A Snapshot of Shkodër
Marubi National Museum of Photography, Shkodër
The first thing I see when we cross the border into Albania is a row of concrete bunkers in the verge on the side of the road. Right. This is already unlike any European country I have ever visited. Sure enough, as we drive into the city of Shkodër, it’s another world. The wide streets have
few traffic lights and hardly any road markings and cars weave around seemingly as the mood takes them.
Market stalls line every street. If England is a nation of shopkeepers, then Albania is a nation of stallholders. Everyone is selling something. Stall after stall, offering everything from huge blocks of loose tobacco and home-rolled cigarettes to fruit and vegetables to glittery gadgets to glittery clothes to nuts and dried fruit to fish… Some people were selling goods out of the back of their cars. One lady, sitting on a footpath, was selling the use of her bathroom scales. A man walking down the street was offering a handful of figs for sale to everyone he passed.
It was the car washes though that really caught my attention. I have never seen so many in all my life! The majority of them consisted simply of a power washer in a make-shift car port, many also offering a carpet washing service into the bargain. And the make-shift car repair shops! Row after row of them, all of them doing a roaring trade too. I am just starting to realise the full extent of Albanians’ love affair with their cars.
As we were driving into town, I did a double take when I saw a Chinese registered camper van. It stopped a few metres in front of us and a sprightly man in his seventies hopped out, clutching a map and approached some locals to ask directions. He was certainly a long way from home. He’ll have no problems in this country if he needs any repairs done to his van, that’s for sure!
As we strolled into the town centre, I noticed that, for all the hustle and bustle of the shops and market stalls, the atmosphere in Shkodër is extremely relaxed. It’s a lively but laid-back city. When we ventured into the main market in the centre – a rabbit warren of stalls – there were no manic sales pitches from the stall holders, just plenty of nods and smiles. People are so friendly and polite here. They are also neatly dressed and well groomed. I hope the Oldies took note!
For the past three years I’ve been looking over His Lordship’s shoulder while he snaps away on our travels, so I was quite happy to join the Oldies on a visit to the Marubi National Museum of Photography. Three generations of the Marubi family dominated professional photography in Albania. They were well ahead of their time, setting up the first photography studio in Albania here in Shkodër way back in 1856, would you believe. They even pioneered techniques such as the use of celluloid rather than glass plates. For a country that was considered backward and underdeveloped during the 20th century, it was interesting to learn that it on the cutting edge of technology during the 19th century.
I was fascinated by the old cameras and photographic equipment on display. His Lordship doesn’t appreciate how easy he has it with modern digital photography. It’s child’s play compared to this.
The old photos were just marvellous. Talk about getting a sneak peek on the past! I was particularly intrigued by the photos taken at funerals where mourners posed with the corpse. A bit morbid, I suppose, but understandable when you realise that these were taken for family members who had emigrated and couldn’t travel home for the occasion.
The studio photos were fantastic. People must have spent hours dressing up and posing for these portraits. There’s certainly a lot more style about them than modern day selfies!
When Her Ladyship spotted the mock-up Marubi studio complete with theatrical backdrop, she insisted on taking a few portraits of Himself and myself. Once again, I had to rue that fact that His Lordship doesn’t have a more Albanian outlook when it comes to dress sense. He was his usual scruffy self, whereas I, of course, was the picture of elegance. I have to give it to Himself though, he can certainly strike a pose.
Then again, I’ve always thought he was a bit of a poser.
