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In the Roman Catholic town of Bajze, Albania April 25th is a holiday honoring the patron Saint Mark, a rose bud festival in Venice. My husband recalled memories of large town gatherings, loads of food, live music and a lively atmosphere the eve of and the day of St. Mark here in Bajze. The current pandemic has limited for this occasion to loads of food, small gathering of just the family and lively atmosphere. The table was covered with slow roasted lamb, fish, grilled pork, olives, cheese, pickled peppers, cubed baked potatoes, salad, wine and my addition, strawberry shortcake. A normal feast for most Albanian homes. The lively atmosphere was the entertainment of introducing my nephews and niece to the Heads Up game a bit of confusion and laughter was a fun way to end the evening. Our drive has several rose bushes and they are full of buds, soon they will pop! The day was stunning, warm with a slight breeze.

Mood of the day: We set our mission at the beginning of the year to bring books to the local school libraries here in Bajze. We fell short of the fundraising but were still able to pay for the shipment out of pocket. Thanks to all those that did contribute by donating. To find out more about the mission and how to donate: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/stockthelibrary After a lot of logistical phone calls and several trips to the border customs office. Today this mission is complete. We unloaded two palates of books to the school library with some assistance from the locals. We peeked in a few boxes to check the content and quality and I was instantly transported. Several books I remembered reading while sitting cross legged in the middle of the aisle at the local library. I was beyond giddy. The books were in great condition thanks to the Int'l Book Project for the quality books! We can't wait for this pandemic to be over and we can host reading hours with the local school kids. We hope to complete the fundraising for the shipment costs and the needed improvements for paint and shelving for the school libraries. https://www.homesteadalbania.com/stockthelibrary

We embraced a warm sunny day to walk the path to the cross that borders the valleys of Bajze and Goraj. The trail is rocky but easy going with level spots from the incline up and a switchback path near the top. Views of the small neighborhoods that back up to the ridge, a few old abandoned stone homes along with some pretty plants made the journey to the top less tiresome. A few spots of shade in the lower sections but all sun up top. At the neck, we deserted the trail and climbed to the cross that crests the mountain ridge between the two valleys. It is a 360° view of the valley of Bajze to Lake Shkoder to the border mountains of Montenegro, Ivanaj, Vukpalaj, Maja e Sukajt, Maja e Tatiqit, Maja e Veleçikut, Maja e Kashtes and the valley towns of Goraj and Zagore. We did not take a path down from the cross but instead through the bush, Art style. It was steep, rocky and thick with trees. Slowly we made our way back to the corner of one of the switchbacks before making the final descent down back to town. We left at 11 am and did not return till around 5 pm. The step app showed over 30,000 steps accumulated. And after two days, my quads are still feeling the gentle burn. A must pack for this hike is water, hearty snacks, sunscreen, hat and camera. We will likely do this again with visitors, once the world hits restart. The next hike adventure on my list is to summit the ridges of the Maja e Sukajt. We have hiked a few on the left when visiting the Mokset Castle but I want to hike the ridge from Mokset to Vukpalaj. Just over that rise is Lake Shkoder and Montenegro. Who is game to tag along? Our mission this year is to support the local schools with a shipment of books, projectors for the classroom and improvements to the shelves and tech in the school libraries. The shipment of books has landed and is arriving at customs this week. We have not reached our fundraising goal to provide additional support and with the current pandemic, fear that we may have to put our additional support on hold. If you are interested in learning more visit: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/stockthelibrary

