We headed south, a couple hour’s drive, for our day trip from Tirana to Berat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its Ottoman-style homes. Notice the many windows on the second floor of the home. The first floor is made of stone and the second floor is a white-washed exterior with a ceramic-tiled roof. The second floor is one large room. These homes are on both hillsides of the Osum River.
After walking a loop from one bridge to another, we drove up to Berat Castle. This is a 2500 year old fortress, considered a “living castle“ as 700 people live here. Residents have permits to drive within; everyone else walks in on the cobblestone paths.
We stopped at the Onufri Museum in Castle’s Cathedral of the Assumption of St. Mary. There were 19th century paintings on wood, labeled with artist and date!
After lunch of soup, salad with cucumber, tomatoes, olives, etc and meatballs and stuffed peppers with rice, and a dessert, we headed back to Tirana.
Our guide spoke of Albania’s complicated history while we rode from Tirana to Berat. No way could I condense all that info; however, it was interesting seeing all the old steel mills that were built and used in the 1970’s. Twenty thousand people were employed, but by the 1990’s they ended. Communist Party was on its way out and 50 percent of the country’s electricity was consumed by these mills. You’ll also notice there are some working oil wells, many fewer now than in the past. There is now less oil, but also the crude oil needs to be exported as Albania has no refinery. Gasoline here is about $7.00 per gallon with 60% of that fee as tax. (Side note: saw some self-supported bicycling tourists on the road. No bike lanes here. They were truly on the road!)
During Communist years, the Mother Party was more important than ones biological mother. Two hundred thousand bunkers were built. As the years went on, people were malnourished, yet listened to BBC and Voice of America and realized their “glorious leader” was a dictator. Again, so much happened in their history; do your research to learn more. Even as the new government in 1992 institutes land reform, this too has its challenges! History buffs must really love understanding how this country has come to be!
On a later note, let me end with a look at our dessert from lunch. This is Berat’s version of “ekmet” … a custard with shredded wheat below and on top. It was delicious along with soup, fresh tomatoes and olives, meatballs and stuffed peppers. It was an informative day!
