Shkoder

It was almost a miracle to wake up and have a hot shower that I didn’t have to pour on myself with a cup. I am forever definitely indebted to Wendy and Will for providing such wondrous luxury.

Wendy and Will went to church, so I went to Rozafa Castle, Shkoder’s castle. The 40 minute walk was a great way to see the city. The city got denser as I approached the center, and passed by the statue of Mother Tereza, the most famous Albanian, and then thinned again.


After the “Welcome to Shkoder sign” the glass fronted stores slowly metamorphosed into fruit merchants and open markets. Apartment buildings dissipated. Closer to the castle, the street was lined with chop shops, bumper cars and houses.

As I started to climb the road to the castle, the houses became smaller and denser. The pavement turned to rock and mud and I was pretty happy that I had worn those fancy Spanish Pikolinos I had fought so hard for. Clearly, the woman walking in front of me had not been as wise. As she walked through the unpaved street casually swinging her high heels I was became truly happy that I had only brought one pair of heels with me and that they were safely stowed in my village.

I got to the top of the path where I was happy to find out there was only one low entrance fee. It was 200 Leke alike for tourists and foreigners. I paid and wandered around. The entrance was wet as promised. As my memory tells me, myth has it that the Rozafa castle is always wet because of the woman who sacrificed her life for it. When the castle was being built the wall would not stay up.

The three brothers who were building it realized (I’m not sure how) that they needed to sacrifice one of their wives to make the wall stand up. They decided that the first wife to bring her husband lunch the next day would be sacrificed. The oldest two brothers ran home and told their wives not to bring them lunch the next day. The next day, the youngest brother’s wife came to the castle with her husband’s lunch. She was told she would be scarified and resigned herself to her fate.

However, she said, leave me one arm to hold my new born, one breast to feed him and one leg so that I can rock him. Fine, she was told. So the walls of the castle are always wet with her milk.

The inside of the castle was amazing. The grounds were pretty well documented and the walls were thick enough to walk on. On one end, there was a secret stairway that I missed the first time. In case the castle is under siege there is always a way out. At every turn there was a new incredible panoramic vista of the city or its outskirts.

In addition, I could clearly see the lake that goes to Montenegro. There is a museum with various non-secured items. One of which, a cannon ball, a child picked up to show his mother.

Walking back from the castle along the fruit vendors I experienced exceptional inflation when purchasing oranges. I picked out my oranges and silently I put them in a bag and waited my turn for the scale. I was told, after they were carefully weighed, that they would be 60 Leke ($.65).

I then pointed to the strawberries and asked “Sa Kushton?” How Much? I was told 300 Leke. This was clearly out of my budget so I went back to buying only the oranges. The merchant held up the bag and declared 100 Leke. I was furious! I tried feverishly to construct several sentences with the essence that 30 seconds ago they were 60 Leke, how could they be 100 now? How did they go up by 40%? 60 Leke, I stated, that’s all I’ll give you. Somehow I must have made my point because he quickly gave in and I bought my oranges for 60 Leke.

After my showdown, I went on an adventure to the sea. On the drive there, I passed the usual animals: Cows, sheep, dogs, cats, donkeys and, of course, chickens. However, because I was in the north, I also saw pigs for the first time and goats. In other words, animal sightings that could not be beat. It was the first time I dipped my foot in the Adriatic in years and it was fantastic. There is nothing like a spring day at the beach when everyone else is still too afraid to come out. I picked up some shells and I plan on keeping them close to me for the next 2 years remembering my first time on the sea here in my new home.

Dinner was another fabulous affair, the other trainee and his host volunteer, Rob joined us for dinner on a balcony that could have taken place in Italy.
I ate fish for my first time in Albania, deviating from pizza, as I really felt I should enjoy life fully, like a Shkodran. Fish is much more common in the north than in the center. It's especially popular in Shkoder due to its proximity to the sea and Lake Shkoder. My fish was good, but I should have splurged for the local specialty Krap, as I’m not sure when is the next time I’ll be in Shkoder.

We dined on the balcony and then headed back. Because Will and Wendy have wireless, I was able to get online and chat with a few people, another true treat with me. Between the 6 hour time difference and me having to be home by dark every night, I am rarely able to catch people online. Tonight I was. I spoke to a few of my religious friends who reminded me, as my parents have been for months, that Passover is coming. Until tonight, Passover had been way off in the distance. It was something I’d have to deal with after I leave for Albania, live in Albania. But now, I am in Albania and I have to deal with the fact that Passover is coming on Wednesday. I don’t have Matzah. I have a Seder at Ornela’s on Wednesday but I’m woefully underprepared to lead it. Tonight, my friend Will generously offered to ship me Matzah. I’m not sure it will arrive in time for Wednesday but it’s a pretty generous thing to offer regardless and I’ll have it for the rest of Passover. I’m actually really excited to eat Matzah and taste Passover. We’ll see how long that lasts.