After a few days in Sarande it was the time to hit the road again. Our next destination was the town of Gjirokastër - one of the three UNESCO sites places in Albania, known for its well preserved Ottoman architecture.
On the previous day we found a taxi driver, who agreed to drive us there for 6000 Leks (44 euros). Gjirokastër is located quite close from Sarande - only 62 km - and there's some public transport, however given the very low prices of taxis and the fact that we were with a baby, we didn't even consider getting there by furgon.
The price included also a stop in the Syri i Kalter (Blue Eye) - an incredible water spring, which was located just on the way. Blue Eye is a popular tourist attraction and on this nice and sunny Sunday we expected a lot of tourists. And indeed there were hundreds of them. Getting by car to the Blue Eye's surroundings was already difficult, as on this small and narrow road there was a traffic, but also getting to the Blue Eye itself was quite a challenge. Dozen of tourists were standing around the sort of pond and it was not very easy to see this stunning natural phenomenon. Once we eventually managed, we were stunned by the blue turquoise crystal clear spring pushing out from the green water around. Apparently this rather small blue spot is fifty meters deep. It is definitely freezing - nevertheless several people were jumping into the water :)
This place is really beautiful, and I could imagine it's really magical when it's empty.
After the Blue Eye, we continued our drive to Gjirokaster. Our hotel - Kerculla Resort - was located on the top of the hill, therefore we had to drive through all the Old Town and still up the hill to get there. Upon arrival we were amazed by the beautiful view from the hotel - on Gjirokastër, its castle and mountains. On that day we decided to stay in the hotel and relax.
But the next day - after a relaxing swim in the swimming pool - we went for a sightseeing.
Gjirokastër - also known as a Museum City and "city of 1000 steps" - is described in the UNESCO World Heritage Site as "a rare example of a well preserved Ottoman town, built by farmers of large estate". In the Old Town there are many houses built in a distinctive local style - some of there were renovated, some of them continue to degrade. Apparently there are a few hundred of them, which were considered as "cultural monuments". And so we started visiting of Gjirokaster from such an Ottoman house - Skenduli House. Upon arrival we were greeted by the daughter of the family owing a house. She spoke excellent English and was our guide. We learned from her that the house belonged to the family since the eighteenth century, when it was built by her ancestors, and it came back to them recently, as during Hoxha regime it was confiscated. Currently it serves only as a museum, as the family lives in another place now.
The house is very big, it has four floors and a very special roof. The girl showed us everything - from the cellar containing a cistern and which might also serve as a shelter, through the secret passages and guest rooms, until the beautiful ceremony room. It's very well preserved, and we were happy to sense this Albanian lifestyle from before many years ago.
A few steps from the Skenduli House there's the Ethnographic Museum, which is also place of birth of Enver Hoxha. Or more precisely the museum was built in the place where Hoxha's house was standing before it was destroyed by fire. This time there was no guide, however there was not really such a need - we could admire all the folk costumes and household items without further explanation.
The last attraction we visited on that day was the Gjirokastër Fortress, which is overlooking the city from the surrounding hill. It is one of the largest fortresses in the Balkans. From there we had a stunning view on the town and its beautiful and distinctive buildings. Most of them date from 17th and 18th centuries, and look similarly to the Skenduli House we visited earlier.
On the way back, while walking on the cobblestone charming streets of Gjirokaster, we passed by the Bazaar. In fact it was smaller than expected, and we couldn't really admire it, as several buildings were under renovation. But at least I bought a carpet :) We finished that day with an excellent lunch in a lovely, family run restaurant RRapi
Gjirokaster turned out to be a magical and truly unique place. I think our visit there was too short, but when we wanted to prolong our stay in the hotel, it was already fully booked. There's then at least one reason to come back to Albania :)
No comments:
Post a Comment