The first year I taught at Albanian College I had an assistant named Edlira. She was a wonderful translator and assistant in the classroom but also she quickly became a friend. She was helpful as I tried to sort out some of the culture and traditions of her country. Edlira, her husband (Aldo), Randy and I have shared many meals and outings together. For the first time this year Edlira has been promoted to being a full teacher with a class of her own. Since Albanian College is an English immersion school she teaches in English and has her own teaching assistant. Last year Edlira and Aldo welcomed a precious little boy into their family.
We were honored to be invited to Aled’s first birthday celebration in early October. As has become the tradition in America, first birthdays have become bigger and bigger celebrations. However, Aled’s birthday took the first birthday celebration to a whole new level. Edlira has three brothers who are all married with children and live in Florence, Italy. They all traveled to Albania to celebrate as did Edlira’s parents who also live in Florence. Aldo’s married sister and three teenage sons all traveled from Greece to be part of Aled’s first birthday. Aldo’s parents and other relatives traveled from different parts of Albania too. Aled is a well loved little boy!
The proud Mommy with her son. We were completely underdressed for the occasion. I had worn what I would typically wear to a child’s birthday party in the U.S. while all of Aled’s family wore clothing that I would have worn to attend a wedding. Also, it is tradition to wear blue to a boy’s first birthday and pink, purple or white to a girl’s first birthday.
Here are all of Aled’s grandparents. They are all in their early to mid-60’s but none of them are still working. In Albania, it is a law that women cannot work past the age of 60 and men cannot work past the age of 64. Note the balloon arch and special lighting for the birthday.
There was even a DJ at the birthday party who played popular and traditional Albanian music for dancing. One of my goals is to learn to Albanian dance more confidently. As you can see, I could not take my eyes off my feet in order to follow along. 🙂 I love how all the family members dance together and everyone from young to old knows how to do the same dances that have been passed down over many generations.Part of the tradition at a first birthday is to cut off a small piece of hair which is supposed to ensure thick hair in the future.Various family members presented Aled with gold jewelry. I am not sure why.And of course, blowing out the birthday candle…The family then enjoyed a huge meal as a culmination to the birthday clebration.
We loved being part of Aled’s birthday party and meeting so many extended family members. It was an honor to be included!
The following weekend a group of teachers went to the Albanian Alps to a small village called Theth. If you have been reading this blog for awhile, you know that Theth is my favorite place to visit in Albania. The mountains are stunning and breathing all the fresh, outdoor air is a wonderful change of pace.
We left Tirana at 6:00 in the morning as the sun was rising. Mountains, here we come!We are about halfway to Theth and the views are becoming more and more fantastic.After arriving in Theth, our first hike was to the Blue Eye with unbelievable blue water.
The next day we hiked to Grunas Waterfall. We passed a small working farm with a stone house and barn. There was even a coffee shop halfway up the hill to the falls. Two friends are modeling traditional Albanian headwear.
One of the charming parts of Theth is this small Catholic Church nestled in the mountains. Since the last time we visited Theth, outdoor night lighting has been added to the church. Also, this is the first time the church was open so we could see the inside. This church is financially maintained by Albanians who used to live in Theth but now live in the United States. They consistently send money back to take care of the church.What a fun group of people to travel with! These teachers are from Spain, Egypt, Canada and the States.
On the bus ride out of the mountains look what I saw out the window!
The following week was our nine day October Break. Randy and I rented a car in Albania and headed to southern Italy.
We drove our rental car from Tirana to the Albanian port city of Durres where we boarded an overnight ferry to Bari, Italy.If you read the reviews for traveling on the ferry they are not very positive. Contrary to those reviews, we found the trip to be relaxing and an easy way to get to Italy with a car. It was much less expensive to rent a car in Albania and take it on the ferry instead of flying to Italy and then renting a car. The car we rented was a Suzuki Swift which I thought would be too small but it worked out perfectly.We are arriving in Bari after a 9 hour trip across the Adriatic Sea. The trip went very quickly since we slept for most of it.
One of the many parts of Italy that I love is all the small and large churches that we randomly come across as we visit various cities.
After getting off the ferry we drove three hours to Naples where we stayed for two nights. The only reason we stayed in Naples was because of its close proximity to Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii. I have loved everywhere we have gone in Italy but Naples is the exception. Someone used the term “gritty” to describe Naples and I think that would be accurate. The city has not yet figured out how to deal with their trash. It was common to see overflowing trash cans, empty beer bottles and unkept streets. Naples is not a city that I would want to return to. That being said, there were aspects of the city we enjoyed.
