Berat, also known as the city with a thousand windows, is a 156km from Ohrid and takes about 3hours by car.  My experience took more than 9 hours door to door.  I woke up at 0545hrs to catch the scheduled bus at 0645hrs for Tiranë.  However, the bus never came, even as another passenger and I had purchased tickets from the booth.  At 0715hrs, a car came to take us to Struga to get onto the bus to Tiranë.  Getting to Struga took about 15mins, but we had to wait till 0930hrs before the bus finally came. 

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We then trod on to the border where it was another wait with the checks.  There was no need to get off the best, as the customs came on board and all our passports were collected in bulk prior.  We finally crossed into Albania at around midday and I was anxious to get off at Elbasan for a change of bus to Berat.  The bus driver did not stop at Elbasan per request; while I frantically show him on Google translate to Albanian my intention.  I had thought that he had totally forgotten about my request.  I had not wanted to head north to Tirana, and then spend another 2.5 hours south to Berat. 

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What turned out, was brilliant:  He dropped me a few minutes later at a roundabout where the roads intersected at a tee, near a petrol kiosk and signaled to me to cross the road where there would be a bus headed to Berat.  I followed his cue, still skeptical, and confirmed with the kiosk attendant, having crossed the road, who then confirmed that there would indeed be buses headed straight to Berat, and the next one should arrive in ten minutes.  The attendant was even concerned when the bus failed to turn up, calling the bus station in Tiranë with his GSM phone, and then the bus turned up.  The bus did not stopped, however, right at the doorsteps of Berat but at the bus terminal at Lagja Kombinat at about 1440hrs, 3km away from Berat.  By the time I checked in at the accommodation at Mangalem, it was already 1530hrs.  On the opposite bank of the Osum river is Gorica.

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Thanks to the July summer, the days were long and I was able to make my way up to the Berat castle for breathtaking view from the top.  The castle itself is also home to many families and thanks to the, access to the grounds is free of charge.  I managed to explore the place and lingered till 2030hrs after sunset to take dinner at a family restaurant within the castle grounds, before leaving.  Getting down was much more difficult down the same path. The entire sloped street had been paved with marble and walking down was largely a slippery affair where I had had to balance my steps.  I was very fortunate not to slip and fall in my summer flip-flops, though I ran out of luck later at Kotor in Montenegro.

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Venturing into the town centre, it was bustling with a music exposé, crowds, and lots of life on a Saturday night.  The town is generally safe and I went about roaming the streets and riverside with ease. Buses usually leave every thirty minutes or the hour to Tiranë, though there are usually no buses at lunch time.  I would have headed to Gjirokastër from here if I had more time.

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Berat on a shoestring, how much did I spend?

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-           700mkd – Bus from Ohrid to Berat/Tiranë intersection.

-                3.00€ – Bus to Lagja Kombinat or 300 leke

-                0.50€ – Bus from Lagja Kombinat to Berat or 30 leke?

-            150leke – Gyros

-            300leke – Dinner

-          1100leke – Bed with breakfast

-            400leke – Bus to Tiranë

-                              Free Entry to Berat Castle

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What should I have done?

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-          Wear good anti-slip flip-flops, as it would have made the walk downhill on the street much easier and faster.

-          Find a way to get to Gjirokastër, Sarandë, and even Corfu.  I had thought that Gjirokastër would be similar to Berat, but there’s some pretty obvious differences to the streets and architecture of both places.

-          I was already travelling light, but I could have travelled lighter during the summer.

-          A day trip from Tiranë would suffice if not going anywhere else.

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