THE JEWEL OF A 1000 WINDOWS

Last week I had the chance to spend the weekend  in Berat and in the Canyons of the Osumi River. After having a great lunch at Tomi's restaurant, from where I started to sense the beauty of the city. I walked towards  the Mangalem quarter, which has the shape of a pyramid and is famous for its many windows and narrow hidden streets.

This well-preserved Ottoman City, due to the many large windows of the old decoraretd houses overlooking the town, is known as "the city of one-thousand windows" and in 1961 is declared as a Museum City. Berat comprises a wealth of beautiful buildings of high architectural and historical interest and is one of the oldiest cities in Albania, with the earliest traces of settlement dating from 2600-1800 BC. The city of Berat was composed of two fortifications on both sides of the Osum River and is adorned with 40 Byzantine churches and 30 Mosques.
After visiting the old town, I climbed a steep hill towards the old castle or Kala. Once at the top of the hill, at the entrance of kalaja I met Toni, who became my guide for the rest of the tour. Toni, explained that there are still about 70 families inhabiting those old houses inside the castle. Being there was a mixture of emotions: breathtaking views, welcoming people, old traditions, history, culture, churches and mosques all at the same place.  A detached sweet reality thrown back in the Middle Age. Within the castle, you could see people going about their daily lives much like they would have centuries earlier.

After spending few hours walking around Toni told me the legend of the history of the area, which made the town even more attractive. According to the legend, Tomor Mountain was personified by a giant who fought his brother Shpirag /also the personification of a nearby mountain/ for the love of a young woman. Although both were armed and fought valiantly, they both died in the end. The legend continues to explain that the sorrow-filled tears of the woman whose love they sought flowed deep and created the Osum River. The girl is said to have turned into the large stone, upon which the Berat castle was built. The tremendous old town of Berat was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2008. Outside the city, the countryside features steep and spectacular canyons, fine for hikers, rafters  and archaeological sites with histories and myths yet to be discovered.

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But the museum city was not the only surprise of the weekend, seen the cites we moved towards the Castle Park Hotel  where we met Zamo and Blerina, founders of the Albanian Rafting Group. The breathtaking view from the hotel combined both with the delicious traditional dinner and lovely people made that day even more special. On Sunday, I was both scared and exited about rafting, but Zamo ensured me that it was going to be a magical experience. It was magical indeed. Crossing the Osumi Canyons, was like being in a fairytale, surrounded by marvellous beauty and virgin nature. I felt in Love with this marvellous place and   I had a great weekend immersed into  traditions, culture, beauty, adrenaline and nature.  

Highly recommend trip :)))
Thank you Zamo, Blerina & Nentor :)
www.albrafting.com