was).  After a somewhat hectic day at work I dashed home to pick up Sidney then drove through a log jam of blocked off streets (courtesy of the president of Greece's visit to Tirana) to pick my parents up at the airport.  Sidney was beside himself with excitement at the prospect of seeing Mimi and Grandpa for the first time in two years.  As he said, you can talk to them on the computer (Skype) but you just can't hug them and that was what he wanted to do.  And that is just what he did when he saw them.  It was one of those moments that just makes the hassles worth it.  We made our way back through even more traffic as Sidney happily chatted away about everything under the sun.  Trains, airplanes, the weather, food; you name it and it was a topic of conversation during our ride.  Glenn and I had a reception to attend last night so after a few minutes at home during which my parents got settled in, us giving them the low down on the dos and don'ts of Sidney, and my putting the finishing touches on their dinner, we got dressed and headed back out with Sidney under the watchful eyes of his jet lagged grandparents.

We returned home two hours later to a hyperactive child and grandparents who were both exhausted and in awe of a soon-to-be four year old's endless supply of energy.  In the midst of the recap of the evening's activities it was mentioned that Sidney may or may not have flung a napkin ring over the balcony and into the yard.  I jumped to attention at this and sure enough found that my sterling silver napkin ring, part of matching engraved set that Glenn had given me for our first wedding anniversary, was indeed missing.  Sidney was coy about the whole affair, he said that maybe he had thrown it but continued on by saying that it had made a nice noise when he threw it.  Upon hearing this I was sure he had thrown it and still dressed in my formal attire, I grabbed a flashlight and searched our yard --and the street surrounding our yard for good measure-- but struck out.  I returned inside feeling saddened by the loss.  When Glenn learned what happened he went back outside and searched a larger perimeter of the street and low and behold, he found it.  It had been crushed by a passing vehicle, but we had it back in our possession.

Holding the battered and weathered napkin ring forlornly in my hands, I sat down and kicked my shoes off of my aching feet.  My mother immediately asked me when was the last time I had treated myself to a pedicure.  Glancing at my chipped toenails I admitted that it had been years and that I had resorted to splashing coats of nail polish on my toes myself whenever the need arose.  Looking closer at my feet then back to my napkin ring I realized that in an odd way they actually resembled one another and symbolized so much of what I was feeling.

My napkin ring started out perfectly round and shiny with my initials carefully engraved on its smooth surface.  Over time it began to tarnish, as silver is apt to do, but it remained as solid as the day I received it.  It was indestructible, or so I thought.  Last night it sat in my hand as a tired, warped, and nicked version of what it had once been.  The shine was gone and despite my efforts I was unable to maneuver it back to its original shape.  Over two years ago we arrived in Albania hopeful, energized and ready to take on the world.  We were up for anything, or so we thought.  The past twenty-nine months have been trying and have worn me down.  Albania is a beautifully frustrating country where even the simplest tasks often become arduous chores.  I've felt pulled in too many directions at once- raising a precocious pre-schooler, working part time (which actually is my tiny piece of sanity on most days), being the perfect hostess on demand, being pushed outside of my comfort zone on a regular basis, and generally feeling rushed.  I've been living the past two years on fast forward and I am tired.  And battered.  As the condition of my feet can attest to, I've been putting everything ahead of myself and my own needs.  Like my napkin ring I am tarnished and worn.

With some effort, Glenn was able to push and bend my napkin ring into something that resembles its original shape. With a little silver polish it will once again be shiny.  While no longer a perfect circle, it is serviceable and can once again hold a napkin.  While battle worn, much like me, it carries on.  I won't go so far as to say I'm going to go out and get a pedicure, but I am going to treat myself to a proper at-home foot treatment and a little pampering.  Heck, I might even break out a new color of nail polish.  After all, the annual Marine Corp Ball is this weekend and these feet need to be ready for some dancing.

