A look into my work

During this trip I have been working on classes with an online platform. I thought it would be fun to show you one of my essays I wrote for my English class. It is an informative comparison/contrast essay about two of the cities we have traveled to on this trip enjoy!

Faith Megan Reichardt

English Composition 1

Elbasan, Albania and Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain are both small cities in Europe, but they have a lot of differences. Specifically, there are quite a few differences in climate, food, and culture.

Elbasan is described as having a hot summer Mediterranean climate with temperatures averaging around 55.6 degrees Fahrenheit. On the other hand, Vitoria-Gasteiz is described as an ocean-like climate with an average temperature of 53.1 degrees Fahrenheit.  In Elbasan, the coldest month is typically January with the temperatures averaging around 42.5 degrees Fahrenheit. While Vitoria-Gasteiz is somewhat colder in the month of January, the coldest month there, with 40.8 degrees Fahrenheit as the average temperature. Elbasan’s hottest month is July, averaging at 74.7 degrees Fahrenheit in temperature. In contrast, August is typically the hottest month in Vitoria-Gasteiz and has temperatures averaging around 66.6 degrees Fahrenheit. As you can see, there are similarities in climate but Elbasan tends to be warmer in the summer.

Humidity levels in Elbasan range from 58-76% year-round. Comparatively, the humidity levels in Vitoria-Gasteiz are higher, ranging from 70-84% year-round.

Elbasan gets roughly 42.7 inches of rainfall each year which help keep the surrounding mountain ranges green. Whereas, Vitoria-Gasteiz gets less, with around 29.2 inches of rainfall every year. Even if Elbasan typically gets more rainfall than Vitoria-Gasteiz, it is not considered to have more green land. Vitoria-Gasteiz was named the European green capital in 2012. 

 When it comes to food, Elbasan has a broad choice of Mediterranean food, such as fruit, olive oil, and seafood. Lamb, pork, and wine are also additions the locals enjoy adding to their meals. Byreks ( pronounced būreks) are an important cultural food that is eaten for breakfast. It consists of a flat, croissant-like pastry filled with vegetables, meat, or yogurt. The people favor a savory breakfast as opposed to a sweet one like Vitoria-Gasteiz. Similar to Elbasan, they usually eat a small breakfast, but Vitoria-Gasteiz enjoys a sweet meal that consists of coffee and pastries. The people in Elbasan enjoy food, but it’s but  it’s not a vital part of their culture. Whereas, in Spain,  the people’s lives revolves around food. Elbasan people enjoy food but do not spend as much time on it, whereas Vitoria-Gasteiz’s people revolve their lives around food.  Their lunch is the biggest meal of the day, and it usually consists of potatoes, beans, and cheese. Dinner is served around 10 pm and is typically meat and rice followed by churros as a dessert. The cities may both be in Europe; however, of food differ from each other in terms of  and overall similarities.

The culture of Elbasan is considered welcoming and hospitable, whereas the culture of Vitoria-Gasteiz is considered to be reserved and quiet. There are many markets out on the street in Elbasan where people sell clothes, food, and other daily necessities. This differs from Vitoria-Gasteiz, which has stores indoors and does not typically have food markets outdoors. The people of Elbasan value their history, especially the time period in which they gained freedom from communism in 1991. While Vitoria-Gasteiz also values its history, specifically its heritage in the Basque community, it has never been held captive by communism. 

These are just a few differences between Elbasan and Vitoria-Gasteiz that have been focused on in this essay. The climates are both European in nature, but differ in the way the weather affects their landscape. The food is provided fresh in both cities, but is prepared and enjoyed differently. The cultures of both cities take pride in their history, however Elbasan finds honor in their freedom, while Vitoria-Gasteiz finds their honor in the roots they have in the Basque culture.

Elbasan and Vitoria-Gasteiz are travel destinations that are enjoyed by many who venture out to them. They have some similarities but have plenty of differences. Those who love to travel should consider these things before picking which one to travel to.