Naples was founded by the Greeks in 300 BC. We saw Greek ruins at different places throughout the city.Naples is the birthplace of pizza and it was delicious! We have never eaten so much pizza in our lives.We took a food tour while in Naples and fried pizza was one of the featured food items.Since Naples ia on the sea, we saw fish markets everywhere we went. It was so interesting to see the huge diversity in the seafood they were selling.I came across this beautiful sight on an early morning run. That is Mount Vesuvius in the background.A typical Italian breakfast for us… The hot drink in the foreground is cocoa, not to be confused with hot chocolate. As in Albania, if you order hot chocolate you will get a hot, thick chocolate pudding. If you want hot chocolate like in the USA, you need to order cocoa.This is the street where our hotel was located. It was a lovely hotel in a central location but I found the the neighborhood to be somewhat dreary.
Street musicians always add so much to the experience of wandering around a city.A small beautiful city park that shows the trash problem that seems to be everywhere in Naples.I am always a bit startled when we randomly come across soldiers and military vehicles. We have seen this throughout Europe in our travels over the years.
In 79AD Mount Vesuvius erupted. The rocks and ash from the explosion rained down on Pompeii for almost a full day. Pompeii was a city of 20,000 people. Most people fled the city but there were 2,000 that stayed behind and perished. The 79AD explosion was the most severe. The volcano most recently erupted in 1944 and is expected to erupt again.
It was well worth it to make the mile long hike to see the crater at the top of Mount Vesuvius. They even had an ambulance parked at the top and bottom of the hiking trail to help people who may have trouble.
Our next stop was Pompeii which was fabulous! If you get the opportunity to visit then you need to go for it. I never realized how big Pompeii is. The city was buried until sometime in the 1700’s when a farmer was trying to dig a well and was unable to because he just kept coming across lots of ash instead of water. Since that time the location has been an active archeological site.
You can see Mount Vesuvius in the background.We could not believe how well the city had been preserved after being buried in 79 AD and the beginning of its excavation not starting until the 1700’s. The ruins give an excellent glimpse of what life was like in this wealthy Roman city.This is graffiti carved on the walls hundreds of year ago.This is a mold of a person who perished in Pompeii. It was made by pouring plaster into the cavities left by the ash that covered the people.I hesitated to add these two pictures but we found this so amazing that I decided to go ahead and include them. Our guide explained that Pompeii was a port city with many sailors coming and going. They spoke several different languages. Many of them wanted to visit a brothel when they came to Pompeii but did not speak the language to ask for directions. The picture on the left is the town brothel. Throughout the city there were signs to direct the sailors to the brothel. The picture on the right is a wordless sign of the male genitalia that was carved in the stone wall to direct the sailors to the brothel.We drove all over southern Italy with no problems. Most of the roads were four lane divided highways with tolls similar to the E-Z Pass lanes we have in New York. We drove through lots and lots of tunnels since southern Italy is so mountainous. We drove from Naples to Salerno which took about an hour. The hotel we chose had an artist’s theme to it where every room featured a different artist. Charming!There are many gorgeous places to stay on the Amalfi Coast. We took a lot of time weighing the options and decided on Salerno because it was significantly less expensive plus it provided easy access (by ferry) to the other scenic cities i.e. Amalfi, Ravello, Positano, Sorrento and Capri.We had heard lots about the narrow, curvy road along the coast so we choose to use the ferry most of the time but we did want to experience a short segment of the scenic road so we took a bus from Salerno to the city of Amalfi. We came upon this bus and our bus had to back up plus both busses had to collapse their side mirrors so they could pass each other. I took some motion sick medication before we left but even with that I felt sick by the end of the hour long trip. From then on we took the ferry between cities.
The beautiful city of Amalfi…
Ravello was my favorite place on the Amalfi Coast. It is a smaller, less touristy town that is charming and incredibly beautiful.
Visiting the Villa Cimbrone Gardens in Ravello was cathartic and breathtaking.
Next we visited Positano which is the most popular town on the Amalfi Coast. It is known for it’s upscale shopping. Here is one of the charming walkways throughout the town. Positano was VERY crowded so I felt happy to get this photo with no tourists in it.Positano is also known for it’s beaches with crystal clear water.As we walked along the narrow streets we could peek into the entrances of some of the very upscale hotels which start at $1000 a night.There were lots of people, cars and even a gas station on some of the narrow roads.Interesting art looking over the sea in Positano.Arriving in Salerno by ferry after a day of touring this beautiful part of Italy.This was our favorite meal on our trip. It was a small family owned restaurant where the grandmother (who only spoke Italian) took our order by us pointing at the menu. Morning run on our last day in Salerno.It was a five hour drive (including a ferry crossing) to our next location in Taormina, Sicily.Another one of the many tunnels we drove through in Sicily.This was the hotel where we stayed. We loved it and could have stayed there a week if we had the time. As you can see the same family has owned it since 1833.
These are some pictures from our hotel including the deck off our room and the charming place where we ate breakfast each morning.
