Stiljan Mala: Shqipëria ne syte e nje amerikani

Shqipëria ne syte e nje amerikani

Nga Stiljan Mala

Ishte nje dite e diel. Mengjes në Manhattan. Kishte pak mjegull dhe dielli nxirrte aty-ketu syrin si për te trembur ata avuj uji, që ngriheshin mbi qytet. Une po kthehesha nga nje kafe jo shume larg shtepise. Nga larg dikush me foli. Mbajta kembet dhe u ktheva andej nga me erdhi zeri. E njoha. Ishte Mike. Une banoj ne nje pallat me te. Ai eshte vendas, amerikan. Eshte ne nje nga zonat me te preferuara te Manhattan-it.

Vete eshte rreth te 50-ve. Duke qene  se banoj ne nje pallat me të, ja njoh te gjithe familjen e vogel te tij, e cila perbehet nga gruaja Gal, nje grua shume e komunikueshme, dhe nga dy femijte e tij, djali Jonah dhe vajza Eden. Mike futet ne eliten e fotografëve te Manhattan-it (por te mos harrojme se ky qytet eshte miliona banore) dhe vec kesaj, ai njihet dhe shkruan si nje gazetar profesionist.

 Le te kthehemi tek fillimi i shkrimit.

-Hë, me tha, si ke kaluar?

-Mire, mire fare ju pergjigja.

- Ju, Steve (keshtu ma theksojne emrin amerikanet) ne mos gaboj, jeni shqiptar, apo jo?

-Po, po, i thash, shqiptar, mire e ke, po pse me pyet?

Kam marre nje vendim me Gal dhe me femijte Jonah dhe Eden: Do te bejme pushimet e ketij viti ne Shqiperi. Sa e moren vesh njerezit e mi dhe te gruas  me thane:” E Mike, cfare po ben, aventure? Perse do te shkosh ne Shqiperi….?!” Por ne e kemi vendosur, si thoni ju Steve, mire e kemi vendosur? Une u gjenda i i papergatitur. Biseda po behej ne faqen e nje qiellgervishesi ne Amerike dhe po diskutohej per vendin tim te dashur me nivel ekonomik te mjerueshem!

Ula koken, thitha fort cigaren qe kisha ne dore dhe aty per aty ju pergjigja:

Kini marre vendim shume te mire!

Vendi im, ka nje popullsi me nivel ekonomik te ulet, por me nje bote shpirterore shume te pasur! Ai eshte nje vend me bukuri te rralla qe ju dhe familja juaj e mire do te befasoheni. Ne shqipetaret kur na vjen miku ne shtepi themi: Shtepia eshte e mikut! Keshtu qe ato dite qe ju do te jemi ne Shqiperi, Shqiperia ime do te jete edhe juaja.

-Faleminderit shume Steve! Dhe po me shikonte ne sy per cfare i thashe!

U pershendetem dhe une prisja se çfare pershtypje do t’i linte vendi im ne kete ”aventure”.

Ai nuk iku diten e neserme. Vonoi disa dite. Mua cdo dite me shkonte mendje te ai mendimi: “He Steve, kemi vendosur mire qe  do ti kalojme pushimet ne Shqiperi?” Si cdo shqiptari, qe ne syte e botes do qe ta paraqes sa me mire vendin e tij, ashtu dhe une, por une nuk mund t’i flisja me shume per miresite e popullit tim, sepse nuk dija, se cili do te ishte kendi nga do ta shikonte familja vizitore, jeten e atij vendi.

 Nuk dija ne cfare njrezish “do te binte” sepse, sikudo, dhe vendin tim ka njerez qe mund te mos sillen mire me te huajt, nuk dija nese rruget nga do te shkonin apo qytetet dhe fshatrat qe do te vizitonin do t’u ngacmonin sensin e ndjesise se mire apo te keqe dhe ky mendim me mundoi per shume dite, gati per nje muaj, derisa ata u kthyen!

-Hej, Steve, u ktheva. Ajo nuk ishte “aventure”, ajo vizite ishte nje kenaqesi. Ti Steve kishe nje vend te mrekullueshem, nje popull bujar dhe mikeprites, ata e ndanin buken me mikun! Ishte e vertete ajo qe me the: ”Shtepia eshte e mikut…”Faleminderit shume Steve! Une u zura perseri ngushte, fytyra mu skuq dhe mu lye me djerse, ishte nje gezim i madh dhe per mua!

Sa kaq, ai kishte kaluar ne dispozicionin tim nje album me fotografi dhe shkrimin qe me shume i shkon per shtati nje gazetari te talentuar sesa nje fotografi po ashtu te talentuar.

Se cfare pershtypje i kishte lene vizita “aventure” po ua paraqes me poshtë:

Faleminderit Mike!

Michael Jurick Photography:

When we told our friends and family that we were going to Albania for our summer vacation, they all asked the same question, “why Albania?” After you see these photographs and read this journal, all your questions will be answered. We found Albania to be a gorgeous jewel of Eastern Europe’s southern riviera. The lead photograph from our journey is of our daughter Eden. We stopped for chocolate and vanilla ice cream macchiatos at the edge of a cliff-side mountain cafe. Fashionista Eden soaks up sunshine between billowing drapes that reveal a jaw-dropping deep azure sky thousands of feet above straw-colored beach umbrellas. To me, this was the essence of Albania. Pure, beautiful and full of spirit.

