Photo: Linh Dinh
IN DREAMS: All masked up and ready to cue at The Excellent Pool Hall and Bar in Tirana, Albania.
Linh Dinh
Good morning, Albania! It’s good to swap the police-state glare of Egypt’s military rulers for the welcoming embrace of a tranquil, bustling Tirana
I
’m in downtown Tirana, Albania. My seventh floor room has a fridge, desk, three chairs and a wardrobe. There’s also an electric kettle, which is useful not just for hot beverages, but instant noodles and soups. Heat is love. My private bathroom is clean
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and new, with plenty of hot water, and strong shower jets. My wide window affords a panorama of tenements backstopped by a mountain range. Each dawn, a soft, considerate sun rises, cheering my prospect. On my wall, there’s a nice kitschy painting of snowcapped, craggy peaks.
For all these privileges, I pay just $427 for four weeks. Although my landlady speaks no English, there’s no problem. Tiny, pleasant and hushed, she’s in the next room. Walking by her door, I can barely hear her television murmuring, if she’s there. In her ’60’s, she’s as scatterbrained
