Hello everyone, this is R.C. Hand.

I’m back from my adventure in The Balkans and London. We stayed at the same hotel in Albania where Ernie stayed after Ruby’s and Bobby’s marriage and while they were on their honeymoon in Greece.

You might remember that from “Grandpa Ernie’s Secrets.” While they were on their honeymoon, Ernie had a little R and R with “her” in Albania.

We stayed at that same hotel. Small, unobtrusive and off the beaten track, just a little. No one comes there by by accident. Look around the small lobby and you will see the usual suspects. Men sitting nervously in ill fitting suits and worn shoes trying to look like tourists while searching for their prey.

I asked a young waiter working in our hotel about his future. He said he wanted to leave the country as soon as possible. A sad commentary on a country with perhaps little positive change coming its way.

We visited “The House of Leaves,” the secret police headquarters and saw many of their interesting gadgets. All the necessary household products in the country had them built inside so everyone was under audio surveillance most of the time.

What a large job for the government and so much wasted energy and resources looking for what? Unhappy locals and trouble makers? Give them a life and all would have been much better, but no. Those in power seldom hand it over graciously.

Albania is a complex place as are all of the Balkan Nations. They have little income other than from tourism. The accommodations were great. We even stayed on a small family farm for three days on out trip through Croatia and had a chance to talk to the locals as we were taken on a tour of the village by our guide, Petar.

The governments of these nations do the best they can under the circumstances they have been given by history and geography. One always plays a part in the other. The different religious factions share government posts.

Albania was the worst of the communist countries and as we see our country trying to be pushed in that direction by many well organized groups it gives one pause. “Those who do not know history are bound to repeat it,” a famous person once said. So here we are in America watching a show that will not end well for anyone.

The governments of The Balkans are complex and some seem to be left over from old communist regimes. The old guard seldom lets go of power easily. Those new generations of those powerful families now control some of those countries and the future looks bleak or slow to change, at least.

Having said that, those who are living there do the best they can to survive. It is obviously better than it has been in the past and hopefully, will improve over time.

Going to these countries and seeing the geography reminds me of just how lucky we are. Our enemies, for the most part, are far away. In The Balkans that hasn’t always been the case. Sometimes they live among each other.

We visited families who lived through the war, as our guide Petar, did. The reasons for the war can be debated. But the future is in the hands of those living there now. The religious factions seem to be living well together at the moment but who knows what the future holds.

Tito helped keep these countries from fighting for years with his totalitarian regeim. When he died, the lid was blown off and the troubles, long brewing, came to the surface.

What the future holds for thee nations, I cannot foretell, but I wish them good fortune. They are full of friendly people and the countries are beautiful.

Come and visit them. We felt completely safe and would go back in a moment if time allowed.

I will be writing more of “Joe in Africa” in a few days. My internal clock needs to be adjusted.

Just a hint of what’s coming. Ernie may be invited to come to Rwanda.

I would love some feedback at cowboyporoductions52@gmail.com