Nandos - perfect for chicken and children

Four of us, three adults and a five year old child, went to Nandos for lunch. Nandos is a family favourite restaurant and a known quality. 

Chicken, corn and mashed potato and butter at Nandos, Stanmore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. copyright.

Parking in Stanmore

In Stanmore you can park outside if you are lucky. Other car parks are around the back, a public car park. 

Behind Sainsbury's we thought had public parking. It seemed to be mostly for customers. The criss- crossed markings on the spaces were reserved for local businesses, but only for Monday to Friday. 

Many Tables

Inside is a huge place with loads of tables. We had no need to book on a Saturday late lunch time July 25th 2026. We chose one of half a dozen alcoves with benches which suited mother and child, and granny with a big bag containing a pop-up reading book.

Children's Menu And Colouring

As soon as we arrived, we were given the family menus and children's menu. Also a jar of crayons and pages for children to colour. 

Pre-paying

The most active of our group went to order for us all from the counter. Pay in advance, like at the smaller fast food places with smaller menus. The advantage of pre-paying for the customer is that you can leave instantly when your car park reminder goes off on your phone. The driver can run off to collect the car, and then pull up outside to load up your passengers who don't need to walk back to the car park.

Nando's in Stanmore For Tasty, Moist Chicken

 

This reataurant is a favourite of families. It has a large ground foor seating area.

Their chicken is tasty with delicious coatings keeping in the moisture.

Choice of tables. Spacious or secluded. Pleasing decor. Wood effect and pictures.

Leftovers are packed in a fold up paper box.

The Old Bridge Hotel & Restaurant, Wine Shop and Events - what's new?

 My husband and I had been visiting The Old Bridge hotel and restaurant for years, starting when we took gigantic Quad speakers for repairs at the maker's factory nearby and we wanted lunch before driving back to London. You can see several bridges, one from the hotel, and an old bridge as you drive back to London via Cambridge. Now we go specifically to the Old Bridge hotel for lunch, staying overnight in the hotel if we are tempted by one of their evening wine dinners.

The Old Bridge Hotel. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

The hotel's name reflects the fact that it is an old hotel, and near an old bridge. The hotel looks out on the big bridge, and the River Ouse below at the end of the landscaped car park, surrounded by trees.

Over the years we got to know Master Of Wine John Hoskins who ran the place with his wife Julia. He eventually sold the business and we occasionally see him in London or elsewhere as he seems to be semi-retired and I hear he still pops into the hotel occasionally.

The new owners, the Chestnut group, who run several pubs with rooms and hotels, took over and two long time staff got promoted and played musical chairs, coming and going. 

We met William who was in charge of the wine shop.

William showed us the adjacent modern business centre which is a popular place for weddings.

There is also a traditional downstairs pub, Alongside it are the toilets with wonderful wallpaper depicting fish with funny expressions.

Useful Websites

https://www.chestnutgroup.co.uk/

Useful Websites For The Old Bridge Hotel

https://theoldbridgehuntingdon.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntingdon

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Huntingdon

Updated November 13th 2025.

(I am updating this and other posts every now and then. Come back later for more.)

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Lebanese restaurant Teta's kitchen and bar - Happiness in Hampstead

Espresso coffee at Teta's kitchen, in Hampstead, London.

Espresso coffee. They also offer Lebanese coffee, thick like Greek, Cypriot, and Turkish coffee. The name teta means grandmother in Arabic, and they offer rich, filling food, like grandma used to make, if not your grandmother, their grandmother.

Hampstead Locations

Most people in London know Hampstead is famous for poets like Keats, whose house is a museum. Hampstead is a trendy place and doubtless many inspired and aspiring modern poets, and writers live there now.

I have relatives who live in this secluded corner, a cluster of restaurants, in a spiderweb of narrow alleys. We dined just down the hill from bustling, crowded Hampstead, where we had taken a detour to buy books for their children (who had told us the titles) from three bookstores in literary Hampstead. 

After wrapping our presents in the car, we parked almost outside the Tetra restaurant, just as the Sunday parking restrictions were eased

Time for a tea time or coffee and cake break.

Since my husband and I were early and first, we indulged in espresso and a small pastry from the display. Only one pastry between the two of us, so as not to ruin our appetites. Instead of coffee I opted for something rarer,  lemonade. I loved the home made lemonade, with fresh lemon, and aromatic.

Lovely lemonade.

Then the rest of the family of ten arrived and we ordered a buffet of starters.

Potato at Tetra. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Novelty Starters

Potato croquettes had a minced meat fillîng inside a layer of potato with a crunchy outside case.

