Durres to Berat 🇦🇱

I awoke to a blue sky day and donned my backpack and walked up to see the lookout view of the Adriatic sea

, the nuclear bunkers

and then back down the hill to the castle walls and then to the Roman built amphitheatre.  Built in the 2nd century and could seat 10,000+ people.  This was only discovered in 1966!

Then a walk to the bus station where I arrived yesterday, to find today's destination bus departed from another station 7kms away.  I haggled with a taxi driver as they see my blonde hair and blue eyes and don't suspect a savvy traveller.  I'm sure I still got ripped off though 😂. Then onto the regional bus

for 1.5hrs following the river delta past lush vegetable farms.  We slowly climbed through the valley and to the Berat bus station in an unremarkable area.  I asked a lady where to stand for the local bus.  We chatted and then she wanted me to come and stay with her and she would cook for me 😊. The bus came and I paid my 40c.

Berat became a UNESCO heritage listed city in 2008 and the Old town is a 2400yr old city know for its white Ottoman homes with many windows built on two sides of the river and under the 4th Century Castle of Berat high on the hill.
 

I decided to spend a little more and stay in a traditional Ottoman guesthouse instead of a hostel.  My host met me at the bus stop and guided me up through a maze of steps to their home perched on the hill.  The 250yr old home I will share with them for the next 2 nights.  The views from my window are to the river and village on the other side and huge snow capped mountains.

I have had a wonderful afternoon exploring the narrow streets and then climbing the very long steep road to the castle. 

It is much better preserved than I had expected, has an active village, restaurants and churches and I had timed it to look around and then watch the sunset from the top. 

I finished the day with the most amazing traditional Albanian dinner at an intimate, 4 table restaurant with the most enthusiastic friendly host and his wife the cook.  The food beautiful and the 4 tables got chatting - French, Spanish and Oman 😊