A group of expats decided to get together for the pool opening party at the Rogner Hotel. It was a cocktail hour starting at 7 with drinks, live music and of course, the pool. Or so we thought... There were about 10 of us who went. We all wore our suits under our clothes so that we could swim, but when we arrived we saw that the pool was roped off. Hmm... that's strange. This is a pool opening party. Maybe there'll be a dramatic rope cutting ceremony or something. We sipped on bubbly and wine and listened to the jazz musicians on the pool deck. After chatting with our server we found out that the pool was closed... and would remain that way... for the entirety of the night. WHAT? But we thought this was a pool opening party. Yes, but that's just a name. A what? I'd say that's pretty descriptive for just being a name. The 10 of us were floored and decided that we weren't going to go along with this. How could they not open the pool at the pool opening party? We decided that if all ten of us got in at the same time they wouldn't be able to stop us. We took a few more gulps of liquid courage and all hopped in. The waiters looked baffled. They looked at one another and realized there was nothing they could do, so they walked away and continued on with other patrons. We swam. We splashed. But most importantly, we opened that damn pool. ๐
This night was one last big hurrah because most of us were going separate ways-- some would be staying in Tirana for the summer, others like Mark and I, would be heading to the states and then returning for the new school year, and others still were taking on teaching opportunities in new countries. We decided our night couldn't end in the pool so we all headed to the famous pyramid.
But first, for a little background. In 1988 the pyramid was opened as the Enver Hoxha Museum (honoring Enver Hoxha, the leader of communist Albania) Once communism ended, the people didn't want a museum honoring Hoxha, so the building was used for conferences, a base for NATO and a broadcasting center for media outlets. Because it wasn't owned by a single organization, the building fell into disrepair and has been pretty severely vandalized over the years. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the question: what do we do with the pyramid now? which is why it still stands empty and in disrepair to this day.
Now, fast forward to our evening. It's kind of a "right of passage" for tourists and locals to climb the pyramid, however many of us had never done so. Why not make tonight the night? So we climbed the pyramid. We sat at the top. Enjoyed the view. Took in the city scape. And then walked down (here's why walking is preferable to sliding: I walked and came out in one piece, Mark slid and got a hole in his swim trunks ๐)
And last, but certainly not least, the best, late night corner pizza that we'd never tried but always wanted to.
But the best part of this entire evening came the next day. I had a full day software training at school (students had finished; this was just admin) I spent all morning with this wonderful woman, Karen, who, during lunch, let slip that she may have seen me last night at the Rogner pool opening. OH. MY. GOSH. ๐We had a good laugh and she admitted that if she'd had her bathing suit she'd have been in the pool with us. She also inquired about climbing the pyramid, a "must do" she'd seen online when researching things to see in Tirana. Well, actually Karen, it's funny you mention that... ๐
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