I Love A Parade

Albania is a country whose people are obsessed with their vehicles.  Perhaps this obsession is the result of their fifty years of self imposed isolationism where the Communist regime banned all privately owned vehicles.  As is the case with most things Albanian, firm statistics are difficult to come by but most sources agree that until 1991, there were only between 5,000 and 7,000 cars in the entire country.  With so few cars, roads were all but non-existent with narrow dirt packed lanes being the norm.  After the fall of Communism in 1991 the ban on private vehicles was lifted resulting in upwards of 1,500 vehicles being imported into the country on a monthly basis.  (Again, this statistic varies with some people arguing that the numbers are in fact much higher).  In a country roughly the size of the state of Maryland with a population of just over 3 million people, that is a whole lot of cars.  Whatever the root cause for this vehicle obsession, today the country's roads are clogged with so many cars that driving in urban areas is an unusually stressful and congested affair.

So Albania has a lot of cars but they aren't just any type of cars.  Yes, you see a smattering of the usual Fiats, Opels, and other compact cars that the mainstay of  European countries.  (With narrow roads, limited parking, and fuel prices higher in Europe than in the United States, practical Europeans tend to eschew the American style super-sized SUV.  Compact cars are the family vehicle with people learning to make do with less space). But once again, Albania appears to be the exception to the European norm.  Increasingly I am seeing larger and fancier vehicles, from luxury sports cars to super-sized, tricked out SUVs barreling along Albania's narrow roadways.  As noted by the New York Times over ten years ago, Mercedes have been a popular Albanian choice for over two decades.  These German made cars are sturdy and early model sedans can regularly be seen transporting families, pulling trailers laden with household goods, serving as driver's education vehicles, and yes, even hauling livestock in their back seats.  But these older Mercedes work horses are being outnumbered by newer and fancier models.  Top of the line models share the road way with Porsche, BMWs, and Bentleys as well as Lamborghinis and Masaeratis.  (And I'm not talking just one or two of the later category).  Just yesterday, as I stood in front of the Sheraton Hotel waiting for Glenn to pick me up (in our battered Honda CRV), I saw four of these five makes of vehicles parade by me.  (The Maserati was missing but I did see one a few blocks away later in the evening).  As yesterday attests to, one can see more luxury vehicles in less than one hour in Albania than you can in a week's worth of travel through western European countries.

I suppose I should clarify my earlier statement about Albania being a country obsessed with vehicles.  Rather, they are a country whose people are not only obsessed with luxury vehicles but they actually drive them.  (This is in juxtaposition to a recent Washingtonian Magazine survey where these cars were listed as dream vehicles by DC's movers and shakers who relied on their more pedestrian Hondas, Toyotas, and Subarus for their daily commutes).  Not too shabby in a country whose Gross Domestic Product ranks it 86th in the world just ahead of sub-Saharan African countries and last in Europe.  The country may be poor but they sure do drive fancy cars.

Bring On The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

With October behind us, we can now charge towards Thanksgiving and Christmas at full speed.  Sure some retailers have been flaunting turkeys and Santa alongside Halloween candy but now that the later is relegated to the sale bins, we can focus our energies on what I consider to be the real end of year holidays.  It now feels acceptable to open the holiday editions of my favorite culinary magazines that have been filling my mailbox for months.  My oven is beginning to work overtime as pumpkins that were once destined for jack-o-lanterns can now be turned into pies, breads, and other delectable treats.  Air conditioning has been swapped for heat and skimpy warm weather clothing exchanged for cozy sweaters.  The days are shorter, Daylight Savings Time ended in Europe last week with the States falling back early tomorrow morning, but for me the early darkness just makes me more productive.  (After all it feels as though I have even less time to get more accomplished).  Colorful foliage is giving way to bare trees that have their own special winter beauty and cooler air hints at the real possibility of snowflakes.  People are more generous with their time, energies, and money as charities ask for donations to assist those in need.   How can anyone argue with this?  I'm pouring over my cookbooks and planning my Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner menus, digging out my sweaters, and plotting my holiday gift giving strategy.  In case you can't tell, I love this time of year and the next few weeks promise to be my favorite ones of the entire year.

And yes, because it is November it is NaBloPoMo, the month where aspiring bloggers are encouraged to write each and every day.  I've dabbled with NaBloPoMo over the course of the past year with some months being more successful than others but this November I'm recommitting to the effort.  So from now until the end of the month, look for a daily update either on this blog or my second blog dedicated to my culinary exploits.  That's thirty entries in thirty days but I can do it.  After all, this is my favorite time of year so I'm sure to have a lot to talk about.