KesterTester97 - This lady is well known and loved by many to this day after a life of service and charity in India, where she was awarded the country's highest civilian honour.
Photo: This memorial statue is a long way from where she worked, somewhere in Central-Eastern and South=Eastern Europe - but where?
If you think you know, the opportunity of global celebrity status and the price of two beers await, should your number be drawn from the EU-approved Black Woolly hat.
Answers please via the website messaging system or an email - please quote KT97 to help me make sure I don't miss your entry.
Otherwise, I wish you a happy Easter from a very cold Budapest (for this time of year).
UPDATE: The Results!
This Tester produced some interesting, varied entries, for sure, at least, more varied than I had expected.
First in, within a very few minutes of publishing (and clearly eager for global celebrity status plus the chance to buy me two beers :)) was Michael Glover.
“Hi Kester,
I think this is in Skopje, North Macedonia, close to the house where she (Saint Mother Teresa) was brought up.
Have a great Easter. Mike”
Another quick responder, all the way from Texas, was Ruth Dupre, who clamoured (if by email):
“Hey Kester!!
Mother Teresa, and somewhere in Albania (Skopje?)
Cheer! Ruth”
Dear Ruth – you could be giving me a tough decision here (please google Skopje). Is that cheer (singular) for just one beer if you win? :)
Alex Faludy, perhaps attracted by the saintly association (rather than the right to buy me two beers, and certainly not the lure of global celebrity status – the superficiality of which I'm sure is far beneath a man of the cloth), exuded confidence in his punt:
“Easy. Skopje, where she was born.”
Saints of a feather, or something like that, Alex was followed by fellow cleric, Frank Hegedus, though his was a more diffident posit:
“Pristina, Kosovo...?
Mother Teresa was Albanian.”
Simon Skottowe (welcome, Simon!) had a crack.
“Dear Kester,
It is Albania. Do you want the city?”
It might be, Simon. Now I realise this is your first entry – but yes, we can't just be bandying about states with an area of 28,748 sq km, making it 144th in a list of countries by area on the planet. Not huge, but very similar to the US state of Massachuesetts, and bigger individually than North Macedonia, Slovenia, Israel and Wales.
(Later, on the phone, Simon said the language on the shop is Albanian but he couldn't locate the actual statue on google. - Better luck next time, Simon!)
Next in was wizened sleuther Tom Chilton
“Hi KJ, The statue of Mother Teresa is in Pristina, outside the Dukagjini Bookshop.
I never thought I would look at so many awful statues of MT on Google. Still I guess it has improved the tone of my search history.”
Alan sutton was of a similar persuasion, and had a personal connection.
“Mother Theresa
I've seen it. It is in Prishtina, Kosovo. I saw it when I went to the England match in Kosovo a few years ago, one of the few destinations in the world where they actually like us.
I also went to a service at the Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa nearby.”
It was the Tony Blair effect, Alan.
Master sleuther Hubert “Poirot” Warsmann was also keen on the capital of Kosovo.
“KT 97 Statue of Mother Teresa on Bulevard Nene Teresa, not far from Nene Teresa Square, in Prishtina, Kosovo. The boulevard leads to Prishtina's new cathedral, named after Nene Teresa. Although she was born in Skopje, her family hailed from Kosovo, hence this prominence in Prishtina. Incidentally, the statue is located opposite one of the best bookshops in the Balkans with an intriguing selection of foreign languages books and all the books you can possibly read on the Balkan wars.”
Fascinating info there, Hubert – faleminderit (that's thank you in shqipja for those without a B2 in the language.)
And before we knew it, from up in the Baltics, Priit Pallum was also plumping for the Kosovo connection.
“Hi Kester,
This is in Kosovo, Prishtina. Mother Teresa statue. The accompanying kid is more difficult to recognize.
Best regards and happy easter.”
That's an interesting point, Priit - I wonder who the little boy (or girl?) is?
David McCall hadn't exactly met Mother Theresa, but ...
“Dear Kester,
A Happy Easter to you as well, and I must say, this is an appropriate KT for this holiday weekend.
I have never seen this statue myself, but was able to find it fairly easily. I suspected this statue of the beloved Mother/Saint Teresa of Calcutta was in her native country of Albania, based on the words in the background. A quick search through some online photos shows that this particular statue is in Pristina, Kosovo.
I once stood within two metres of this incredible individual. I was in a church in Vienna when she came down the aisle. I will never forget the power that I felt from her presence.”
Fascinating, David.
Last but not least, regular punter Zsolt Maroti was on the trail.
“Szia Kester
Mother Theresa statue in Pristina, Kosovo. Zs”
Photo: A more panoramic view of Mother Theresa in front of the much-praised book shop. This is on Pristina's main (pedestrian) street, IIRC.
Well, it was a tricky one, but all those answers meant seven slips went into the newly promoted Green Afghan Hat (EU-approval pending), as the famed Black Woolly EU-approved headgear has gone missing. (I suspect someone swiped it to sell at Sotheby's or similar famed auction house.)
And the number, drawn by Mrs Eddy, is … number six, equating to ..... drum roll please ... David McCall. Congratulations, David – my goodness, the number of beers to be consumed when you are next in Hungary will see Dreher revenues jump that year :)
Thanks to all who joined in the fun … I'll have another KesterTester up at the weekend for you to sleuth over.