Urban Sunset

Nature taking over

Is there any logical explanation as to why the municipality police is not collecting such abandoned vehicles? This one is only steps away from Tirana's city center where finding a parking place is a nightmare Freddy Krueger would be jealous of.

Spring Day - Dita e Veres

Spring Day (we actually call it Summer Day) is celebrated every 14 March in Albania.

According to some sources, Dita e Verës derives from the Arbëreshë, an Albanian community that lives in Italy since the fifteenth century. On 14 March, the Arbëreshë of the Italian coast, collect a tuft of grass roots and soil, bringing it home to commemorate the anniversary of their emigration from Albania. In fact, some sources date back this celebration to the ancient Illyria. At that time, the feast was celebrated on 1 March, which according to the Julian calendar, corresponded to the first day of the year.

Goodnight

[caption id="attachment_2511" align="alignnone" width="660"] Goodnight[/caption]

I don't know what to name this

Lana II

Reminds me the famous photo, Rhein II, hence the title. By the way, Lana is the small river that crosses Tirana.

Trip to Baba Tomor - Part 1

[caption id="attachment_2312" align="alignnone" width="660"] East of Tirana[/caption]

This album is a delayed one, the trip took time on August 22nd. I was thinking to post some of the photos as standalone images but then I thought this way would be more helpful for future travelers.

Baba (Father) Tomor is a mythological figure in the Albanian folklore. He is regarded as the father of gods and humans, like some sort of Zeus but no similarities with the latter. His home was on top of Mount Tomorr, in Berat (UNESCO World Heritage Site) and he lived there with his wife, Earthly Beauty. From 20-25 August, he top of Mount Tomorr is also a pilgrimage site for Bektashis, an Islamic Sufi Order. Their world headquarters are located in Tirana. Albanians are not that religious and most of us embraced Bektashism because it allows you to drink alcohol and it allows you to drink yogurt while fasting. Pretty cool huh? I'm not sure though, that's what I heard from people claiming to belong to this order.

Ok, that was a short intro about the mountain, the legend and the religion. We decided to visit the top of Tomorr during those days for a couple of reasons. It would be easy to find a ride to the top because my car stood no chance to those unpaved roads. It would be safe since there were a lot of people with tents sleeping for 4-5 days there. It would be easy to find food and water, although we knew beforehand that there are many springs around that area. Last but not least, there would be the perfect conditions for astrophotography, like clear skies, visible milky way and zero light pollution. And so me, my wife and 2 other couples begun the trip from Tirana to Kucove. The rest will follow in the next days. 

Raindrops

[caption id="attachment_2298" align="alignnone" width="660"] Raindrops[/caption]

Raining Cats and Dogs

[caption id="attachment_2295" align="alignnone" width="660"] Raining Cats and Dogs[/caption]

Rainy Days in Tirane

Tirana is well known (in Albania) for its rainy days. Sometimes it rains for 3-4 days without stopping. Sometimes it rains so much you can't see more than a couple of meters in front of you. The unusual thing about this photo is that when it rains, the streets are full of cars and traffic and this particular street, Joan D'Arc Boulevard, is one of the most problematic. On top of that, it was midday, rush hour.

Rain

It started raining out of nowhere. In just a couple of minutes it looked like Venice.

Rainy Afternoon

[caption id="attachment_1789" align="alignnone" width="950"] Rainy Afternoon[/caption]

Tirane

The last light of February

[caption id="attachment_1685" align="alignnone" width="950"] The last light of February[/caption]

Fallen Tree

[caption id="attachment_1679" align="alignnone" width="950"] Fallen Tree[/caption]

Another bloody sunset

[caption id="attachment_1676" align="alignnone" width="950"] Another bloody sunset[/caption]

Empty

[caption id="attachment_1669" align="alignnone" width="950"] Empty[/caption]

Close to a Swastika

[caption id="attachment_1654" align="alignnone" width="950"] Close to a Swastika[/caption]

Blue Sky

[caption id="attachment_1651" align="alignnone" width="797"] Blue Sky[/caption]

Champagne

[caption id="attachment_1648" align="alignnone" width="950"] Champagne[/caption]