Living in Albania--Richard L. Bowman

April 12, 2015

"The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly..."

...when we are not there. At least that is what this week seems to have told us.

Early Monday morning (at 2:30 a.m.!), the American staff at Lezha Academic Center left for a five-days, four-nights Spring break in Barcelona, Spain. As we waited at the airport in Tirana for our connecting flight to Vienna, Austria, the sign over the Duty Free shop caught my attention. It is a good sign for a a time of relaxation, restoration, and relationship renewal.

vacation is "duty free" time

Vacation Should Lead to "Duty Free" (6-Apr-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Our group of nine included Klementina and Dini Shahini, Katrina Schmid, Justin Rittenhouse, Phil and Betsy Moyer, Josh Kirkman, and Elsie and I. We soon discovered that if we had to go any distance (which was the case for our transfers), my hip/leg were definitely slowing us down and giving me more pain. So we were able to get assistance as we went along, and I am very thankful for there always being someone to walk with me.

After arriving in Barcelona, we got our luggage and took taxis to our hotel

picking up our luggage in Barcelona, Spain

Picking up Our Luggage and Wondering Where to Next (6-Apr-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Elsie reads menu at hotel cafe

Elsie Reviews the Hotel Cafe Menu (6-Apr-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

my selection: marinated salmon & cream cheese n toast

I Pondered What Looks Like Raw Salmon--a New Food for Me (6-Apr-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

The hotel had a small garden/plaza to its back facing south toward the water (several blocks away). From there I could watch and photograph several flying birds.

a sea gull soars over the hotel's garden

Seagull Soars Gently above Us (6-Apr-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

For dinner we walked through the Diagonal Mar Park to the mall, a block and a half away. The park had metal pipe sculptures and large metal and glazed pottery pots with wisteria growing out of them.

walking through the Diagonal Mar Park

The Diagonal Mar Park--for Pedestrians and Bikers (6-Apr-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Wisteria blooms from the park's artwork contqainers

Wisteria Blossoms on the Metal Sculpture (6-Apr-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

noticing the park's sign as we leave the park s

The Main Sign for the Park (6-Apr-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

As we were deciding which food restaurant to go to for our dinner, the three grandmothers compared pictures of children and grandchildren.

Elsie, Klementina, and Betsy share family photos

Three Grandmothers Compare Photos (6-Apr-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, the three senior couples climbed on city tour buses to learn about and see the architecture and history of the city.

getting on the city tour bus

Getting on the City Tour Bus (7-Apr-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

We saw many different architectural styles on the roughly two-hour tours on each of the two days. Here is the bull fight arena (La Monumental) which was expanded just two years after opening with the expansion done in the Byzantine style.

the bullring in Barcelona with a Byzanine architecture style

The Former Bull Ring Arena (7-Apr-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

We saw many different people on the bus during the tours, and Elsie made fast friends with a baby and its mother as she put her excellent command of Spanish (Central American variety) to good use..

Elsie makes friends with a baby and mother

Elsie Makes Friends with a Mother and Baby (7-Apr-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Tuesday evening I was able to capture this Eurasian Magpie on a street light pole.

a Eurasian Magpie perches on a street light

A Eurasian Magpie (7-Apr-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

And as we were heading to the tour bus on Wednesday we walked through a small park that had lots of pigeons.

And pigeons and more pigeons

A Park for Pigeons and People (8-Apr-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

A statue of Christopher Columbus caught my eye on our bus excursion.

Christopher Columbus statue

Christopher Columbus Points toward His Hometown (8-Apr-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

Later that evening we stop by at the East West Tea Shop at the mall to buy some loose black tea and had a good conversation with the clerk who originally came from the country of Georgia.

tea shop in the Diagonal Mar mall

Tea Shop in the Mall (8-Apr-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

After stopping for tea, we stepped out of character and bought a meal at Burger King. It did taste good, too.

Elsie readies her straw for her soft drink at Burger King

Elsie Prepares to Enjoy Our Burger King Meal (8-Apr-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

On Thursday morning while Elsie and Katrina went shopping, I made my slow way to the Mediterranean seashore and took a number of scenic photos along my journey. The dandelion blooming in the crack along the sidewalk presented me with an encouraging example. I can bloom in tough places, too, if only I will trust God to care for me and the situatuon.

dandileon growing through a crack at the edge of the road

A Dandelion Blooming in a Difficult Place Is a Wonderful Challenge (9-Apr-15; © Richard L. Bowman)

On my way back from the sea, I was impressed with the Besos Water Tower (adjacent to the former location of the MACOSA-Can Girona metal works). MACOSA-Can Girona had smelting furnaces along with other metal working equipment in its factory. Its land was sold and the factory dismantled in the early 1990's..

clock tower at the former site of the Can Gerona

On display next to the water tower is one of the bogies produced by MACOSA-Can Girona before it closed in 1994. A bogie in Europe is the same thing as a "truck" is to train engines in the USA.

a bogie (truck in the US) made by Can Gerona

It seemed like we saw artistically designed buildings and equipment everywhere in Barcelona. Our hotel was no exception. Below are the light fixtures in the indoor open space around which all five floors of rooms are buiollt.

artistic light presentaiton in the indoor lobby/plaza of the hotel

After a quick breakfast at 7 a.m. when the cafeteria opened, we took taxis to the airport and waited in a long line to get boarding passes and our luggage checked in.

a long line wating to check luggage and get boarding pass for trip home

Elsie arranged with one of the airline personnel so that I could have a wheel chair and other assistance in getting to and between planes at each stop.

authorization form for handicap assistance for me with my leg/hip

As we got closer to Austria, the still snow-capped Austrian Alps could be seen. Awesome!

the majestic Alps of central Europe

Since we only had a half-hour at the most to transfer planes in Vienna our return flight to Albania, Elsie and I were quick rushed on wheel chair, van and finally to a lift truck so that I could walk straight into the back of the cabin of the plane to Tirana.

the "lift" car getting me into the plane in Vienna, Austria

As we headed to Tirana, we could again see Alps out of our windows, but this time they were the Dinaric Alps along the Adriatic Sea mainly in the Balkans including Albania.

the smaller but amazing Alps in the Balkans

It was a great time of rest and restoration, but it was also very good to be home again in Albania.

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