The bus ride from Meteora to Berat, Albania is a ten hour overnight journey through winding, pot-holed roads. It's 8:30am when I ask the driver to drop me off at Hotel Palma then walk across the footbridge and up the cobblestone path to Berat Backpackers. I open the large wooden door to a beautiful veranda overlooking the white ottoman houses the town is famous for and the rushing Osum river. The hostel is as silent as a tomb. The empty eight-person dorm has hardwood floors and butter colored walls. I toss my pack on a lower bunk near the window and search for someone that works here. I hear someone stirring in the room next door and knock on the door. Moments later, a short blonde girl comes out and introduces herself as Louisa. I learn that Louisa and her boyfriend Joe are Brits traveling from London to Australia over the next yera. The hostel owner, Scoti, offered them free room and board in exchange for work at the hostel. They are a really cute couple and I like them immediately. Berat Backpackers is a great deal--10 euros buys you a bed, breakfast, and a lounge furnished with music that I load onto my ipod (hooray for new music!)
I change some euros into the Albanian currency, lek, and set off to explore the remains of Berat Castle, Kalasa. Walking up the steep cobblestone path, I pass two men prodding a pack horse up the hill! I enjoy the area, especially the lovely Byzantine church but what really interests me is the adjacent hillside where I find several mushroom-shaped concrete bunkers. Around 700,000 of these bunkers were built during former dictator Enver Hoxha's reign as protection against possible invasion. They are extremely difficult to destroy and so in recent years some people have tried to make the best of their prescence by painting them in fun colors. Strange as they are, they are a connection to Albania's past. Walking back down the hill I visit the Ethnographic Museum filled with artifacts from Albanian history including clothing and tools. I find the recreated traditional Albanian home most interesting as it reveals Albania's very patriarchal past. The main bedroom for men and guests is large and somewhat lavish with animal skin blankets and fancy flatware on a low table. The women, however, stay in a separate spartan room up a nearby staircase.
My four days in Berat are filled with exploring during the day and relaxing with Lousia, Joe, and the cast of characters that arrive each night. A french guy introduces us to bands such as Balkan Beat Box and the No Smoking Orchestra which he describes as"Turbo Folk."
"What are the songs about" I ask. "Mostly about Serbians drinking and losing your wives" he replies. Well, it's certainly more interesting than the top 40 back home! One night, Vinko makes us crepes. Another night Brian, the new chef who hails from Houston, whips up an amazing stirfry for all of us.
One day, I walk across the footbridge to the other side of the river intending to visit St. Michael's church only to find it locked. A girl in the house next door introduces herself as Luciana and asks me if I want to take a walk to a lookout point. Her two sisters, Nela and Simoni, accompany us and by the time we reach the top, a huge rainbow has formed across the late afternoon sky. Simoni picks a bouquet of wildflowers for me from behind their house, a gesture I find very touching. Luciana invites me inside where I meet her parents. Their mother serves me homemade cherry liquier and they tell me their dream of moving to Boston. They ask me about my work, traveling, and living in America. "Every Albanian wants to move to America" Luciana says. As a visitor to Berat, I see the beautiful architecture, meet hospitable people, and run the hilly terrian. But to Luciana's family sees a country with few jobs and opportunities so they want to move on. At the end of the visit, we exchange emails and promise to keep in touch. I am definitely curious to see what life has in store for them!
I change some euros into the Albanian currency, lek, and set off to explore the remains of Berat Castle, Kalasa. Walking up the steep cobblestone path, I pass two men prodding a pack horse up the hill! I enjoy the area, especially the lovely Byzantine church but what really interests me is the adjacent hillside where I find several mushroom-shaped concrete bunkers. Around 700,000 of these bunkers were built during former dictator Enver Hoxha's reign as protection against possible invasion. They are extremely difficult to destroy and so in recent years some people have tried to make the best of their prescence by painting them in fun colors. Strange as they are, they are a connection to Albania's past. Walking back down the hill I visit the Ethnographic Museum filled with artifacts from Albanian history including clothing and tools. I find the recreated traditional Albanian home most interesting as it reveals Albania's very patriarchal past. The main bedroom for men and guests is large and somewhat lavish with animal skin blankets and fancy flatware on a low table. The women, however, stay in a separate spartan room up a nearby staircase.
My four days in Berat are filled with exploring during the day and relaxing with Lousia, Joe, and the cast of characters that arrive each night. A french guy introduces us to bands such as Balkan Beat Box and the No Smoking Orchestra which he describes as"Turbo Folk."
"What are the songs about" I ask. "Mostly about Serbians drinking and losing your wives" he replies. Well, it's certainly more interesting than the top 40 back home! One night, Vinko makes us crepes. Another night Brian, the new chef who hails from Houston, whips up an amazing stirfry for all of us.
One day, I walk across the footbridge to the other side of the river intending to visit St. Michael's church only to find it locked. A girl in the house next door introduces herself as Luciana and asks me if I want to take a walk to a lookout point. Her two sisters, Nela and Simoni, accompany us and by the time we reach the top, a huge rainbow has formed across the late afternoon sky. Simoni picks a bouquet of wildflowers for me from behind their house, a gesture I find very touching. Luciana invites me inside where I meet her parents. Their mother serves me homemade cherry liquier and they tell me their dream of moving to Boston. They ask me about my work, traveling, and living in America. "Every Albanian wants to move to America" Luciana says. As a visitor to Berat, I see the beautiful architecture, meet hospitable people, and run the hilly terrian. But to Luciana's family sees a country with few jobs and opportunities so they want to move on. At the end of the visit, we exchange emails and promise to keep in touch. I am definitely curious to see what life has in store for them!
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