Familiar Favourites For Starters

Starters also încluded hummus and pitta bread.

Samosas.

Tubes of what looked like spring rolls but filled with soft tasty feta or cream cheese. Another alternative for anyone who is vegetarian.

Main Courses

Our main courses which arrived on a platter of salad were chicken and beef. The beef was in small curly pieces, soft and tasty. We also had long grain rice.. 

Toilet Downstairs

The toilet cubicle is downstairs. I discovered I could negotiate it easily if I went slowly with one hand on the solid rail and the other on my walking stick.

While waiting for the toilet cubicle to be vacated, I glanced through the open window of the basement kitchen. A member of the staff, chopping vegetables, was wearing hygienic waterproof gloves for food preparation. I thought this was a good sign.

Desserts

As the pastries were small, one of the men orderef\d a large serving of 20 pieces, enough for two per person, mixed - ône of everything, with dates, or pistacio or walnut, and ́mini baklava.

Acidentally Translated Into Hebrew

יש לי קרובי משפחה שגרים בפינה מבודדת זו, קבוצת מסעדות, בתוך רשת עכביש של סמטאות צרות. סעדנו ממש במורד הגבעה מהמפסטד התוססת והצפופה, שם עיקפנו כדי לקנות ספרים (הילדים סיפרו לנו את הכותרים) משלוש חנויות ספרים בהמפסטד הספרותית. כפי שרוב האנשים כאן יודעים, המפסטד מפורסמת במשוררים כמו קיטס, שביתו הוא מוזיאון.

כנראה כמה משוררים מודרניים שואפים, וסופרים בכל בניי

I accidentally clicked on the world symbol on my mobile phone which converted my text to Hebrew which I installed alongside Greek and Russian as I am learning multiple alphabets on Duolingo. In case there are any Hebrew readers I have left this bit here.

Help is on the way - I copied my text into a Microsoft word document and then into Google Translate..

אחרי שעטפנו את המתנות שלנו במכונית, חנינו כמעט מחוץ למסעדה, בדיוק כשהקלות החניה של יום ראשון הוקל

כיוון שבעלי ואני היינו מוקדם והגענו ראשונים, התפנקנו באספרסו ובמאפה קטן מהתצוגה. מאפה אחד בין שנינו, כדי לא להרוס את התיאבון שלנ

Back to English.

Teta's (Restaurant) Kitchen & Bar. To sum up. Hightly recommended for tasty food and large portions. The owner or manager is always walking up and down watching so it's easy to get attention to order more food, more drink, or ask for anything you need.

Useful Information About Teta's Restaurant

72 Belsize Park, London NW3 5B

https://tetaslebanese.co.uk/

Updated November 2nd 2025.

Muslim Family Travel To Israel, What Happens Next is Hilarious!

A feel good video. Stunning hotel with views over the city. Rare glimpse inside the spacious great mosque.

Make The Alphabet With Ava Cutlery Game - How to use Cutlery in Restaaurnats to Teach children to read letters

 V I watched with amazement and admiration as Helena showed her niece, Ava, how to turn knives and forks into letters of the alphabet. Helena was teaching 4 year old Ava how to spell her name, A, with the knife and fork tips together. Then create V. E and F. 

Helena did it first. Then Ava copied her.

Do you know how to create letters with knives and forks?

A common name in China and Vietnam is Li. Easily created with chopsticks.

Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

I lay awake at night thinking it through. I kept counting how many letters you could make using the liner shape of a knife or fork. I counted sixteen straight letters. 

The other letters had circles, half circles, and quarter circles. How would you make the circle and curves? Easy, Look for items with curves on the table. 

Either draw arond theme, or place them entire., or use pieces of multiple small fruit such as grapes, strawberries, cherries, to create lines and curves,

Here is my list of letters.

Line Letters - using knives and forks 15 of them

A E FHIKLMNTVWXYZ

Letters with curves (11 of them)

BCDGJOPQRSU

You could also do this on planes with their cutlery.

Useful Wwebsites

https://www.policybazaar.com/plans/baby-names/2-letter-baby-boy-names/

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Xmas tree and reindeer lights at Sea Pebbles

 

\Sea Pebbles Restaurant with lit tree in front. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Reindeer Model Ar Sea Pebbles Restaurant, Hatch End. Photo by Angela Lansbury. 

A Joyful BYO Evening At The Laundry Restaurant Near Brixton station

The Laundry is a restaurant in an old laundry building, as we learned on our first visit. Then I was interested in the history of the building. But on my second visit I was more concerned with the restaurant's food and drink.

