Exploring Gjirokaster
Travel to Gjirokaster
We all sleep in a bit and don’t get going until 10am. Cortisol levels are high as John backs the car out of the Airbnb driveway… fortunately without incident.
It is about a 2.5 hour drive to Gjirokaster. The mountainous scenery is beautiful. We stop for coffee and ice cream.
Our Airbnb host lets us check in early. Our two bedroom apartment is modern and lovely….except for the 94 steps (no elevator) that the guys had to climb with the luggage.
There is a great view of the castle from our balcony.
We take a page from the locals and stay close to the apartment during the worst heat of the afternoon (36° C). We get some groceries and make a nice charcuterie for lunch in our air conditioned apartment.
Off to the Castle
is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is nicknamed the Stone City because of its Ottoman architecture and slate roofed houses.
We head out with the car in late afternoon to check out the castle.
The steep narrow roads going up are a bit stressful. The drops are steep and some spots are narrow because of vehicles parking on the side.
The castle is very interesting but the best part are the gorgeous viewpoints. I love going into the dungeons because the temperature is very cool. Prisoners were kept and some executed in the castle during communist times.
We drive the car back down to the apartment on a wider, much 
easier road…probably the road we should have taken when going to the castle. We park the car and without going inside our apartment (not in the mood for 94 stairs), head for a supposed twenty minute walk to the bazaar in the old town.
Gjirkaster Bazaar
It is still really hot out and John failed to tell us it was steeply uphill the whole way. Louise and I voice our thoughts repeatedly.
Finally we are at the top and it is lovely. We find a traditional food restaurant and try rice balls, a pastry and 
meat pie and I have a wild greens salad. Yum.
Another environmental protest about the Jared Kuchner/Ivana Trump development is taking place in the Bazaar. The Albanian people are rightfully very angry about the situation.
Raki Testing and Ice Cream
After supper we walk around the old town. Louise and I stop in a raki shop to try some samples. Raki is a strong alcohol that tastes a bit like ouzo.
The next stop was for ice cream. Yum yum yum.
End of the Day
The walk back to the apartment was downhill on a very, very steep cobblestone hill. Louise and I hold onto our guys because there is a very strong chance of slipping.
The fruit stand near the apartment is still open. We buy more cherries. They are so delicious and so cheap.
I barely make the 94 stairs up to our apartment.
Lance decides to fix up John’s hair and does a great job . It looks pretty good now.
We spend the rest of the night on our balcony admiring the lights of the castle and old town on the hill as we listen to the loud chorus of the Albanian Water Frogs in the stadium below. Click here to see the view and hear the frogs.