The mount behind our house has cross centered at the top. On Good Friday, the town's Catholic Parrish and community walks from the church to the cross. After an opening prayer, the group pauses 14 times along the path lead by a man carrying a wooden cross and the priest, nuns and the community. 1st Station: Jesus is condemned to death 2nd Station: Jesus carries His cross 3rd Station: Jesus falls the first time 4th Station: Jesus meets his mother 5th Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his cross 6th Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus 7th Station: Jesus falls the second time 8th Station: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem 9th Station: Jesus falls a third time 10th Station: Jesus clothes are taken away 11th Station: Jesus is nailed to the cross 12th Station: Jesus dies on the cross 13th Station: The body of Jesus is taken down from the cross 14th Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb A tradition that was cancelled this year due to the current pandemic. Our neighbors carried the tradition on from our house to the cross. Traditions on Easter morning starts with silence until after eating the morning meal with specific items: fresh spring garlic to ward off evil, fresh bread without yeast, fresh cheese without salt and a boiled egg. Morning mass followed by a large family meal. This year no morning mass or large family meal with the current pandemic. We will have close immediate family only with traditional roasted lamb, rice pilaf, kos (yogurt), fresh bread, cheese, olives, fruits and greens followed by baklava. Another Easter tradition is the decorating and dying of eggs. A guest will pick an egg and the host will pick an egg. The guest will then gently tap the other egg and winner is decided when the egg stays in intact. This has been a tradition for many many years here and is still done by both adults and children. Sweet treats like chocolate and fruits are still given to visiting family. To my knowledge no Easter Bunny or basket traditions in our area. We spent Good Friday with extended family that were released from self isolating after returning from the UK outdoors and with social distancing. We hiked up the Mokset Hills and took new paths (the one down I will likely not repeat rocky and steep). The landscape was dotted with fresh green, flowered trees and the grazing animals of nearby homes. The views never get old here and I know how lucky this small town girl from Missouri is to get to take this in each and everyday. We also worked on the garden this week as we are actively planting more and more now that the frost has come and gone (hopefully). This week we planted seeds for watermelon, cantaloupe, climbing beans, okra, cucumbers, zucchini, and carrots. Started seed sprouts for pumpkins, green beans, peppers, tomatoes, watermelon and blueberries. Also planted a few starter plants from the local tradesmen and neighbors for peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, zucchini, and cucumbers. The spinach, green lettuce, potatoes, onions and garlic previously planted are all doing quite well. We are thankful for the large garden but thought we may need assistance with where we planted what. I have been mapping it out via excel, yes nerdy but necessary. We also spent a portion of the week working on the logistics for the donated books arrival to Albania. The latest is by Tuesday we will have the books delivered to the empty schools in town, classes are canceled till this fall. We will start the joy of unpacking and cataloging the content for the schools and separating the primary and secondary books between the two libraries. To find out more about our mission visit: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/stockthelibrary Stay home and safe my friends.

My husband's favorite time of year is spring. He grins ear to ear with joy at all of the green returning, the trees and plants coming back to life and the beautiful blooms that come out each and everyday. I appreciate the buzz of the bees, the fresh warm sun and the brown bare trees gracefully covered with new growth and green goodness. We have had a few surprises this spring including an April fools snow shower that stuck around for the morning and melted by late afternoon. We pass part of the range above on our way to Shkoder and there is a part that has a distinct outline of a sculpted shapely bum. I have pointed this out to Art several times never really believing he sees it but after the snow I finally got a clear shot of the range with the figure. Do you see it? After this last cold snap and snow we started a new long row in the garden to plant beans, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, cantaloupe and watermelon. The potatoes had some frost damage on the baby sprouts but have recovered a bit. Spinach and green lettuce are thriving and we have sampled both! Grafted fruit trees are starting to show some evidence of catching which means more fruit producing trees next year! This year the trimmed quince, pear, peach, thana, mulberry, persimmon, fig, nectarine, and apple trees and kiwi and grape vines have all bloomed, started to flower and produce fruit. Still patiently waiting on the apple, plums, cherry, dates and pomegranate trees to reach beyond baby sprouts. April also brought us good news the book shipment from the states has landed in Europe. We should be receiving a delivery date this week. Schools are dismissed here for the summer with the current pandemic so we will be working with the teachers to make the improvements to the libraries over the next few months and introduce a possible summer reading program. Want to learn more about our mission: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/stockthelibrary

