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In all honesty, I have no idea if this old gentleman had emphysema, COPD, a smoker's hack, or any other breathing problems. But, odds were not in his favor. Let me explain.
Growing up in the United States, I have benefited from a very effective anti-smoking campaign. You don't see advertisements for cigarettes on television or hear about them on the radio. That can't be said for most of the other places where I have visited. Get a group of people from the States together, and there are excellent odds that none of them smoke. When I tell the people I meet in other countries that none of my friends back home smoke, it's almost inconceivable.
There is a whole lot of smoking in Albania.
There wasn't much internet access or wifi in Gjirokaster. My hotel didn't have this "necessity". So, when in Albania . . . or Rome . . . you know what to do. I made my way across cobblestone streets to the internet cafe in the center of the old town. It appeared to be what a huge number of young men also did. But, if there were signs that said, "No Smoking", they were completely ignored. It appeared that most young men used one hand for their computer mouse and the other for their cigarette. The cafe was always filled with a toxic fog. Unfortunately, there were times when e-mail had to be checked. But, I learned to only do that once in the late afternoon when most of the young men played video games online.
Even when I visited the cafe first thing in the morning, the stench from the night before lingered in the room. I didn't linger. Business was done as fast as possible so I could return to breathable air and clear out my lungs.
Now, old codgers didn't linger in internet cafes. You could see them along the main intersections of town, almost always in dark clothes, drinking very thick Turkish coffee with one hand and -- do I really need to explain it? -- with the other. Thank goodness for European sidewalk cafes. Without that delightful tradition, I never would have gotten a photo of this geezer.
Growing up in the United States, I have benefited from a very effective anti-smoking campaign. You don't see advertisements for cigarettes on television or hear about them on the radio. That can't be said for most of the other places where I have visited. Get a group of people from the States together, and there are excellent odds that none of them smoke. When I tell the people I meet in other countries that none of my friends back home smoke, it's almost inconceivable.
There is a whole lot of smoking in Albania.
There wasn't much internet access or wifi in Gjirokaster. My hotel didn't have this "necessity". So, when in Albania . . . or Rome . . . you know what to do. I made my way across cobblestone streets to the internet cafe in the center of the old town. It appeared to be what a huge number of young men also did. But, if there were signs that said, "No Smoking", they were completely ignored. It appeared that most young men used one hand for their computer mouse and the other for their cigarette. The cafe was always filled with a toxic fog. Unfortunately, there were times when e-mail had to be checked. But, I learned to only do that once in the late afternoon when most of the young men played video games online.
Even when I visited the cafe first thing in the morning, the stench from the night before lingered in the room. I didn't linger. Business was done as fast as possible so I could return to breathable air and clear out my lungs.
Now, old codgers didn't linger in internet cafes. You could see them along the main intersections of town, almost always in dark clothes, drinking very thick Turkish coffee with one hand and -- do I really need to explain it? -- with the other. Thank goodness for European sidewalk cafes. Without that delightful tradition, I never would have gotten a photo of this geezer.