The Beauty of BYO

A friend who lives near The Laundry Restaurant in Brixton suggested this restaurant as a venue for a group outing on a Tuesday, because that is the day when the restaurant offers bring your own bottle. No corkage charge. BYO Tuesday. We were seven diners and each perso brought a different bottle. We had a white starter, a white dessert wine, and reds to go with the starter and main course. At the end of the meal we voted on our favourite wine and found out what the wines cost and where to buy them. 

The restaurant provided a flute glass for the starter Champagne which one diner brought, and one wine glass, and a water glass for each person. We asked for a spittoon in which to pour any leftover wine before starting on the next one. Our meeting was the monthly BYO restaurant meeting of the Central London Wine Society which holds meetings at the Civil Service Club in London.

The Laundry's food menu, which you can read online, was supplemented by daily specials written on a blackboard.

Advantages Of the Basement Table

I wrote about this restaurant previously, when the descent down the spiral staircase to the toilet was unnerving. However, on this return visit, despite my usually feeling a trifle claustrophobic in basements, I was delighted by the large table, on the same level as the toilets.  We were behind glass sliding doors giving a convivial view of diners in the main larger seating areas. Yet the privacy of our table separated from any noise from others.

On our way out we stopped to speak to people at another table whose conversation, we gathered from one overheard word, was about wine. Another group of wine connoisseurs, at the restaurant because of the BYO night.

 On the way back to the station, I paused to admire the fun in all the distinctive restaurants under the arches of the railway running into bustling Brixton.

more pictures shortly.

Useful Websites

https://thelaundrybrixton.com/food-and-drink

Service is now included.

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Wonderful Welcomes For Weary Travellers - The Waiter Who Remembers Your Order

 Most Memorable Memory From Portugal

Years ago I was on a press trip to Portugal and about twelve of us travel writers had lunch at a castle, sitting at a large oval table, welcomed by the mayor who sat under the window. The waiter took our order and the mayor began his welcome speech. 

The waiter delivered the starter to the major, and then every other order to the correct person, in turn.

I was so impressed by this that at the end I asked the waiter how he did it. He explained:

It is very simple. You start with the person under the window who is number one. The other orders have been listed clockwise, numbered like a clockface. You could never get more than one order wrong.

I noticed that Brittany Ferries (a French company) had numbered tables in their Azul (French for blue) restaurant.

Numbered table in the Brittany Ferry restaurant Azul.  

Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

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Perfect Anniversary dinner at Villa Bianca in Hampstead

Two storey Villa Bianca Restaurant in Hampstead. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Location, Location

Hampstead is a lovely area. Lively. But the hotel is a few steps down a quiet side street.

. It is in a wuite side street just off the lively main street of Hampstead on the hill.

 The name of the restaurant means white house

Seating Area - Up or Down?

The last time we visited was two years ago when we sat downstairs in the window by the door. I think upstairs suited us better.

This time, in April 2024, we had a table for seven upstairs at Villa Bianca for an anniversary dinner. We were beside the grand (samll grand - that sounds like an oxymoron)) piano upstairs. I thought the music would be too loud for conversation but we managed okay.

Upstairs also has the advantage that the toilets are only steps away. 

Drinks & Service

We started with the house Champagne. The male and female servers were smiling and helpful and a delight. Our Portuguese but multilingual waiter was charming.

The menu has a range of prices from the mushrooms on toast which was huge, three pieces, enough for two people and a piece to take home.. I was saving myself for the main course and dessert. 

Food

My main course was chicken. We swapped around. The others were happy with their liver and fish.

The dessert was chocolate pudding, oozing. I would say everything was above average. Nt Michelin standard but very satisfying. Faultless.

All in all an excellent evening.

Anniversary

My husband said he had told them it was our anniversary. They did not do anything but I had my own paper plate with the word Joyeux Anniversaire and we ordered Champagne, and our guests brought cards and gifts so we did not notice not having the word happy anniversary on a plate.

I think that restaurants seeing you order Champagne might ask if you are celebrating and if so do something special.

Our three year old got up to change places and collided with a waiter and she burst into tears. The manager found her some complimentary breadsticks which instantly distracted and consoled her. My husband said, we got freebies, we have no complaints.

Prices

If you ordered lobster or different drinks and Champagnes you could have a much larger bill if you are looking to spend more and are seeking more. But we were happy with things which suited our budget and have happy memories.

