Lazy Day in Albania...
We checked into the perfect Airbnb for us… centrally located in the heart of Tirana. We love being near the pedestrian areas and this one is. There are markets, restaurants and cafe’s right outside our door. We have an elevator (necessary) and though small, very efficient. We have a living room, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and balcony. What else do we need?
The kitchen is small but has everything for cooking a meal. Our view from bed is of a small, cobbled road and a mosque. With the cement patterned, see through wall, we have privacy and a view. The balcony looks over the old town. Nothing fancy but so nice to have coffee and wine. We like ‘living’ in the heart of a city to start. We get our bearings and then venture out. For today… we slept, woke up, slept some more and even more. We didn’t get up until 4pm! But that was to be expected… and was definitely part of my realistic plan.
Back to day one… arrival day. We actually left our flat and headed out for a bite to eat. We passed so many restaurants, all had soccer on the tv. We kept looking to see if anyone was eating but it appeared they all had beer! We finally stopped at one spot, “Can I get a menu?” Looking at me like I was from Mars… “we don’t have menus”. Hmmm… “do you have food?” Disgusted at my nonsensical questions… “No, we don’t have FOOD”. Oops… sorry. Who knew? Let’s move on! We found a fun restaurant.. WITH FOOD.
Oh my gosh… so good! We had a Greek Salad, gluten-free corn bread and meat plate. This was meant to be for me since hubby had eaten a pizza earlier. But he couldn’t resist. So many types of grilled meats… chicken, chicken wings, pork chops, ribs, kabobs… oh so delicious! The cats could not resist. They walked right up to our table and begged for any leftovers!
By around 4:30, we were showered and headed out for a quick coffee and shopping. We definitely had no plans of exploring or expending any energy ha! My “date” found us a spot under an umbrella at a neighborhood cafe. Time to order coffee!
Cappuccinos ordered… rain lightly falling… people watching… content.
We spent $3 USD for the two of us. My favorite thing is taking in the sounds and sights. We are hearing language we don’t understand… horns honking… laughter… music… forks hitting plates…. cars revving up… motorcycles… sounds of the city. Not sure why but these sounds always make me feel peaceful.
After a caffeine pick-me-up, we headed down the road to the market. Picking up a few supplies, we had enough for a couple dinners, wine (of course), charcuterie fixings and yogurt for breakfast. Time to get cooking in the kitchen. Most would prefer going out but having worked doubles all summer and hubby off on the road, cooking at “home” is a treat. We were happy to enjoy dinner with wine in the comfort of our flat.
Hubby enjoyed his prosciutto ravioli and I had burgers and a charcuterie board. We opened a nice Barolo. It’s 9:30pm here and… time for bed. We are going to attempt to normalize tomorrow! My “agenda” allows for another day of nothing so if we get up and explore, we will be ahead of the game! Night night to all… we are safe, full bellies, loved our wine and are ready to catch up on sleep. Vacation should be a combo of lazy and energetic, right? We are fully embracing the lazy at this point! Until tomorrow… naten e mire (goodnight)
PS As I finish this blog… a cloud exploded! It is POURING rain right now. All the more reason to be happily tucked into our flat, safe and dry.