1991 was the year that the communism party lost and Albania became a democratic country. Albania has now spread her wings to share the world the hidden gems within. The Albanian riviera was a fabulous highlight of our trip. The views from our drive along the rugged coast south from Vlora to Llogora to Himara were staggering! Most of Albania’s roads are steep, swirly switchbacks – but all reveal magnificent vistas at each hairpin turn. Soaring green mountains drop straight into the Ionian Sea thousands of feet below. Jonah and Eden went para-gliding off the side of a cliff 2,000 feet above the Iionian Sea – what an adventure of a lifetime for them… yes that is THEM in the photo below…

Once we arrived in Himara, the charm of the Albanian riviera had completely taken over. The weather was absolutely pristine with just a hint of soft wispy breezes and 81 degree temps. The crescent cove of the coast anchored both the charming village below and homes that dotted the hillside rising into the mountains. The sun bathed it all in gold.

On my final evening in Himara, I wandered into the foothills to overlook the town cove and get a sunset view of the coast. I came upon a gorgeous home that was draped in grape vines. Goats roamed their yard. When the mother of the home saw me taking pictures, she invited me inside. Her daughter asked me to sit in the garden and brought me fresh honey (made in their own yard) and wine from the vineyards on their terrace. We were treated to kindness everywhere we went. The poeple of Albania were super nice, helpful and truly wanted to get to know you. The sun set into the sea and I felt overwhelmed by their kindness and hospitality. In return I took a few photographs of their family to document our brief time together. The drive from Himara to Sarandë featured another awe-inspiring set of breathtaking views of the southern Albanian riviera. Homes peppered the rocky edges and donkeys shared the winding roads. We stopped for lunch and cappucinos at the gorgeous panoramic cafe, Perla and ate fish soup and fresh salads. When we pulled into Sarande, the sun glittered on the colored hotels lining the crescent cove directly across the Greek Island of Corfu.

The penultimate stop on our Albanian adventure took us to the southern tip of the country to a town called Ksamil which featured small islands lining the channel to Greece’s Corfu island. Small rustic fishing boats anchor off the beach. There was color everywhere. We jet-skied, we ate fresh fruit, we enjoyed life. The vibe in the air here in Ksamil was perfect pristine paradise.

On our drive to Berat, we witnessed the most unusual and peculiar thing that ended up being the topic of conversation the entire trip. We saw hundreds of half-completed homes in nearly mint condition. We later learned from the people of Albania that after gaining their independence in 1991, Albanians began to build a home to secure property rights. Those homes are built in phases and until each phase has the funds, it remains incomplete. See the pink house in the photograph below to see what I’m talking about. You will also see how we shared the roads with all types of livestock. When we arrived in Berat, we were smitten with it’s ancient charm. We explored the Citadel castle in Berat and walked, talked, and laughed until sunset. At sunset, we came to the peak of the castle mount and glanced across the Osumi River tothe Gorica neighborhood, whose houses face those of Mangalemi. The arched bridge of Gorica, built in 1780, is a beautiful architectural monument constructed to link Gorica with Mangelemi. We then walked along the promenade for a stroll to enjoy summer life among this quaint Albanian town. The view of the white houses climbing up the hillside to the citadel is one of the best known in Albania and features homes with windows that seem to stand above each other. This city is the pride of Albanian architecture, and under the protection of UNESCO .I took many different photographs in this city – it was visually striking! What we found so unique about Albania was it’s deep family roots. Everywhere we went, we experienced family-run businesses. Hotels, inns, restaurants, businesses, shop-keepers, and farmers all had multi-generational family members involved in some part of the business. Everything was organic. With farms everywhere you looked, and fresh seafood at arms length from most restaurants, the food was fresher than you could imagine. On our drive back north, we stopped in Gjirokastër an ancient hilltop village rich in history. The magically low prices continued to delight us. I stepped into a barber shop for a shave ( I hadn’t shaved once in 9 days on the trip). My beard was thick and Sulo spent 20 minutes shaving my beard with a straight razor. The grand total? $0.75 cents. al planned the entire trip flawlessly and her tireless effort paid off. Our course was meticulously charted for the most fluid vacation. Thank you Gal – I love you so much for the energy you put into each trip. Thank you Avram and Rita for all that you do to make the trip so fun and fabulous! If you like these photographs, please leave a comment below and do your self a favor and book a trip to Albania! Here are some helpful travel recommendations:
Restaurants in Tirana: Era, Villa Amsterdam, Il Gusto Vino & Ristorante Club
Hotel in Tirana: Hotel Rogner
Adventure Activities (hiking, rafting): http://www.albrafting.com/alfa/
Para gliding: http://www.aeroclubalbania.com/
Hotel in Berat: Vila Alexsander, also amazing for dinner
Restaurants in Llogora National Park: Llogora Tourist Village
Hotel in Himara: Rappos Resport
Here’s the latest from the New York Times who just published a story on how Albania is transformed since breaking free of it’s communist past.
Here’s a great story from the New York Times about the great hiking locations in Albania.