Every major city seems to have its “must-see” landmark. London has the Tower of London, Paris the Eifel Tower, Prague has the Charles Bridge, New York has the Empire State Building, and Seattle has Calvin Presbyterian Church…

Well, yesterday Nancy and I, along with Susan, who is another Fulbrighter, experienced what I would call the “must-see” of Tirana. We took a taxi from the center of town through a suburban area that is just being developed to a ski-like lift. We paid our 500 lek ($5), got on the lift and were transported to a stopping point slightly over 3,000 feet above us—on the upper slope of Mount Dajti (pronounced like tidy only with the t and d exchanged). The lift took us high over the valleys below and finally up a steep rise to its upper station. There we got out, looked around, and walked about ¾ of a mile to a restaurant and observation point.

I am certain that on a clear day the view of the city of Tirana far below would be breathtaking, but this day it was partially obscured by a combination of natural haze and smog. But the fall colors that surrounded us at our new elevation more than made up for the haze below. Susan is an archaeologist specializing in the flora that past civilizations lived on—not interesting to some, but it gave her a working knowledge of many of the trees and shrubs we were in the midst of. So we learned a bit about the names behind the colors.


But mostly we just wandered in awe. Last time I wrote in this blog I commented on the beauty that we as humans can add to our environment, both on a small and on a grand scale. This time I have to comment on the beauty that God adds—and on both a microscopic and a grand scale. I had seen some of this while cycling through Europe before coming to Albania, but I saw much more of it yesterday. The Balkan (bal = barrier) Mountains throughout Albania are imposing. But this time of year they are also beautiful… And we marveled at that beauty in the tall trees and the small fall blooming flowers.

Today we worshipped once again at an International Protestant Church near our apartment. During the service the pastor asked if we could sense the presence of God in that place. Yesterday, we were not in a building labeled a church, but we could certainly sense the presence and creative wonder of God—the God who created the heavens,who fashioned and made the earth.. (Isaiah 45:18), the God who made the trees that were pleasing to the eye…(Genesis 2:9).

If you look at the last photo for this entry you will notice a strange mushroom-shaped object in the lower right corner. I would label that photo The Beauty and The Beast, as that object is one of the 600,000 one-person concrete bunkers which the former dictator had built everywhere in the country. He was paranoid, certain that the invaders were at the door, and ordered these bunkers to be built everywhere. I will write more about them in the future, but alongside the glorious fall colors the ugliness of this bunker certainly stands out.


Oh, an aside. For 36 years I have paid careful attention to the changing of the clocks on those Sundays that daylight savings comes and goes. Each season I would be extra careful to change the clocks on Saturday night so that I would not arrive for worship at the wrong time. I would also wait to see who came early or late, and warn the ushers to be ready to explain to those who had forgotten to change their clocks. Well, today Nancy and I arrived for worship and we were the only ones there. Why? You guessed it. We learned the hard way that Albania has daylight savings just like the US…