A Guest in Elbasan

Most of my time in Elbasan was spent with the main Albanian gentleman in town, a young man who only spoke Turkish, Albanian, and a little Italian. He had never traveled abroad, not even to Italy. One thing he knew about England was that you could buy good guns there. Owning a double-barrelled English gun was his dream. He also believed that the English were a great people because they were rich.

A Surprising Question About Carnegie

I explained that not all English people were rich, and that some were actually very poor. He seemed puzzled and then asked, “What about Carnegie?” It surprised me that he knew who Mr. Carnegie was. This man, living in the heart of wild Albania, knew that Mr. Carnegie was famous for giving away money. I told him I didn’t know Mr. Carnegie personally, and that it was unlikely he would visit Elbasan Istanbul Day Tour.

Mr. Carnegie’s Generosity

The Albanian man then asked if Mr. Carnegie spoke Turkish, to which I answered that he probably didn’t. He continued, “Isn’t Mr. Carnegie the man who gives away money, money, and more money?” He spread his arms wide to show just how much money Mr. Carnegie must have. He said that if Mr. Carnegie really wanted to be a hero for the Albanian people—like Gladstone or Byron—he should send a million dollars to Elbasan so the people wouldn’t have to work anymore.

I agreed that it was a good idea if Mr. Carnegie could be convinced. But I wasn’t sure why he would choose Elbasan over other places. Perhaps Mr. Carnegie had been so busy that he just hadn’t thought about helping Elbasan yet.