Living in Albania--Richard L. Bowman

March 29, 2015

Taking a Fresh Look Around

I have been trying to see what works best at helping me get my hip muscles back in shape after the hip replacement operation on January 7. So on Wednesday afternoon, I decided that if I walked slowly I could probably walk a good ways. I needed some hearing aid batteries, and the shop selling them was a bit away from our apartment. About an hour later, I had walked 10 blocks in Lezhë and seen some territory I had not seen since we are back from my surgery. It was exhilarating, and I was proud of my purchases.

a city intersection with a diverse view

A City Intersection, Stores with Apartments Above, Steps in the Sidewalk, and City Dogs
(25-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

a public kindergarten school razed and begun new

Construction Begins on a New Public Kindergarten School (25-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

a restaurant serving rotisserie chicken

Our Favorite Chicken (Rotisserie) Restaurant to Eat in or to Go (25-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

the health department offices in Lezhe

The Health Department Office in Lezhë (25-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

After my walk and when I was almost home, I noticed the small park near our apartment building was bustling with children at play ands a few adults passing through. The games seem to stop as the young boys come to say "HI" and the girls watch to see if I will notice them and say "Hi" to them. Young adults sometimes ask to have their picture taken. I think they were brothers, but I am not sure.

boys playing football (soccer) next to our building

Boy Playing Football (Soccer) (25-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

two friends wanted their picture taken

Two Friends Wanted Their Picture Taken (25-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

girls are also out in the little park playinng

The Young Girls Are More Shy But Just as Interested (25-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

On Thursday afternoon, I went to the Aferdita Bakery less than a block from our apartment. I like their bread but especially their bread pretzels. On the way back to the apartment I also saw the qofta cart I like to buy a sausage sandwich from going to a new location.

Aferdita Bakery for a loaf of bread and two bread pretzels

Buying Bread at the Aferdita Bakery (26-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

my favoirte qofta cart moves to another location

The Qofta Sandwich Man Moves His Cart to Another Spot (26-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Close by our apartment home, I captured these animals--all very common sitghts.

two pigeons on a tile roof near our apaartment

Two Pigeons with a Top of Teir Worlds View (24-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

a healthy stray cat

A Stray Cat Who Is Well Fed? (24-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Wednesday afternoon I heard a sound very familiar to me--that of wood being split. But here in the city of Lezhë? Yes,, one of men from an apartment across the street fro us was chopping wood. He and his family live on fourth floor. So his wife would pull each basket of wood up to a window in their apartment using a rope and pulley. Whether they use wood to fire an oven or to heat their home, we don't know. It is not uncommon for bread bakeries and pizzerias in cities to use wooed-fi9red ovens, but I am not sure about personal dwellings.

a neighbor chops wood for his stove on fourth floor

Placing the Split Wood in the Basket... (25-Mar-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

he loads the wood in the basket and his wife pulls it to their floor

On Friday I was strolling out in the yard at the school and looked closer at the young juniper trees planted in two rows there. They had small blossoms on them. Amazing!! I have never seen that before.

juniper tree leaves in bloom

That evening after a bit of rain, we noticed the puddles of water that had quickly collected on the ground. Being very close to sea level gave Lezhë rather poor drainage.

a bir of rain quickly makew puddles on the ground

Last evening as I went out for a time of exercising my leg and to get a loaf of bread, I noticed a motor scooter leaving the end of the short driveway into our building. There are lots of cars and trucks of various kinds in Lezhë with many motorcycles, some bicycles and a few motor scooters..

coming down our stairs I saw this scooter

And as I photographed myself climbing our outside stairway, I remember one of my main prayers during these weeks. That is, "God, please give me patience and healing for my hip muscles."

I'm still workng on getting my hip muscles to be OK

We are definitely at home in Lezhë, and a healthy hip would brighten our outlook even more.

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