We’ve lived in Albania for more than a year. In that time, we’ve shopped a lot, cooked a lot, and measured distances a lot. Albania uses metric units. That means United States Customary System units don’t work here. Neither do…
Actually, I’d be just as happy being 82 again! (88 arrives in just six weeks!) My expectation has been to live to age 96 with as much energy as I had when I was 82, especially since I was so…
Long time, no blog. Things have been rocky. Now Jennifer and I are feeling that blogging urge again. Barry at Death’s door — the real deal I spent four days in March in the hospital. Crippling pain. Enormous infection of…
Albanian pharmacies (farmacis) operate very differently from US pharmacies. First, they are located everywhere. I am not exaggerating. There are four in our neighborhood within a block or two of each other. Secondly, just like the doctors here, 99% of…
A major blessing of living in Tirana, the capital of Albania, is that there’s no need to own a car. Most of what I need is within walking distance. Buses abound and are cheap (0.40 lek $0.46). Taxis are everywhere…
Our apartment master bath includes a bidet. I had no idea how to use it. The thought that I should ask somebody came and went until I thought it was too late to admit I hadn’t used it since I’d…
Where does the time go? Last night, 06 November 2025, Jennifer and I celebrated our one-year anniversary of moving here. We had dinner at Restaurant Berlin and dessert at Laguna. Jennifer had gelato. I planted our candle in a cheesecake.…
JENNIFER AND I ARE IN ALBANIA TO STAY. She wrote a trip summary. I started this summary months ago, but lots of “getting settled” tasks stopped or slowed progress on it. Now it’s time to finish it up and publish…
When I use an Albanian phrase in my day-to-day encounters with Albanians, I’m always treated to approving encouragement (often accompanied with a little smile/giggle). Whether the smile/giggle is because I’ve butchered the phrase or because they approve of my moderate…
We are in our tenth month of living in Albania. Our 1,000 lek ($11.50) per-hour-three-hours-once-a-week-cleaning lady, Flora Hyseni has been with us from our first week. She came to us via referral from Sonila, our go-to guide from the ExPatsInAlbania.com…
From Reuters — without edits. Barry’s opinion at the bottom. Albania appoints AI bot as minister to tackle corruption PRISTINA (Reuters) -A new minister in Albania charged to handle public procurement will be impervious to bribes, threats, or attempts to…
A Little Background My blog post “Deciding to Retire in Albania” posted July 9, 2025 details the circuitous route that led us from originally targeting Bulgaria as our retirement destination to switching to Albania. This happened about a month before…
I am progressing with the Albanian language from one-word statements like hello, good, thank you, etc. to phrases: mirë pafshim (goodbye) or just pafshim (bye) and kalofshi e mirë (have a nice day). I know “thank you” is technically two words…
Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans. — Incorrectly attributed to John Lennon. It actually goes back to at least 1957. The road to Albania wasn’t straight. Far from it! I was doing something else…
What Led Me to Retire Now I have been working since I was twelve years old. First as a babysitter and then at after-school jobs—first as an usherette in the local theatre followed by a stint as a dime store…