We have been in Albania for about 4 days now and I can already tell you it is going to be the best month in terms of food for the whole race! We arrived late Thursday night after a most triumphant 20 hour bus ride just in time for supper. Our squad leader has been to this particular location before, so he already knows the best places to eat. Anyway we went to a crape place he said was awesome. I have never had a crape before and had no idea what to expect, but let me tell you it was the best thing I have eaten on the race so far. The crape place has all different kinds to choose from ranging from the mexico, which has cheese, corn, and all the typical things you would expect from a Mexican dish, or you could go the sweet route. Obviously I chose the sweet option and as I said before it was a 10. The one I chose had white chocolate, nutella, and cookie crumbs. I have been back since and had a breakfast type with eggs, bacon, and cheese but nothing beats the one from the first night.
Let me take a break from this description of tantalizingly great food and tell you a little about Tirana, the city we are staying in for the month. When it was first described to us, they painted a picture of a poor part of town that was really run down and that was unsafe. Personally I wasn’t really sure what to think, but since coming here I know exactly what I think. This place is great! We are basically on the outskirts of the capital city and although it is a poorer part of town, as compared to the city center, it looks like a great place to live. It isn’t so busy in terms of traffic and people and with a 1 minute walk we can be at grocery stores and places to eat. Everytime we leave the house we meet new people and they just love to talk to Americans. The people here in Albania are very friendly. You can’t walk more than 5 feet before someone smiles at you or yells something nice to you in English. After spending the last two months in small villages and where not many people speak English, this has been a nice change of scenery.
We are staying in a little three room apartment that the church we are working with owns. It isn’t the best accommodations but it could certainly be much worse. I haven’t mentioned it yet, but this month is manistry, which means it is the 10 of us guys spending the month together without any girls. So in two of the rooms its 5 guys apiece sleeping on twin mattress’ side by side of the floor and the third room is a common area where we eat or talk or play cards. We also have a small bathroom which we all appreciate but the shower is at the church. The good thing is the church is only 50 yards from our place. Last month it was a 15 minute walk and the month before it was a 15 minute drive so this is a nice plus. We have met the pastor of the church but we haven’t gotten to do any ministry yet. I’m not exactly sure what we are doing this month but I am ready to start. As I said the people here are so friendly, so I’m sure we are gonna love whatever we get to do.
Let me get back to that food though! I have been introduced to some very good stuff just in these 4 days. At the crape shoppe I had a drink called salep. It looks to be a milk based drink but it is super thick like gravy, it is super hot, and is mixed with cinnamon. I know it sounds gross, thats what I thought, but it is actually great. I have also had the opportunity to eat some of the best pizza I have ever had second only to the great Big Eds. And until friday I thought food wouldn’t get any better than it already was and then I go to this place and order a sufllaqe. To easily describe it you, it is kind of like a gyro but Albanian style. It is served wrapped up in like a flatbread or peta bread. It is filled with cucumber sauce, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, french fries, and probably the best beef I have ever eaten that isn’t in steak form. I would probably put the sufllaqe on the list of the top five best food. We have only been here a couple days and I’m not sure if the food can get any better and I really don’t think it matters.
So theres a little bit on where we are staying and what we are experiencing and also a load of the best foods you can have in Albania. Thanks for checking it out and I ask for your continued prayers for us as we jump into ministry tomorrow and the weeks to come. Also if you come to Albania and don’t get a sufllaqe then you might as well say you weren’t even in Albania!