Useful Website

https://villabiancagroup.com/villa-bianca/

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Grimsdyke Hotel - Setting For Birthday Parties

 Grimsdyke hotel is a suitably grand place for a birthday party, small or large.  The grounds are magnificent and historic. Along the boundary and right down to Hatch End is the dyke or ditch from ancient times. It is called Grisdyke. The hotel reception had a hleaflet whcih helpfully described how in ancient times any mysterious or wooded area might be called Grim.

The Delightful Exterior

The house was built before the time when Gilbert lived there, working as a local magistrate and doing his second job, writing comic operas with collaborator composer Sullivan. An historic plaque on the outside gives a brief history.

The entrance makes you feel happy as you enter and exit.

Angela Lansbury checking out the hotel before booking.

The entrance to Grimsdyke hotel. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

Indoor Decor

The toilets are on the upper level. But the staircase indoors had comfortable wide steps and hand rails both sides.

Upstairs in the grand drawing room a 60th birthday party, a suprprise big occasion, planned by the wife, was held, with lots of music and jollity which we hears every now and then from downstairs.

We used to like the Gilbert room. The website says they don't guarntee which room you will be in. Probably because the bigger room upstairs is booked for events. The Gilbert Room was recently closed for renovation. The lounge with its grand fireplace was sufficiently hisotric and distincitve and with a good view. 

A baby high chair was provided.

The napkins were cloth. The napkins would benefit from the buttonholes which I used to like at the Tanglin Club in Singapore. 

To our surprise the dining room was empty except for one other table. Maybe the rain and the recovery from Christmas spending has kept people away. Besides, the third party was in the big room upstairs. So the hotel catering business was doing all right. As a result we did not have to worry about distraction from other diners, not the risk that our two year old might cause disturbance to others.

The other table of diners was in the dining room ahead of us and they had either been given or chosen the table nearest the grand white fireplace at the back. I asked my huband, 'Would you ratther I asked to be by the grand fireplace next time?'  However, my husband said he was happy to be in a table more central and nearer the door to see and hear passers-by. Livelier.

Drinks

On a reconnoitering visit I had noted that Prosecco in the bar cost eight ounds a glass. So I was agreeably surprised to find just what I wanted, a glass of pink sweet Zinfandel, at under six pounds for either a smaller or larger glass.

Starters

I had the soup of the day which was sweet potato. No surprises. Very pleasant. The suprise however was alongisde, Two buns, soft, hot bread rolls, one containing wanuts. Delicious. The two diners who had the duck with sald as starter were equally pleased.

The hummus plate was pleasant. I liked the large oblong plates.

Our grand-daughter had a plate of chips to start. She liked them. Her parents asked for ketchup. It came up in sachets. 

Main courses

I chose the fish and chips. Good batter. Big chips. Home made. I like big chips. Less fattening and greasy outside. More soft, sweet, healthier inside.

My husband like his shepherd's pie. (Mince meat with potato topping and some kind of seasoning.) He said it came up in crockery, which showed it was home made. Very tasty.

Desserts

For me the tangy lemon tart was the star of the show. the chocolate pudding with cherries was nice and choclately, but lacked the oozy delight yu sometimes get in restaurants. However, the pistacchio ice cream was heavenly. 

We did not get offered coffee on the menu. Nor did we think of ordering it. By now we had all already eaten too much. We were alone in the restaurant. the little toddler was getting retless ready for bed. it was time to go.

The one who paid seemed satisfied with the price. 

He was also happy with the selection of wines offered. Nothing exceptionally great or expensive, but a reasonable wine at an affordable price. He ordered the Steen (grape variety) which comes from South Africa.

Birthday Chocolate

The waiter checked which one of us was having the birthday. Me.

My dessert came with a teeny chocolate piece with the words Happy Birthday written so small that I didn't notice it until half way through my dessert. You can buy these.

Useful Websites

https://www.hotelchocolat.com/uk/birthday-chocolates.html?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqdqvBhCPARIsANrmZhMyrJNFY9OnghEEy58YX9HdAyiOngWjvq0YgJBPlIS3Go5wTU1UBKIaAkhkEALw_wcB

https://www.cocobachocolate.com/products/personalised-engraved-chocolate-bar

Spanish words on your Mexican or Spanish or South American restaurant menu and in the restaurant

 I have been religiously learning Spanish words prior to y next trip to a Spanish speaking country, Spain. Spanish is also useful for South America as well as central America, nd is increasingly used in the USA. I practise on Duolingo every day. I also have Berlitz's earworms. Here are some handy words and phrases>