It has been a little over three weeks since we received the first positive cases of Covid-19 here in Albania. Overall the country has handled the crisis very calm and rationally. Schools, universities, sit in cafes and restaurants, bars, clubs, gyms, and malls were shut down for social activity almost immediately. Pedestrian car traffic in red zones were limited to medical personal going to and from work, ambulance, and transit of goods, special permission for trips to the airport before it was shut down and other needs can be requested as needed. Mass transit like city buses and passenger vans were also shut down to prevent close proximity with others. Land, sea, and air borders are now limited to transit of goods only. Special cases for those that were in transit to the Albanian borders during the shut down exceptions were made. The individuals were screened upon arrival and ask to self quarantine for 14 days. A curfew was set from 7 am to 1 pm to allow residents to run essential errands. Retail shops, grocery stores, and pharmacies switched to the curfew hours and have a limit the number of people in the shop at a time to reduce risk. The government ask that residents only go out one at a time and limit to one hour if possible. They are cautious and have learned from our neighbors across the sea that swift restrictions could flatten the curve and so far doing pretty decent. Today they are reporting 243 positive cases, 13 total deaths, 52 recovered here in Albania. The population of Albania stands around 2.8 million and almost a third of the population lives in the capital of Tirana. There is approximately 410,000 people over the age of 65. The rural areas have a large elderly population so spreading beyond city centers has a higher fatality risk. We live in a rural corner and are still at zero cases in our region. The swift action of the government to minimize the spread has greatly reduced risk of this pandemic reaching the rural areas. How did the Albanian people react to all of the above? Before the curfews, active runners, walkers, card players and strollers were dotted in the large city parks. Fines for breaking curfew curved the pedestrian traffic in the large cities and parks. The stores remained stocked with no over buying or stocking of massive amounts of anything were done here minus an observation of one cart with about 10 bottles of vegetable oil and large flour bags. Most homes have a bidet here so toilet paper is not an end all be all like other countries, cough the US. And on an economical note the mass buying power is not something affordable for most households. They are a society of mostly only buy what you need not what you think you might. Plus the majority of the population over the age of 40 have lived through worse, the rationing of food and goods enforced by Communism was extreme and left many hungry. Resilient and humble people. How are we handling all of the above? Our daily life has been business as usual. We do make a town run when needed in the mornings to pay for phone, internet or pick up items as needed. We still hike on our land and even went fishing one morning (thankfully we live near the lake). How as a country are we handling this current crisis? From an outsider looking in not too bad. I have had recent discussions with friends in New Zealand, the UK, Serbia, Switzerland, Italy and friends/family in the US. After reflecting on each conversation, I can honestly say I am very thankful to be tucked away in our tiny corner of the world. Stay safe my friends and please stay calm. Happier and lighter note: Spring is unfolding and blooming more each day. We are counting down till we can start planting our post frost crop. Potatoes, garlic, onions, lettuce greens and spinach are thriving. Checked on some of the grafting he completed earlier this month and seeing some success so we could be increasing our fruit production ever so slightly in the next year or so. Update on our Stock the Library mission, the books have arrived in Europe and will be land transported to Albania from a port in Slovenia. We are still actively raising funds for this mission to find out more or to donate please visit: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/stockthelibrary

Yes, I said mountain climbing. For those who know me well understand that my skills at walking on flat surfaces can be challenging at times so the thought of me mountain climbing may either make you cringe or just shake your head in utter disbelief. Well it happened thanks to my husband's childhood dream to summit a mountain he can see from the mount behind our home. We searched online for a trail or track that would take us up and finally found one that should take around three hours each direction. So we started prepping for this adventure by hiking our hill behind the house regularly, long bike rides to the next town over and a short 5 hour hike to a bunker/castle ruin in our town. The short hike was a near fail because of poor planning on water supply so lesson learned but overall not too bad. Pictures below are from this short hike. The 12 mile bike rides helped improve overall fitness but no major hills to challenge our upward momentum. And the path behind the house we have taken dozens of times and it helped but with all good plans and prep somethings are bound to go downhill eventually. Our nephew was visiting from Michigan and decided to brave the climb with us so we picked a day when the weather was clear and mild, a warm high of 77 F by midday. We started our ascent at 9 am with plans to be down by 3ish. We started on the trail head found online and about ten minutes in found that the trail had red markers on various rocks as we went a long so that was amazing. We made it about to 4550 ft by 11 am with a few water breaks but overall still going well. About 40 minutes in we ran in to a guy going down that said there was a small group ahead of us by about 15 minutes so we caught up enough to keep them in our line of sight but lost them and the trail, the trail we had mapped indicated a right turn to go around the side we were facing then ascend further but we could see the top from this position. So my eager husband wanted to make a straight bee line for the top but at this point we had literally spent the last 20 minutes climbing the side of the mountain and my nephew and I were still catching our breath. I love my husband but he can be a bit of an overachiever if the task is close. So he convinced my nephew to go straight up with him and I to follow at a much slower crawl. They reached the summit about an hour and half later and I took a slightly different path to the right hoping to catch eye of the trail but only to crawl up via rock and long grass to a small summit two and half hours later. The small group that we lost sight of came up the trail but did my husband ask about where said trail was, no because we make our own, famous last words from my husband. We knew my ability to descend was was going to be a challenge due to the shear side we crawled up and my handicap of ankle instability on flat ground so we sent my nephew ahead of us so he didn't have to keep with my slow pace. My attempt to walk down just behind my husband was short as my pace and his varied significantly. My best and less dangerous way down was crab walking or sliding on my tush. This was very time consuming and terribly humiliating to see my husband bound down the side only sliding a little but otherwise not phased. About 20 minutes in to my crab walk down the side I see the small group come casually walking down from the side we were suppose to originally take, frustrating to know that there was an easier way but I kept going. We did make it down and I only took one hard fall that included a sharp rock to the right kidney that did take my breath away. It was super challenging climbing down and we lost the trail a bit so it took a while to get back on track to get down. Overall the views were stunning, the climb was exhausting, lost one of two car keys, we just made it down before the sunset, and my husband has now banished me from all trails leading up. For me I was proud that I have added summit a mountain to my list of accomplishments. So when you visit my husband can take to you on any trail while I will be at base camp with water and food on your return. Cheers to childhood dream realized. P.S. Thanks Paige for the pant recommendations they held up well while sliding down the side of the mountain.

