It's a beautiful day in Tirana....

Today is just gorgeous! It's sunny... no rain in sight. It's just the least bit nippy, but nothing that a good scarf can't fix. Thanks to mom who made me the softest scarf which I now where EVERYWHERE. Sometimes it gets pretty chilly here (although compared to the States, I'm sure it's summer-like here, haha), and on those days, I have a cute little knit hat that I like to wear on my long walks to and from work to keep myself from freezing to death. Boy, do these Tirana-ans really think my hat is strange! It's true, the only people wearing hats are usually oldies. But I can't help it, my head just gets so cold! Boy, do I get stared at when I wear it, though! Hmmmm. Maybe it's just my amazing good looks. haha ;)

Today I slept in until a leisurely 9:30. I then went for a nice coffee with my mother-in-law (she had an espresso, I had a macchiato, of course... I still can't stomach a straight-up espresso! I am American, I guess), followed by a trip to the market and then a nice long walk together. I always find it so amusing to go to the market here... it's such a different experience than back home. All the vendors outside with their vegetables and fruit splayed out on the sidewalk and all the people haggling with them over the prices. Potatoes can cost you either 70 lek per kilo or 50 lek... (that's about 50 cents)- you just have to look around! I find it fun to walk around and make sure that you are getting the best produce for the cheapest price. Certainly different than Stop and Shop!

And boy, does the food taste fresh here! No preservatives... it's like shopping at Whole Foods every day!