Spanish - English

agua - water

bebidas - drinks

blanco - white

botella - bottle (Double l pronounced like y)

cerveza - beer

cuchara - spoon (starts cu like cup shape)

dua - two (like duo)

menu - menu

mesa - table

por favor - please

rosado - rose wine

sal - salt

te - you singular

tinto - red wine (think of tinted)

vaso - glass (my memory aid is glas vase)

vino - wine

English - Spanish

beer - cerveza

bottle - botella

drink/drinks - la babida (las) bebidas

fork - 

glass - vaso

knife - c

menu - menu

my - mi

please - por favor

red wine - vino tinto (adjective second)

rose wine - rosado

salt - sal

Spoon - cuchara

table - mesa

two - dua

white - blanco

wine - vino

waiter -

water - agua

you (singular) - te

Quiz

Questions

Give the Spanish for

1 table

2 knife

3 fork 

4 spoon

5 two

6 wine

7 water

8 waiter

9

10

Answers

1 mesa

2

3

4 cuchara

5

6 vino

7 dua

8 agua

9

10

Useful Websites

duolingo.com

Wikivoyage phrasebook

Civil Service Club Restaurant - praise for proper, large size chips

 

Chips (short for potato chips) at the Civil Service Club, London. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Chips and Crisps

For the benefit of any Americans reading this, in the UK, the British word chips means what you see in the picture above. What the Americans call chips or potato chips are known in the UK as crisps. The thin (potato) chips with a square cross section, about half the width of the ones in the picture, or cut even finer, can also be called French fries. 

The club is conveniently between Charing Cross train station and Embankment station. You can visit it if you are a member of the Civil Service,  a former member, or a member of an overseas club which has reciprocal arrangements.

The restaurant sections and private rooms are rented out to other clubs, such as wine tasting clubs, holding wine and dine dinners, reunions and Christmas parties and other events. 

If you order fish and chips in the Civil Service Sclub restaurant, you are likely to get proper size proper British chips like this. If in doubt ask the person taking orders and serving. If you are still confused, show pictures.

Cheese Platters

The cheese plates we ordered were served on large platters, big enough for sharing. If you, or your guests, are concerned about Covid or general hygiene, ask for extra plates and for the food to be divided, and/or supplied with serving cutlery. Also ask the guests not to touch food in communal plates with hands, but to use cutlery.

Useful Websites

https://www.civilserviceclub.org.uk/

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Albanian easy to remember 55 words, 40 revised - how many words can you recognize!

 

After returning from Albania, I've looked back at the words to remember. to my list of 40 words which I found before I went to Albania, I have added a few more.  The easiest word was 

1 TUALET for toilet. You walk to the back and to the left or right of the bar you see this word. Again and again.

Here is my original list, with a few extra memory aids.

Arriving by plane or car, in Tirana, the capital, at Mother Teresa airport, you see the name of the airport, and the name mother Teresa on the statue on the roundabout 

2 Nënë Tereza - mother Teresa

The second e with the double dot is prounced the same as the two later letters er in the word mother.

You might make your first stop the museum cafe, Komiteti Kafe Muzeum. Not a cafe turned into a museum, but a collector who opened a cafe to attract people to see his collection. Items from all eras include embroidered felt dresses. 

However, the good news from a linguistic point of view is that the word 

3 Komiteti means committee. 

4 Kafe is coffee and 

5 muzeum is museum. 

They say you can see Tirana in a day. Which means a two night stay. (I couldn't.) After that, it's off to the wineries.

 Albania has lots of wineries, all over the country. 

Useful words for maps and street signs

The double dot is like the German unlaut

I copied it once, then used paste to put it in all the words where I needed it in the dictionary or glossary list

Albanian - English

6 rruga - street (like the French word rue)

Similar words, 

7 hotel, 

8 menu, 

9 tualet (toilet) 

10 restaurat (restaurant) 

Kafe is coffee

11 coffee bar is coffee bar

12 kafene is cafe, like caffeine

13 snack bar - snack bar

14 delicious food - delicatessen (meaning delicious food literally provisions of delicious)

15 food is food, food is food

English - Albanian

1-10

16 alcohol - alcohol

17 bay - gjiri (pronounced jeery - forget the first letter, memory aid - a bay like the letter Jay) 

18 beach - the beach 

20 bill - fature (my memory aid, I'd rather pay this bill in the future, after the meal and coffee)

21 breakfast - mëngjes (like manger, French for eat)

22 bridge - gji (masculine)

23 castle - what is it?ë (looks like castle, or the Italian castello, e with the double dot is er; kala (feminine)  Kalaja 

24 cheap - i lirë (memory aid just one lira!)

