Today I was leaving Albania and heading back to northern Greece. After the early morning bus to Gjirokaster yesterday and early morning flight home tomorrow I was looking forward to the chance to sleep in a bit today.The hotel had a gourmet fresh made breakfast including date jam, fried eggs, and sausages. We left the hotel, headed down the long hill climb and went back to the highway to catch the bus to the Greek border.Yesterday when we had arrived we asked loc...

The main feature of Gjirokaster is its imposing castle stretched out like a lion across the mountaintop overlooking the valley. Its design and layout of the town is actually reminscent of the Alhambra Palace complex similarly designed in Granada Spain.Climbing to the top we had the choice of going into a museum for 200 Lek ($2) as well as castle admission 200 Lek ($2). We were short on cash in our last day so trying to stretch it out and skipping out on things. I...

Thursday morning we had to be up early for our morning bus from Berat to Gjirokaster, the second Unesco town in southern Albania. I woke about 4am not sleeping properly from the travel worry. We had to be on the 8am bus or else!Papi the guesthouse owner had prepared breakfast for us at 6am and we thanked him as we left early.We climbed down the cobbled steps to get to the bus stop. When one arrived it was packed to the door even this early and we barely got on wi...

Still unsure where and how to get the bus to Gjirokaster tomorrow me and my friend decided to climb up to the castle to see if there was a way round the back to get to the main road and the bus.Entrance to the castle was 100 Lek ($1). There were supposed to be several churches inside the compound.We didnt see any churches and they were probably referring to all the different ruins. We could see city views from the summit.Locals still live inside the city walls an...

Today was my birthday and I was travelling south to the Unesco town of Berat with my friend who had joined me. Most westerners who come to Albania head to its Mediterranean coastline for its unspoilt beaches. Not one for beaches, I was more interested in the culture and history and planned to visit its two Unesco towns Berat and Gjirokaster.As Tirana does not have a bus station finding information on where to catch one to Berat was confusing. The hotel had mentio...