Dipping my toes into the Mediterranean SeaWalking around the charming town of TaorminaI loved coming across this school bus picking up children to get them to school. From what I can tell all European school buses are smaller and have a driver and a bus assistant. I know there are many schools in the USA that wish they had bus assistants on all their buses.We took a sunset hike to Mount Etna. The volcano has been erupting for the last 2,700 years, most recently in 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021. In all that time it has killed a total of 77 people. We asked our alpine guide how he could be sure it was not going to eminently erupt. He said there are usually several small earthquakes proceeding an eruption. Walking around on the volcano seemed like we were on the moon or in a Star Wars movie.
We were able to climb part way down into the crater to actually feel the heat that continuously radiates from the volcano. Amazing!
The sunset view on Mount Etna did not disappoint, 85% of what you see coming out of the top of Mount Etna is water vapor. The rest is sulphur, radon and other things that I do not remember.
That is my update for now. Randy is currently back in the States enjoying some deer hunting. I am in the midst of writing extensive reports about each of my students since the end of term one is approaching. I am flying home on December 16th to celebrate the holidays with the whole family. I cannot wait!!! As always, thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I hope you skimmed through lots of it since it is soooooo long this time. Not sure if I will make another post before the holidays so I am wishing you all the best over the upcoming holiday season.
Sarah,
What a fancy birthday party!
Loved the photos from Theth. Have the widened the road there yet? Scariest trip of my life! Hahaha! What a beautiful place.
Loved seeing your trip to Italy, especially the food! I would have loved every bite!
The ferry seems interesting, good for y’all to brave it!
Cannot wait until your next post! Keep ‘em coming!
Love,
Sarah K
Thanks, Sarah! They have paved the road to Theth but is has not been widened. The cars or buses have to back up to let each other by. The ride is not quite as hair-raising as when we did the trip together a few years ago.
Of course, I have a pedicure. 🙂 I am glad you enjoyed reading about our adventures. I am wondering how the wedding plans ae coming along. I can’t remember the date of the exciting event.
What amazing adventures!! And what a blessing you are to the lives you have touched!! Your travels are spectacular!! You know how to do retirement right!
♥️Laura
Wow , what a beautiful trip. Your photos tell the story of your adventure with such detail! I would want to frame everyone of those pics. So happy you and Randy can experience this together. Carry on !
Hi Sarah,
I always learn something new when I read your posts! It’s so interesting the baby traditions different cultures have. Loved all your photos of Italy…. Living vicariously through you!!
Sarah ~ I love reading your blogs! Thanks so much for sharing so many interesting facts, as well as all your personal thoughts! The pictures are the best!!! Wishing you the very happiest of holidays! Safe travels home
Always love reading your blog! So many wonderful pics .. I like your toe dipping into the Mediterranean Sea! Looking forward to seeing you next month! 👏🏼 Sending hugs from Fairport!
Thank you for taking us along on your travels. Everything was so interesting, including the cultural traditions around a first birthday party. I loved all the mountains. I so appreciate you taking the time to write this blog and post your pictures. Have a safe trip home and enjoy the holidays!
Love, Monica
Hi Sarah! Such interesting reading and I enjoy hearing of your travels. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. Sending love and Happy Thanksgiving wishes.
Thank you for the updates – You two are amazing! What fantastic adventures you are experiencing and the pictures are wonderful! Happy holidays to you and your family!
What a wonderful trip! I love the pictures and commentary. So happy you and Randy are having such a positive travel experience. I loved visiting Portugal in October and found the people to be warm and welcoming and it was humbling for me to be in a country where English was not the primary language. Love your posts!
Hi Kay, I just came across this message. Sorry for the slow response. Thank you for reading my blog. It was good to hear about your positive experience in Portugal. We are headed there next month. I hope you are doing well!
Sarah and Randy, the first word that comes to mind is “WOW!” What a wonderful experience for both of you! How much longer will you be there? What a fabulous retirement you have! God Bless!!
Thanks for reading my blog, Betty! My teaching contract goes until June, 2024 but we will be back in the summer plus we are flying back for Christmas this year. I saw pictures of the ICP Anniversary Celebration. I was sorry to miss it. You looked great in the pics!
Hi Sarah,
So exciting to read your blog and catch up with you! Glad you enjoyed your travels through the Albanian Alps and southern Italy.😀 Also an Albanian birthday party! Wonderful photos and captions. Safe travels back to America for the holidays. Merry Christmas! 🎄🎅💕Love, Pat
Thanks for reading my blog, Pat! Right now I am in London with David for a long weekend. As you know, it’s wonderful to have our adult children to hang out with. I am wondering if the entire Linz family will be gathering for Christmas. I hope so!
Teaching in Albania 
Sarah, I truly appreciate the time you take to create this mix of words and pictures that bring to life your incredible journey. Enjoy your holidays.