25 closed - closed

26 dinner - darkë (dinner time, after dark)

11-20

drink - drinks

entrance - hyrje /exit - dalje (here we are, entrance, don't dally, leave)

expensive - shtrenjtë (shocked at the price! - but you can bargain in Albania, Turkish bazaar influence, so asking price in a family business can be high to allow for you to bid lower, and you might be given a souvenir such as a magnet which means either you paid too much, or thank you for your custom, come back) 

no entry -ndalohet hyrje (no don't let anyone in here, you)

hill - kodër (up and over this hill)

hotel - hotel

house - ispi (step up to this house)

left - majtas  - right - djathtas  (starts with a d, like right in French is droit)

straight (ahead)/to drejt (starts with the letter d, later letters re, and ends with t, like the English word direct, or the romance languages, toute droit)

lunch  - drekë (Dinner, that is lunch, but not late night dinner which is  darkë (dinner time, after dark)

main street/high street - main street. ruga e lart ë (rruga like the French word for street, rue, krysore, is this street an eysore, we saw in in the street, larte pronounced later like larger street)

21-30

menu - menu

mountain - mali (both words start with m and have the vowels a then i, but in Albanian you add the l like hill)

museum - museum

new - i ri  

north - the north

old - l years oldr (like the French for old, vielle)

open - hapur (Happy to be open)

park - park

parking (lot, or car park) - parking

please - ju lutem (you let him - please!)

31-40

restaurant - restorant

right

road/path - rrugë (as in the French for street, rue)

sea/salt water - deti (dirty water, with salt or sewage)

south - jug (yes, let's jog south from the UK to Spain or the USA to S America or from Albania to Greece, letter U in south and jug )

square - katrore (like quarter, four sides)

street / path  (or spell it ruga )

thank you - faleminderit 

toilet - tualet

breakfast/lunch/tea/dinner - morning meal, drink and dine at lunch, cha tea time, dark so dinner)

yes - po (yes, it's possible)

no - jo (yo, yo,yo, no, no, no!)

Address

Fatmir Haxhiu Street, Tirana, Albania

Useful Websites

Museum Cafe In Tirana

https://thebalkanista.com/2018/02/28/komiteti-kafe-museum-one-favourite-spots-tirana/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294446-d7912633-Reviews-Komiteti_Kafe_Muzeum-Tirana_Tirana_County.html

Find the e to copy into Albanian words in the right size here in Wikipedia from German or from the word reëntry under the side heading English"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%8B

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Learning Albanian For Your Holiday, Work, Fun, Curiosity: 10 handy words

I took a Lonely Planet guide with me to Albania. It has several languages and is small but quite thick and heavy. I considered cutting the spine in half. 

I did not want to spoil the book. It seems sacrilege to spoil a book. I did not want it to disintegrate. I might need to use it again. 

But it had not cost much. I had bought a cheaper second hand used copy. 

I then realized I could cut out the Albanian pages, which were first in the book, which had arranged the languages alphabetically.

I cut out the pages and stapled them together. I had too many for one staple. So I used two for two sections. i could have made a cover for the new mini book, in thicker paper to protect it, but I just put it in a see through zip lock bag.

The print is small, hard to read at night in a hotel bedroom, but handy in a restaurant and outdoors in daytime. The guide is something to read when waiting for other people, or for a table in a restaurant, or for your meal to arrive.

Many Albanian words are similar to English. The next challenge is how to pronounce each word, and how to pronounce the letters which have accents. The ling app is good because you start with one word or small groups of two or three words and learn the roounciation by hearing it straight away.

You see lots of English words and brand names.

Same Words

bar

hotel

spa

Similar words

1 agroturizem - agro-tourism

2 grupi - group

3 klient - client

4 ministria - ministry

5 objekt - object

6 recepsion / recepsionit - reception

7 republika - republic

8 restorant - restaurant

9 kafe - coffee (not eating place)

10 ora - time (like hour)

Useful Websites

https://play.ling-app.com/learn/unit/1/lesson/1

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Albanian_phrasebook

Please share links to useful posts.

Third set of Albanian words - simple spelling. Five easy words for hotel, restaurant, museum, tourist, visitor

Post under construction. come back soon

THE SAME WORD!

1 The word hotel is the same in both languages. 

SMALL CHANGES In Spelling

Simplest Change  - S to Z

2 Museum, change the s to z and drop the um end. Muze.

3 Visitor, change the s to Z. Vizitor.

SLIGHTLY HARDER CHANGES in spelling

Change by dropping o or inserting o

4 Tourist - simplify the spelling by dropping the o, turist

5 Restaurant in Albanian is spelled similarly to the English, but with simplified spelling. Change the au to o. Restorant.

