Independence

(Check out our family photo from last year, same place!)

Today Albania celebrated Independence from the Ottoman Empire. It's a complicated and fascinating history that I'll try to summarize for you some other time when I'm not about to fall asleep sitting, that includes such gems as Ismail Qemali coming from Italy on a ferry, landing in Vlora with a customs form that stated the purpose of his visit as "To liberate Albania."

We also took advantage of the holiday to celebrate Thanksgiving a second time - wait, did I not tell you about the first time? Oh my. I have a lot of catching up to do.

Anyway, here are some photos I took around town today.

These guys are dressed up like the Albanian founding fathers or something.

(um... I think I have some research to do...)