We had a busy few weeks prepping the vineyard and garden for spring planting and capturing some additional footage of the surrounding areas. Starting a new series to highlight the north otherwise known as the Malësi e Madhe, translation literally is Big Mountains. We will run the series each season to highlight the progression of the vibrant colors. Winter is still stunning but very brown. First in the series is a small neighborhood, Pjetroshan, our brother-in-law and his family are from this area. We are still looking for donors or partners to support the Stock the Library project. To find out how you can help: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/post/bajze-library-and-school-project The playlist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNFEwIe8QvbpQGnC9rYnO1jcm3PVoPI0z

We recently started gathering aerial footage of our little town and this video highlights the natural springs that border the lands or are part of the lake. The Pelican Eye's are a popular fishing spot for all local fisherman and the Black Eye is very serene and peaceful spot off the coast line of Bajze with Lake Shkoder. We are considering a new kayak just to explore more of the lake, if you have any brand recommendations please comment below.

We had a beautiful bright sunny day after a lot of rainy dreary days. Little progress made in the garden this week due to the rain but what we have planted has started to grow and our fruit trees are starting to blossom. March into April will be spectacular for new blooms and hiking. Be sure to subscribe to Homestead Albania for the latest news and updates. Our mission project for 2020 is stock to the local school library with new books and they are currently floating our way. If you want to find out more click the link below: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/stockthelibrary

Update here in Albania, the status in the major cities are still red zones with strict curfew hours for pedestrian movements. Saturday and Sunday pedestrian movements were restricted entirely as an attempt to flatten the curve. According to a recent news release, this is where we, Albania, stands. "Thirteen new coronavirus cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours in Albania, bringing the total number of infected people to 89. Eight of the patients who tested positive live in Tirana, one in Kavaja, one in Durres, and three in Korca. All of the patients had been in contact with other infected people. So far, tests have been conducted on 804 people. Out of the total of 43 hospitalized patients, four are in intensive care, though none require ventilator machines for the moment. The rest of the patients remain in stable condition. According to the Ministry of Health, 59 percent of the infected patients are men, and 41 percent are women, while the average age of those infected is 48, and for those hospitalized is 54. The Ministry of Health also announced that three patients who tested positive for the coronavirus in Albania are now cured. However, they will have to be quarantined at home for 14 days. Currently, there are 63 cases in Tirana, eight in Fier, six in Durres, two in Lushnja, two in Elbasan, two in Rrogozhina, three in Korca, and three in Kavaja." We are located in the far northern district of the country and have no known positive cases in our region to date. So we acknowledge the efforts the local and national governments are taking seem extreme to some, but it is saving lives by prevention of spreading to the rural regions of the country, which are predominantly populated by people over the age of 60. Art and I have taken this time to work on the list of projects we made during the winter months. A new trellis made to support a thick section of vines, and the start of a carport structure to provide shade for the car during our sunshine fueled summers. Additional tree grafting in and around the garden. What is grafting? Grafting and budding are horticultural techniques used to join parts from two or more plants so that they appear to grow as a single plant. In grafting, the upper part (scion) of one plant grows on the root system (rootstock) of another plant. In the budding process, a bud is taken from one plant and grown on another. We have several wild trees and domestic trees. We are trying different combinations. We plan to do a how-to tutorial later this spring after we can show the outcome of a few that were successfully grafted. One combo is quince with a pear. Time will tell if it takes. We are also attempting to graft some wild figs, pear, and plum trees on the hill behind the house. We are still fundraising support for the local library. The donated books were shipped mid March from the US to Albania. If you like to find out more please checkout our page: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/stockthelibrary