We can now read and recognize 5 words.

English - Albanian

boat/plane varkë/aeroplan

cheap/expensive e lire e shtrenjte

hotel/restaurant hotel/restorant

How much Sa shumë

museum/shop muze/dyqan

one, two, many një, dy, shumë

tourist/visitor turist/vizitor

Albanian - English

varkë/aeroplan boat/plane hotel/restorant hotel/restaurant muze/dyqan museum/shop turist/vizitor tourist/visitor një, dy, shumë one, two, many Sa shumë How much e lire e shtrenjte cheap/expensive

Short phrases paired

I want it/I don't want it

I like it/I don't like it

too hot/too cold

I am/You are

I am worried/tired

I am relieved/grateful

I am well/happy/fine/good

how are you?/that's good

let's go

let\s start

that's all

it's done/finished

is that okay?

is that enough?

How do I pay?/Here is the money/

Questions

are you

where is

shkojme

le të fillojmë

kjo eshte e gjitha

është bërë/mbaruar

A eshte ne rregull?

mjafton kaq?

Si të paguaj?/Këtu janë paratë/

Pyetje

jeni ju

ku është

e dua/nuk e dua

më pëlqen/nuk më pëlqen

shumë nxehtë/shumë ftohtë

Unë jam/Ti je

jam i shqetësuar/i lodhur

Unë jam i lehtësuar/mirënjohës

Unë jam mirë / i lumtur / mirë / mirë

si jeni?/kjo është mirë

e dua/nuk e dua

më pëlqen/nuk më pëlqen

shumë nxehtë/shumë ftohtë

Unë jam/Ti je

jam i shqetësuar/i lodhur

Unë jam i lehtësuar/mirënjohës

Unë jam mirë / i lumtur / mirë / mirë

si jeni?/kjo është mirë



shkojme

le të fillojmë

kjo eshte e gjitha

është bërë/mbaruar

A eshte ne rregull?

mjafton kaq?

Si të paguaj?/Këtu janë paratë/

Pyetje

jeni ju

ku është

Useful Websites

Translate Google

Wikipedia

Wikivoyage

Albanian Language - reminder and update on easy words such as hotel and restaurant

 

Easy words

Romanian - English
b a n k ë - bank (Typing the e with double dots above is easy. Just press on the letter e and hold it down. Up pop a choice of letters e. Number four is the one with two dots above. Keep your finger on the pressed e and tap 4.)
f a r m a c i - pharmacy (in the UK called a chemist)
hi - hi
hotel - hotel
h o t e l e - hotels
kafe - café

peshk - fish
plaza - plaza
r e s t o r a n t - restaurant
s a n d u i ç - sandwich
s t a c i o n - station

English - Romanian
bank - b a n k ë
café - k a f e

fish - peshk (from the Latin, like the English zodiac sign pisces, f and p being often linked in various languages)
hi - hi
hotel - hotel
hotels - h o t e l e
plaza - plaza
pharmacy (in the UK called a chemist) - f a r m a c i
restaurant - r e s t o r a n t
sandwich - s a n d u i ç (hold down the letter c and tap the number one)
station - s t a c i o n

Now you know how to recognize ten easy and useful words in Albanian.

• Albanian words of Latin origin include 
• Latin amīcus → Albanian mik 'friend', inimīcus → armik 'foe, enemy' 
• benedīcere → bekoj, 
•  castellum → kështjellë 'castle', 
• centum → qind 'hundred', 
•  medicus → mjek 'doctor', 
•  spērāre → dial. shp(ë)rej, shpresoj 'to hope', pres 'to await', 
• voluntās (voluntātis) → vullnet 'will; volunteer'.
• 
  
• Some Albanian church terminology has phonetic features which demonstrate their very early borrowing from Latin. A few examples include Albanian bekoj 'to bless' from benedīcere, 
• engjëll 'angel' from angelus, 
• kishë 'church' from ecclēsia, i 
• krishterë 'Christian' from christiānus, 
• kryq 'cross' from crux (crucis)

