.

Walking by a group of five or six kids twice, I smiled and waved each time, since they were so excited to see me. When I entered this cafe for a beer, two kids, seen here, glued themselves to the door for at least three minutes, just to watch the foreigner.

When I walked in, the middle-aged owner was asleep on a cot. Waking up, he said, "Thank you," and that was the extent of his English. When I spoke Italian to him, he couldn't respond, but understood a few words.

He took out some cheese from an old fridge. Cutting it into five pieces, he served it to me free of charge. White, semi soft and very pungent, it was excellent.

He's from a village west of Peshkopi, I managed to extract from his Albanian.

When it was time to pay, he charged me $1 for my half liter bottle of Korca Beer, the correct price in provincial, out of the way Peshkopi. I gave him $2.

When I walked by his cafe two days later on my way out of town, I saw a hand waving in the dark. It was him saying goodbye. He stood up and moved into the light to be better seen. Waving back, I pointed towards the bus station and said, "Tirana," then added, "Grazie!"

Peshkopi is far down the list for foreign visitors. During my two days there, I was the only one. Even adults did double takes when they saw me. At a cafe downtown, three little girls, holding hands, walked by me five times, with one not all that discreet about looking at the foreigner. I mean, she did try. She would keep a straight face and maintain her pace, but once past me, she couldn't help but turn back and stare for a few more seconds. Once, she broke into a bright smile, she was so delighted. About seven, she had "I WAS BORN A UNICORN" on the back of her navy blue hoodie.


.