Back on Track in Tirana

It's now been 2 weeks since we returned from our US visit, and besides still not sleeping, life is getting back to "normal". I managed to direct my first TWIG meeting with a guest speaker from Bethany House, a local orphanage, where I also have started volunteering once a week. Bethany House is both state and privately funded and houses babies to 2 years old. There are about 40 children at any given time, and each caregiver has as many as 7-8 at one time!  Can you imagine?  So we go there, play with them, hold them, smile and coo (love is the universal language) and hope that soon all of them will one day be adopted or taken back to the families who for whatever reason cannot take care of them currently.  It's a rewarding couple of hours..
Most everyone in my "group' has returned from their holidays abroad and each one has the same story.. Wonderful to visit, but happy to be back "home".. We're back to coffee, lunch and step aerobics. For me, the class has moved even farther away, so I'll be "walking 25 minutes" before I even begin  the class.. All in hopes of thinner thighs and healthier heart.
Mark had a 3 day weekend, thanks MLK, so we decided to take advantage of another "day trip" to Korca.
A lovely town south east of Tirana, close to the Greek and Macedonia border.  Again, we don't list distance here, it's how long it takes.. and with the roads and traffic,  125k shouldn't take 4 hours...but alas, a nice drive, first stopping on the shore of Lake Ohrid for fabulous lake fish, Koran, which is like our trout.

view from the restaurant

Mark doesn't eat fish, we tried to order him veal, but the head nodding problem prohibited his meal from ever making it to the table.. He had lots of delicious salad, olives and yogurt with honey and walnuts and bread, so happy we were. 
The rest of the drive took us thru Pogradec and small towns along the way, finally reaching our destination of the Bujtina Sidheri Bed and Breakfast. Of course, nothing has a street number, so we had the name, and as luck would have it found our delightful place without too many looks from my wonderful husband

Our room, there are 4 total.. we were the only ones in the place

hallway to sitting room

entrance to breakfast room

We spent the afternoon wondering around the town, all of the museums were closed, this being a very Orthodox village, they aren't like Tirana where nothing is observed.

The largest Orthodox church in Albania built in 1992





2011

Happy New Year to all..
We just returned from 3 weeks in the USA.. Vegas, Omaha and Portland.
Once I get over jet-lag, I promise to start posting again.
I have been appointed Co-Chair of my TWIG Group and our first meeting of 2011 is next
Wednesday.. and my co-chair is still out of the country.
I'll give you the high points of the meeting at the next posting.
till then, enjoy good health and happiness in the new year