After many conversations with people back home in the US, New Zealand and Italy, I can safely say we are prepared. I never realized the benefits of our lifestyle from a long term perspective until this pandemic came to life. The first confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Albania happened Monday morning. I happen to be in Shkoder that afternoon unaware of the news. Our new friends shared they had overheard the news on the bus about two confirmed cases. This explained the lines and full carts at the grocery store, I was just the chauffeur. Observing the items in the carts in mass were frying oil, flour and sugar. I had to return to Shkoder on Tuesday and there was no mass buying or shelf clearing activities going on. By Wednesday the government introduced measures by Friday to lock down the personal vehicle traffic in the major cities, flights and ferries from Italy and Greece halted, the land borders are shut down for traffic other than transit goods. No known cases in northern Albania so movement to the grocery stores and the next town isn't a problem yet. How has this affected our daily lives? To be honest it hasn't. We are still planting and working the garden, going about our day as usual. How? Well on most days we only interact with the neighbors via a holler over the fence, and the only company we have at the moment are our chickens and pigs. We did exam our pantry, freezer and deep freeze to check what we had and we are amazing prepared for months if required. Great thing about being a homesteader is that our garden, eggs via hens, and orchard provide enough food for a long while. And we have enough wine and raki to last a small army. A more positive note, yesterday I took a trip around the garden with the camera to capture our trees that are starting to flower. We are still fundraising for the local library. The donated books are heading to Albania. If you like to find out more please checkout our page: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/stockthelibrary

Tomorrow, March 5th is World Book Day. Books have been the topic of conversation in our household the last few months. We received notification this morning that our partners with Int'l Book Project have shipped two pallets = 5,941 books to Albania from the US! We are excited to see this vision finally start to take shape. We are still short the funds but have six weeks to fund raise. To learn more about our project with the local library and classrooms click here: https://www.homesteadalbania.com/stockthelibrary Found the image of me with a book from my youth, we hope to bring this joy to the kids here next month! Thanks in advance for your support. How can you help? Donate today via PayPal using the Donate button or via VenMo @HomesteadAlbania. Sale proceeds from Art's books will also go towards our project, if you haven't already ordered a copy, it's available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/32UwIsD

Did you ever attend story hour at the county or community library, spend countless hours of your youth browsing the shelves at a library, read every Judy Bloom book, or spent hours researching term papers in a library? Now imagine that resource never existed. We (Art and I) are actively working with Int'l Book Project to bring over a shipment of books for the near empty school libraries here in Bajzë, Albania. We toured the school libraries with the local school administration. It was very sad some scholastic books were decades old, tattered, covers and pages missing and the shelves were barely stocked. The nearest community library is in the capital, Tirana, 2 hours by car and most would have to take a bus to travel that far so closer to 4 hours. Reading is the weakest subject in Albania, the EU Ministry of Education and Sports in cooperation with UNICEF, is promoting the ‘Albania Reads’ initiative to improve the country’s performance in reading. As many people have transitioned to e-readers or the Kindle app on a phone, access for the 450 school aged children is very limited. Most households don't have a working computer, internet or cell phones for the children. So books in hand are crucial to swing the learning curve in a positive direction and inspire the next generation. While Albania’s economy continues to grow, its total government expenditure is the lowest in Southeastern Europe with only 3% of its budget allocated to education and 3.7% to health. Our local teachers furnish everything for their classrooms including desks, chairs, computers, projectors and scholastic materials. The teacher's dedication to the youth is astounding, they provide so much for their classrooms and students. Our fundraising goal is $15,000 this breaks down to: Approximately 5,941 Books donated by the Int'l Book Project Shipment from US to Albania = $4627 Port fees, taxes and shipping in Albania = approximately $3800 New Projectors/cost of shipping for the classrooms = $2500 Two Laptops/catalog software for the School Librarians = $2000 New shelving, two rolling book carts and paint for the libraries = $2073 We are actively looking for local businesses and community leaders to assist with fundraising but I hope my friends, family and neighbors back home can help support literacy and our rural community teachers. How can you help? Donate today via PayPal using the Donate button or via VenMo @HomesteadAlbania. Our goal is to have the project fully funded by April 30th. Thanks in advance for your support! Science Teacher provided everything but building structure including the table and chairs.