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Thanks, Lisa! Enjoy the holidays with that sweet grandson in your new location.
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Sarah,
What a fancy birthday party!
Loved the photos from Theth. Have the widened the road there yet? Scariest trip of my life! Hahaha! What a beautiful place.
Loved seeing your trip to Italy, especially the food! I would have loved every bite!
The ferry seems interesting, good for y’all to brave it!
Cannot wait until your next post! Keep ‘em coming!
Love,
Sarah K
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Thanks, Sarah! They have paved the road to Theth but is has not been widened. The cars or buses have to back up to let each other by. The ride is not quite as hair-raising as when we did the trip together a few years ago.
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Sarah this post was amazing to read, thank you for “taking me away”. You are amazing, you even have a pedicure!😂
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Of course, I have a pedicure. 🙂 I am glad you enjoyed reading about our adventures. I am wondering how the wedding plans ae coming along. I can’t remember the date of the exciting event.
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What amazing adventures!! And what a blessing you are to the lives you have touched!! Your travels are spectacular!! You know how to do retirement right!
♥️Laura
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Thanks, Laura! Congratulations on being added to the Fairport Wall of Distinction! It is a well deserved honor.
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Terrific travelogue! I feel as if I just vicariously vacationed. Did you do any “hot cocoa breathing?”😁
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Thanks, Ann! Of course we use “hot cocoa breathing” even in my Albanian classroom. 🙂
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Wow , what a beautiful trip. Your photos tell the story of your adventure with such detail! I would want to frame everyone of those pics. So happy you and Randy can experience this together. Carry on !
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Thanks, Jeanette! Love it that you used the phrase “carry on” just like our Gramma Roudebush used to always say. xo
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Love reading about your adventures and seeing the photos bb
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Thanks, Linda!
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Adventurous as usual, finding beauty everywhere you and Randy travel.
Bravo and hugs!
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Thanks, Laurie! I hope you and Andrew are doing well.
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Hi Sarah,
I always learn something new when I read your posts! It’s so interesting the baby traditions different cultures have. Loved all your photos of Italy…. Living vicariously through you!!
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Thanks, Ellen!
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Sarah ~ I love reading your blogs! Thanks so much for sharing so many interesting facts, as well as all your personal thoughts! The pictures are the best!!! Wishing you the very happiest of holidays! Safe travels home
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Thanks, Mary!
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Always love reading your blog! So many wonderful pics .. I like your toe dipping into the Mediterranean Sea! Looking forward to seeing you next month! 👏🏼 Sending hugs from Fairport!
Love,
Lisa
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Thanks, Lisa! If I remember right you are in California now sorting out wedding plans. Enjoy!
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Thank you for taking us along on your travels. Everything was so interesting, including the cultural traditions around a first birthday party. I loved all the mountains. I so appreciate you taking the time to write this blog and post your pictures. Have a safe trip home and enjoy the holidays!
Love, Monica
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Thanks, Monica! One of the best parts of living abroad is learning about all the cultural traditions. i am glad you enjoyed reading about them.
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Hi Sarah! Such interesting reading and I enjoy hearing of your travels. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. Sending love and Happy Thanksgiving wishes.
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Thanks, Amy! I loved watching the video Holly sent about your Mom’s most recent birthday. She is amazing!
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Thank you for the updates – You two are amazing! What fantastic adventures you are experiencing and the pictures are wonderful! Happy holidays to you and your family!
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Thanks, Martha!
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What a wonderful trip! I love the pictures and commentary. So happy you and Randy are having such a positive travel experience. I loved visiting Portugal in October and found the people to be warm and welcoming and it was humbling for me to be in a country where English was not the primary language. Love your posts!
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Hi Kay, I just came across this message. Sorry for the slow response. Thank you for reading my blog. It was good to hear about your positive experience in Portugal. We are headed there next month. I hope you are doing well!
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Sarah and Randy, the first word that comes to mind is “WOW!” What a wonderful experience for both of you! How much longer will you be there? What a fabulous retirement you have! God Bless!!
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Thanks for reading my blog, Betty! My teaching contract goes until June, 2024 but we will be back in the summer plus we are flying back for Christmas this year. I saw pictures of the ICP Anniversary Celebration. I was sorry to miss it. You looked great in the pics!
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Hi Sarah,
So exciting to read your blog and catch up with you! Glad you enjoyed your travels through the Albanian Alps and southern Italy.😀 Also an Albanian birthday party! Wonderful photos and captions. Safe travels back to America for the holidays. Merry Christmas! 🎄🎅💕Love, Pat
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Thanks for reading my blog, Pat! Right now I am in London with David for a long weekend. As you know, it’s wonderful to have our adult children to hang out with. I am wondering if the entire Linz family will be gathering for Christmas. I hope so!
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