Berat, Albania16 Oct 2009
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Looking out over the city to the snow-capped mountains
"City of a Thousand Windows"
View from the citadel
As we approached Berat in the heart of Albania, Mt. Tomorr loomed over the countryside; already snow-capped it made for a magnificent sight.
We were ready to get out of the furgon, after 2 1/2 hours of non-stop Albanian music blaring from the speakers strategically located in our section of the van. We had had a multitude of traveling companions by the time we reached Berat, all being locals and all but two men. As we wondered where our hotel was and when we should ask the van to stop, we were pleasantly surprised that the two remaining passengers spoke enough English to ask where we were staying and convey this to the driver, who kindly dropped us at the door, sparing us dragging our bags over the slippery cobblestones lining the streets in old town. We had found Our hotel through an internet booking site and were impressed with how pretty and cheap it was and by how good the food in the restaurant was.
Berat is distinguished by the uniformity of its houses. Clinging to the sides of the valley, they are nearly all white with red tile roofs and have identical vertical, rectangular windows, one above the other. It has the nickname the "city of a thousand windows", because of the striking visual impact of the windows.
Berat is also home to the largest citadel (some call it a fortress) we have visited thus far. The Romans were the first to use the site and people still live within its ramparts. In the lovely fall weather we spent hours clambering around the ruins, visiting the museum, photographing the panoramic views and enjoying being out in the country after weeks in cities.
On our second and last night in town, we decided to go for a stroll on the "promenade," a 3-block stretch of street that is closed to traffic in the evenings. But as we walked we noticed an odd thing: we were very nearly the only women in the area; apparently Albanian women stay at home while the "menfolk" spend their evenings sitting in sidewalk cafes, smoking and drinking espresso, Red Bull and beer.
