Northern Greece, Albania & Macedonia: Ancient Lands of Alexander the Great Day 11

Day 11 - Friday, October 20, 2017 - Visit Wine Producing Berat; Berat Castle; Drive to Tirana; Visit Blloku District

The temperature was 54 degrees and the humidity was 84%; there was heavy dew on the windows of the bus. Almost everyone was in the bus before the designated time.

We had a travel day taking us further north on SH 4 toward the capital of Tirana. Ilir talked to us more about the customs of the Albanians as well as a detailed timeline of the occupations the people of Albania had to endure.

Following the Vjosë River, we had views of the wide meandering stream fed by clear mountain streams. In the mountains above the river valley were small homes, each with small gardens and fruit trees.

In the valley were fields of grain, olive groves, larger orchards, and vineyards. Where there was water, there was life!

We made a brief photo stop in the village of Tepelena to take a picture of a very impressive statue of Ali Pashe Tepelena, an important leader of the country, who was born in the village in 1740.

The morning break was at 9:40 at a rest and café stop in Mallakaster District near Hekal. Back on the road again at 10:00, we continued on the two-lane highway.

Farmers tended small fields of vegetables and shepherds and their dogs moved the sheep to greener pastures. We also saw flocks of turkeys scratching for the leftover grain.

Ilir discussed more about the political concerns and the allegations of corruption in the government. He also talked about the treatment of special populations such as gays or transgender people. His explanation was that “they are not appreciated”.

In keeping with the OAT tradition of serendipitous moments, we stopped on the road to talk to a couple that was harvesting olives. The olive trees had not produced many olives because of the serious drought this fall.

As we got closer to Berat, we saw many small stands where vendors sold oranges and pomegranates. Tasoss drove as far up the mountain as he could and when we reached the parking area, we walked the remainder of the way.

The castle dated from the 5th century and was still inhabited. Homes, hotels, and shops were housed within the medieval limestone structure. Berat, is another UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We began our tour at St. Mary Chapel built in the 10th century and one of the oldest in Albania. Because the church was deconsecrated and was now a museum, we were able to go behind the iconostasis, the screen that divides the Orthodox priest from the parishioners.

Next we saw over 100 icons taken from many of the 22 original chapels within the castle. Now only 12 remain active and only St. Mary’s was open to the public. In the museum the icons and several Bibles were protected from damage caused by light and humidity.

We had lunch at the Klea Hotel and Café; another family owned and operated lodging in the castle. After our delicious meal we walked back to our bus and drove to the Osum River.

Ilir told us the legend of the origin of the river and explained that the town was called “City of 1,001 Windows” because of the neighborhood of once opulent Ottoman homes and their beautiful windows.

The drive today was long but Tasoss stopped again at a highway service center a few minute south of Durres for the afternoon rest break. Everyone was anxious to get to our destination. We turned east for the last leg of the day’s journey to Tirana.

We arrived in Tirana, the capital, at 5:00, just in time to join the Friday afternoon traffic jam! Cars were merging in and out of 3 lanes forming up to 6 lanes of bumper-to-bumper Mercedes, BMWs, and Audis.

Originally thinking we had two hours before dinner, our time melted to less than an hour. By the time we reached our hotel and checked in it was 5:45. We settled in and the met our group at 7:00 to walk to dinner.

We are learning so much in Albania:

Albanians nod their head up and down to mean ‘no’, and shake it from side to side for ‘yes’.

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Accommodations: ROGNER HOTEL - - - Meal: B, L & D