It was a real treat to have several visitors during our last three months in Albania. There were few things I liked better while living abroad than introducing Albania to friends and family. We encouraged people to visit and they did. Yay!
This is my friend, Dana who I met the first year I taught at Albanian College. She and I traveled together many times. Dana invited Randy and I to her apartment for Hot Pot on many occasions when she lived in Tirana. Dana is originally from China but is currently teaching in Cambodia. In April, she came back to Albania for a week to visit. I invited Dana to come to my class to talk about living in Cambodia. She wore traditional Cambodian clothing to class and explained the culture including showing a video about Buddhist life in Cambodia.
Our next visitors were my friend, Ann and her husband, Brian and daughter, Claire. Ann and I taught together at Dudley School in Fairport. While they were in Tirana we went out for traditional Albanian food and later Randy introduced Claire to Albanian coffee.
A friend of Randy’s from the fire department, Michael and his wife Bernadette, came to visit in early June. Of course, they came for a tour of my classroom/school which is always fun to show visitors.
My cousin, Ann was on a trip to Kenya and then came to Albania on her way back home to Texas. Here we are ready to enter the Kruje Castle.The last week we were in Albania our niece, Lois and her husband, Andrew came to visit. Lois has done a lot of international travel but Andrew had never been out of the States. We loved having them with us for a couple of days.
Before we moved back to New York, I wanted to take one more trip to Italy. Randy was getting tired of traveling (understandably so) which meant that three friends and I went to Rome for a three day trip in early May.
After landing in Rome, we made our way to a food tour that afternoon.
After the food tour we wandered around parts of Rome including Trastevere which is a somewhat less touristy neighborhood in Rome.
LOVE this artist’s work!Continuing to wander… It was wonderful to take Rome slower and to not be rushing from one iconic highlight to another.We felt almost like we were being intrusive as we happened upon this wedding with many tourists going in and out of the back of the church.The Trevi Fountain is one of my favorite sites in Rome. However, it was SO crowded that it almost was not fun to visit. The fountain is located in a very small square and gets 35 million visitors a year. The Italians are considering charging tourists to see it, as a way to control the crowding.My travel companions are Dan who is a primary art teacher originally from England and now teaching in Cambodia. Lucy was a secondary art teacher who has moved from teaching art to creating art in Arizona. Rawand is a grade two teacher from Canada who was a good resource on international teaching for me. They are such good people who I feel fortunate to call my friends. The walls are 39 feet tall and approximately two miles around part of Vatican City.This is the street where our apartment was located.Early morning run… Much of my run was around the outside of the Vatican Walls which were originally built in the 9th century. The walls no longer completely surround the Vatican. The walls do not prevent people from entering St. Peter’s Square. The only thing that might prevent you from entering are all the crowds of people.
I am continuously amazed when I watch an artist work. We were at breakfast when Dan started tracing on a placemat. He then took the placemat with him and added color to it when he got home. Wow, so impressive!
Checking out the gelato as we wandered through the streets of Rome.Spanish StepsNow that we have been to Egypt, every time I see an obelisk I wonder where in Egypt it had been taken from. There are 13 obelisks in Rome, 8 of them came from Egypt and 5 were made under Roman rule.Mamertine Prison was built in 7th century BC and is said to be where the apostles Peter and Paul were imprisioned. Shoes with succulents!I took this picture because the white structure on the left are several pickle ball courts.
This video shows how the pickle ball courts were placed right in a beautiful square. The whole place had a fun vibe as we walked through.The Swiss Guards are on the job.Exploring St. Peter’s Square
Within St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican is a statue called “Angels Unaware”. It is a life-sized statue of 140 immigrants on a boat. The immigrants shown are from different parts of history. For example there is a Jewish man escaping Nazi Germany, a Syrian fleeing from a civil war, an Irish boy fleeing the Irish Famine and Mary and Joseph. The artist is from Canada and unveiled his art in 2019. The name of the sculpture, “Angels Unaware” comes from the Bible saying, “Be welcoming to strangers, many have entertained angels unawares.”
Breakfast before heading off on our final day in Rome.Can you see the men scaling the Vatican Wall? They are removing the plants that tend to grow in the cracks of the wall.We found a rooftop restaurant next to the Colosseum to enjoy lunch. The weather was perfect, the company was perfect and the view was perfect. Another of the many times I felt so fortunate to have all these experiences. Our entreesOur desserts
Once again the artists in our group were drawing but this time there were enough supplies for all of us to draw. I definitely was not in my comfort zone. 🙂Our server noticed the drawings. Dan and Lucy ended up giving their artwork to them. The servers were quite pleased.Good bye, Italy! I am already looking forward to the day we can return for a visit.
In May, the children were working on collecting data and doing research on a habitat of their choosing. They then presented information about how people have negatively impacted the habitat and what can be done to keep the habitat sustainable.
I am slowly getting caught up with my blogs. Thanks so much for reading!
Yes, I agree, the “Angels Unaware” does make an excellent point. It was powerful because of it’s theme but also how realistic the sculptor made the characters in his work. Prayers for peace need to continue so these uprooted people do not have to flee their homes.
As always, I’ve enjoyed reading this blog – all the wonderful pictures and information. I was very moved by the “Angels Unaware” statue – so vital to remember. So glad you are home safely!
Teaching in Albania 
The food, the fun, the videos – as always, I enjoyed every minute! The Angels Unaware art makes such a beautiful point. Thank you for sharing, Sarah!
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Yes, I agree, the “Angels Unaware” does make an excellent point. It was powerful because of it’s theme but also how realistic the sculptor made the characters in his work. Prayers for peace need to continue so these uprooted people do not have to flee their homes.
I hope you and your family are doing well!
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As always, I’ve enjoyed reading this blog – all the wonderful pictures and information. I was very moved by the “Angels Unaware” statue – so vital to remember. So glad you are home safely!
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Hi Martha,
Thank you for continuing to read my blog. It was very moving to see “Angels Unaware”. It makes such a strong point.
I hope you and your family are doing well!
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