Using google translate

darkë - dinner (think of a meal after dark)
drekë - lunch
mëngjes - breakfast
çaj -tea
mali - mountain
bukë - bread
Mish - meat
pulë - chicken (like french poule)
peshku - fish
vegjetarian - vegetarian
perimesh - vegetable
bizele/bizele -
makinë - car
karrota - carrot
birrë - beer
verë - wine
e kuqe
të bardhë - white
verë e kuqe - red wine
verë e Bardhë - white wine 
verë me gaz - sparkling wine
alkoolit - alcohol
pa alkool/ - no alcohol
pa alkool - without alcohol
tabela - table
karrige - chair
dhoma g ainjumi double bedroom
krevat dopio - double bed
sapun - soap
tualet - toilet
makinë - car
autobus - bus
treni - train
aeroplan - plane
sot - today
nesër - tomorrow
mbyllur - closed
e mirë (e admirueshme) - good (admirable)
keq - bad

e tmerrshme - terrible

sheqer - sugar
rosto - roast
marmelatë - marmalade
rrushi - grape
fruta kivi - kiwi fruit
piper - pepper
muzikë - music
opera - opera

tortë - cake
biskotë - biscuit
cokollate - chocolate
luleshtrydhe - strawberry 
mjedër - raspberry
boronica - blueberry
domate - tomato

me - with
dhe - and
ose - or
të - the

 Unë/unë/e imja - I/me/mine
ju - you
ai - he
ajo - she
atë - it
ne - we
ata/ - they
ato - them
valixhe - suitcase (like valise)
kosto - cost
i madh - big
i vogël - small
kapelë - hat
veshjet - dress
fund - skirt
bluzë - blouse
këmishë - shirt
kravatë - tie
kapak - cap
shall - scarf
stoli - jewellery
argjendi - silver
ari - gold
lëkurë - leather

Story
I met an Albanian at Toastmasters. Smiling and good looking. Always smiling. I like Albanians.

He was a builder. Then I met another man. He was a plumber.

He asked me, "What do you do?"

I said, "I am an author, and I teach English, and I'm learning other languages."

I asked the plumber, What's your language?"

He said,"It's Albanian."

Hm. For once I was lost for words.

Problem
I don't speak one word of Albanian. He was ahead of me, speaking both Albanian and English, some French, a bit of Greek. He spoke my language fluently. But I was a teacher and could not speak one word of his language.

Answer
I could learn one word from him. I could get a free lesson.

Keep it simple. I asked, "Is it easy to read Albanian, if you speak English? Are the letters the same?"

Tips
"The Albanian alphabet? Yes, the letters are the same. But Albanian has more of them."

That sounds very Alice in Wonderland. I asked, "Please explain."

"The Albanian language has 36 letters, mostly the same as in English, but double letters are counted."

Ch sounds like Russian, looks like Russian, has a cedilla and pronounced ch as in the English word Chance.

SH as in should counts as one letter.

xh - pronounced J as in Jack.
For example:
uncle in English is written in Albanian as - xhaxhi - pronounced judge ee

th - a new letter. "A little th as in thing think, fifth."

dh - "a strong th as in the or this, themselves, leather".

What about sentence structure?

"I am reading a book:
un - i
yam
duke
ledur," says my Albanian friend.

I could not grasp that the first time, let alone remember it. Let's make life easy. I asked, "Which words are the same in both languages?"

"Many Words Are The same:
hotel
taxi
train."

Now, let's try some everyday words such as hello and goodbye, and yes and no, and please and thank you.

thank  you - f a l i  m i n d e r e t (sounds longer in Albanian). Sound like Ali but it start f a l i (memory aid for thank you, thank you, Ali, I can't fail FALI; mind / minder / et / tete.
hello
goodbye - l a m t u m i r ë

What does the double dot on the ë mean?
If you click on the sound symbol underneath the word at the bottom of the text box in Google translate you can hear that the ë sound like er, a short version of err.

To type the e with the double dot above, press down the e key on your laptop keyboard; up pops a list of possible accents - see that the one you want is number 4; continue to hold down the e key and with your other hand, your right hand, tap the number four key at the top of the keyboard. Release both fingers and you should see the e with the two dots. If you get an ordinary e, or double ee, you have mistimed it by holding or release one finger. Just try again.

How are you? Ok.
c u ok
mir - ok
t mir - you ok

"You ask about the whole family, your father ok, your mother ok and so on. So you hear, '... mir ... mir ...  mir?' "

They also use OK because they learn English as a second language in school, so no problem speaking to Albanians. They have similar words such as:
stress - stress

What about yes and no?
Yes - po (I think of very possible - yes)
no - yo , (I think of ay-yi-yi, absolutely not, you have to be kidding me)

How confusing. Both end with o, and the no starts with a ye like the English yes.

Remember, yes, it is possible. Yes is po.

No, no, yo, yo. Can I operate a yo-yo, no, no!

rr (rolled r)
r r u g is road or street

table - same as English and French

Useful Websites

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Albanian_phrasebook#:~:text=Albanian

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_language

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