Experience Albania: Travel, Pictures, History, Culture

It was a visit that my host family in Belsh had been looking forward to since May, which is when Ben bought his tickets for 10 days in Albania.

We took a new route - one that I nor any of the volunteers I know had taken before.  A route from Kucove (next door to Berat) on long, windy, bumpy back roads.  We boarded our 1PM bus with the help of a friendly bus owner and then a man with his three daughters who were traveling in our direction.

 And in this little bus, to Berat we went …

 He was a perfect guest by bringing little Aldo (on the right) a Lego set.  After an hour’s time of being there, Leta (my host mom) was knitting hand-made socks for Ben’s mom (hope you like them, Nancy!).

 Leta knitting the socks in the background - Ana (middle host sister) ready to go out for a walk around Belsh

 Leta still knitting … as she bids us well on our walk We “xhiroed” around Belsh and Ben got to see my stomping grounds for the first three months of my Albanian life.  Complete with a beer at the spot where my training group and I stopped most days after class … and a tour of Evan’s (fellow PCV who trained with me in Belsh) host family’s wonder of a wine/raki making system.  I hadn’t seen it before and both Ben and I watched in awe as raki poured continuously from large jugs, and liters and liters of wine sat mulling in huge barrels.  We tasted a few batches and headed off to freshly roasted lamb dinner with Zenel and Marsi (host dad and youngest sister).

I think it was surreal for the Hysas to actually see and talk to a person I’d told them so much about.  They loved meeting him and welcoming him in their house.