On Thursday at school we organized a door decorating contest, Halloween game stations, a costume parade, treats and a movie for all of the primary students.
Thursday night I had the girls I teach with over for appetizers, drinks and games (we needed a little fun too!) However, when I got home, my apartment had no electricity, so the girls and I were eating apps by candlelight-- oh so appropo for the holiday. Friday evening a group of us went for drinks at a former co-workers' bar. Unfortunately, we had missed the memo and she wasn't working that evening... oops.
Thursday night I had the girls I teach with over for appetizers, drinks and games (we needed a little fun too!) However, when I got home, my apartment had no electricity, so the girls and I were eating apps by candlelight-- oh so appropo for the holiday. Friday evening a group of us went for drinks at a former co-workers' bar. Unfortunately, we had missed the memo and she wasn't working that evening... oops.
Saturday was our big Halloween party at Tony's. We decorated using the art work from our doors at school (reduce, reuse, recycle!) and charged a fee to cover the cost of food, drinks and music. The whole place was filled with expats which made it super fun! We even got to catch up with our friend Jen who's living in Sarande, but made it into Tirana for the weekend. After Tony's we headed to Charl's, a local spot with live music and dancing. We may have been the only people dressed up in all of Tirana, but we definitely didn't care.
The weather on Sunday was lovely, so Mark and I had a day out.
We walked from our apartment through the Great Park, where there is a new memorial honoring the Albanian people who aided jewish refugees during World War II.
As we walked down the boulevard, we noticed that overhead there were red and black banners honoring Albania's "heroes of the people". Albania gained their independence in November, and these banners are just one example of the many ways they are remembering and celebrating the heroes who made it happen.
Our final destination was Toptani (or Tirana) Castle, which is an incredibly old castle that is in ruins, except for some fragments of the outer wall that are still standing. The castle was taken over by the Toptani family, however this created a feud with another powerful family in Albania. The castle underwent a siege and ultimately the Toptani's were victorious, however, this did not last long. The castle came under attack from the Ottoman empire and was mostly destroyed, except for the fragmented wall that has been preserved today.
Beyond the walls of the castle are small cafes, mom and pop shops and an art gallery. Mark and I wandered around enjoying the art and Albanian souvenirs until we became hungry enough to stop by Tartuf, an amazingly delicious cafe that is all about truffles (the mushroom, not the chocolate). I had a brand new menu item, the truffle eggs benedict and it was delectable. Mark had truffle risotto and to share we had truffle potatoes. We will definitely be heading back there. We very much enjoyed our day of exploration in Tirana.
The weather on Sunday was lovely, so Mark and I had a day out.
We walked from our apartment through the Great Park, where there is a new memorial honoring the Albanian people who aided jewish refugees during World War II.
As we walked down the boulevard, we noticed that overhead there were red and black banners honoring Albania's "heroes of the people". Albania gained their independence in November, and these banners are just one example of the many ways they are remembering and celebrating the heroes who made it happen.
Our final destination was Toptani (or Tirana) Castle, which is an incredibly old castle that is in ruins, except for some fragments of the outer wall that are still standing. The castle was taken over by the Toptani family, however this created a feud with another powerful family in Albania. The castle underwent a siege and ultimately the Toptani's were victorious, however, this did not last long. The castle came under attack from the Ottoman empire and was mostly destroyed, except for the fragmented wall that has been preserved today.
Beyond the walls of the castle are small cafes, mom and pop shops and an art gallery. Mark and I wandered around enjoying the art and Albanian souvenirs until we became hungry enough to stop by Tartuf, an amazingly delicious cafe that is all about truffles (the mushroom, not the chocolate). I had a brand new menu item, the truffle eggs benedict and it was delectable. Mark had truffle risotto and to share we had truffle potatoes. We will definitely be heading back there. We very much enjoyed our day of exploration in Tirana.
