Leaving the stone city

I really wish I had spent another day here although I walked my legs off to try and get everything done. I am really trying to push on to get the final things that I have wanted to do in this trip to Albania. I'm grateful this morning that I'm able to get a proper latte at the hostel and as I sit listening to the cockerel accidentally spilled the whole coffee all over the table. Soaking a whole pack of cigarettes. The bus is at 830 and the owner of the hostel has kindly offered to take me to the bus and even makes me a new coffee. The bus leaves at 0830 and takes just over 3 hours. The bus stops a 10 minute drive from the centre and rather than get a taxi I opt for the local bus. I meet up with a guy from the Philippines and he says he's booked the tubing for tomorrow and that it's cost him 33euroi say he should check as I nearly made the same mistake and one departure is from Berat and one is from Cordova which is over an hour away. He calls the company manages to change it and I book onto the same tour. I explore the city by foot stopping for a lunch of baked cheese I meet up again with Anjelo .Berat is nick named the city of a thousand windows and one particular window really interests me it's the wine window. You rings a bell and for 3 euro you get a glass of homemade red or white wine. It's on the Mangalem part of the city it's a typical example of Ottoman urbanism and architecture consisting of narrow cobbled streets with multi storey wooden houses. I cross the river on the old bridge then back across on the Gorica bridge. It was built in 1977 and even has it's own set of stray dogs guarding it. Next stop is the castle but when I go to take a taxi they want 1000 leke to take me up. It says 300 on Google but I don't want to pay that much so decline. After a quick shower I head out for dinner eating a local dish of lamb baked in yogurt it's delicious and followed with cherry ice cream. I sit and wait for the sun to go dand the houses to light up. Anjelo meets me with another guy called Arthur from Belgium and we share a few drinks.Walking home I pass the Army recruitment office. There is noone in my room tonight so a good nights sleep is forecast.Read more