We finally captured the homestead via drone and surrounding scenic views, enjoy!

We finished the last batch of Raki and decided to take a little day hike in Bogë, Albania to a path we started but didn't complete (time constraints) a few months ago. Mission accomplished. Check out the beautiful fall day we experienced with some pretty amazing views. Raki blog and video coming soon, don't forget to subscribe to get the latest content posted. Cheers!

In Albania, Raki is steadfast tradition and a must have in all households as it is served to guests, it is also the toasting or salute beverage of the country to honor any loss or celebration such as a marriage or new child. **Fun fact, my roots in the US go back to the settler's by the legendary name 'The Hatfields', as in the 'Hatfield and McCoys' family feud and known moonshiners. Who knew my ancestry research would show true skills are past down over the generations, ha ha. ** Moonshine aka Raki is a distilled alcohol made from fermented fruit. The leftover grape mush post wine withdrawl is left to ferment for an additional 10 days with an added mixture of heated water with dissolved sugar. Why the added sugar? The sugar helps further break down the fruit and raise the alcohol levels when distilled. Total fermentation of the grape mush will be around 28-32 days. Items required before we began our distillation: nice weather with no rain as we are outside and need to keep a fire lit, plenty of firewood for said fire, alcohol level meter, containers sterilize and ready, and loads of patience. When we moved the fermented mush from the barrel to the still, we removed the stems to reduce any bitterness. We also added some raki from last year to strengthen the first batch, this step is not required but does assist with getting started. To seal the still we used a paste made of flour and water at each joint. The still set up pictured below is custom made by a local craftsman near Lezhe. The blue barrel is filled with water to insulate the pipe running to the spout at the bottom and Art whittled a stick down to add to the spout for the alcohol to exit in a fluid stream. Once the alcohol starts a steady stream we always inspect for clarity and quality before putting the container down to collect. Also we always place a filter, clean dry white cotton, to catch any loose particles when distilling and filter again once the batch is ready to be bottled. Patience is key, the fire needs to be held at a steady point so no smoke exits the spout with the alcohol. This process is very tedious but creates a better product in the end. After the first hour we measure the alcohol levels and will continue until the initial batch reaches 20 degrees. Once we have achieved this we move the first batch out and filter into a sterilized glass container, this is essentially ready to serve. The second container still collecting is called 'karrabash' and this weaker portion is used to help strengthen the next batch we distill. We can increase the fire a bit at this point and once the alcohol level reaches 5 degrees, we remove the collection and start the break down of the still. First by breaking the seals and then by cleaning out each of the pieces, minus the water in the blue barrel. We just add additional water each time. Each batch takes around six hours to distill, and this year we made seven batches. The video below highlights steps of this year's production. Cheers! What are your thoughts or comments?

Vine to Wine series completed for this years batch. From the care of the vines in early February to the harvesting and fermenting it has been quite the journey. We are living in a beautiful corner and are very blessed to have had such a great year with our vineyard. We produced 90 kg of wine, that is approximately 130 bottles. But here is the catch, we have to wait a year before we bottle to let the wine age properly. Trust we did dip in to test the batch and it turned out amazing so I can't wait to try after some aging. Check out the video below that captures the journey from vine to wine, let us know if you have any questions in the comment section below. I will also be posting the Art of Making Raki later today.

On Sunday, my husband, a few friends, and I left with intentions of showing them the Mokset Castle, we had discovered the previous summer. We chose a new path we discovered via drone and google maps and after some deviation from the trail we made our way to the top. The views of the lake with the 360° span of mountains spanning over to Montenegro. It truly is quite magical. We departed the castle and headed for the fort we had visited on several other hikes before getting back to the car for a stunning sunset over Lake Shkoder. This trail along with a few others has sparked some inspiration to promote the north. We are thinking of starting a trail guide and vineyard tour service along with a book in progress to document the lesser known but still fantastic trails in northern Albania. We are also actively working to secure some accommodations for visitors that will provide an opportunity to truly get a feel for why we love northern Albania. Would you discover Albania with Art and I?