Blog

Today Tito came home after a day of hiking. Limping on three legs with one paw as thick as a hot dog bun. It happens quite often and we're used to it by now. And antibiotics often stop working at some point, so we're trying something different now. With remedies from grandmother's time.

White cabbage leaves for the swelling. Green clay with tea tree oil as a paste. It doesn't look pretty, but Tito is fine with it. He just lies there with his wrapped-up paw as if he's at a Destiny Spa.

The problem now is the rest. Tito has to be on the chain because that paw needs to heal. But outside the flock is walking by. Tito hears those sheep and the shepherd whistles. But Tito can't go anywhere.

So he howls like a wolf. Long drawn-out cries towards the mountains — audible all the way to the little church in Shelcan, I think. The whole neighborhood now knows that Tito is not allowed to come along.

But anyway, in a few days the chain can come off. Then he'll limp after those sheep again. Until then: cabbage, clay, and wolf howling :-)

My sourdough starter was almost growing out of the jar, so I decided to bake multiple loaves and also make a focaccia again. Last night I folded the dough several times and then put it in the fridge overnight for a long bulk fermentation.

Although I try not to reveal too much to Frank about what I'm planning, Frank still finds out about my plans. That's not convenient because then he asks about every five minutes when the delicious crispy airy olive oil, garlic, rosemary and Celtic sea salt dipped deliciousness will be ready.

This time I found it extra exciting to make because instead of just water I also added some homemade apple cider to the dough. The idea to make apple cider came to me suddenly while making an apple pie when I had quite a few peels and cores left over. The juice was bubbling nicely, but after a few days I started to wonder if it wasn't on its way to becoming vinegar. I have enough vinegar, so I just drank it and worked part of it into the dough.

It has become my most delicious focaccia ever so far. As I write this, Frank is sliding the last still-warm piece into his mouth. The bread didn't even get a chance to cool down completely :-)

Welcome to the first blog of PasneserPark. :-) Here we share a piece of our life in Shelcan every week, a mountain village near Elbasan in Central Albania where nobody is in a hurry and everything can wait until the day after tomorrow.

What you can expect here are stories about cultural differences that sometimes knock you off your feet, because some things work just a little differently here than you're used to. About freshly distilled raki that neighbors bring over in old cola bottles. About mountain life and village life and how we as Dutch people try to navigate through it all.

We write about our dog Tito who loves to help with the neighbor's sheep and sometimes howls loudly at the mountains because he's not allowed to come along. About our cats Alpha and Besa who have their own adventures. And about chickens that lay eggs in unexpected places, the neighbor's goats, and fat toads by the pond.

You'll read about vegetable gardening and permaculture. About construction projects that don't always go as planned. About Albanian chaos, dented Mercedes cars, and old mopeds that against all expectations still run.

About volunteers who help us with what we can't do alone and for the good vibes. Who teach us things and learn things from us.

And then there are the people around us. Neighbors where we drink coffee and where we can buy raw milk, fresh butter and other local delicacies. The priest who regularly stops by for a raki at Toli's pub and then at our place :-)

You could call this a social experiment. Dutch people trying to run a glamping in a country where nobody knows what glamping is. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it becomes a story :-)