Gjirokastra

We bid farewell to Permet and set off on another long journey down to Gjirokastra, one of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Albania. It is really a spectacular example of an Ottoman merchant town and one of the few still surviving in the Balkans.

We were lucky enough to stay in a very fine example of one of the Ottoman houses, with it's beautiful original wooden carvings, ceiling roses and cupboards. The town is so steep that cars and coaches have to park at the bottom and we had to hike up to the hotel. We had a wander through the cobbled streets when the temperature (which stayed in the mid to high thirties for the two weeks we were there) had cooled a little.

The 13th Century castle dominates the town. It contains a military museum featuring captured artillery and memorabilia of the Communist resistance against German occupation, as well as a captured United States Air Force plane to commemorate the Communist regime's struggle against the "imperialist" western powers. The castle's prison was used extensively by Zog's government and housed political prisoners during the Communist regime.

Now it seemed it is a rather popular site as a scenic location for wedding pictures.

More of the day's shots in Gjirokastra can be found here