We have been here in Gjirokastra, south of the country, for 2 days now. The journey from Tirana took 4 hours by bus. Do vampires take the taxi sometimes? (In the taxi to the bus terminal)
In 2015 the taxi driver took me to a place somewhere in the city where I waited for a long distance bus by the road side with the locals.
Bus made a stop for toilet/coffee/snack break at a road restaurant. We got coffee and home-made yoghurt. A bit thin and not super rich/creamy like Turkish or Greek. Tasted like super low fat yoghurt. So far all the yoghurt I have eaten is like that.
Hello again, Gjirokaster! My lodging is next to a small mosque. Albania is officially an islamic country but unlike say, Morocco, they don't have super loud hourly public prayer. No prayer call at all so far.
Rooftop terrace at my lodging. Mosque is to my left but it's not in this photo. It's higher up here and very cold at night and early morning.
Took a first walk to the centre and found a restaurant I had been to. Recognised it straight away, but when I ate here the cook was the wife. That time I sat at a small table behind the tray full of dirty glasses and water bottles.
The kitchen is right by the entrance, still looks untidy and everything is left uncleaned from the night before.
Baked cheese with some green peppers
Peppers with cheese
Juicy qofte. In the middle is rice topped with cheese. I didn't touch the rice at all even though there's cheese in it.
He sat at the next table reading an old cookery book and watching an old Albanian food programme.
Before we left...
Restaurant is very small, 2 and a half tables inside and 1 outside. Winter is low season, there's hardly any tourist staying overnight so everyone tries hard to get some business.
Hanging garlic braid outside a house. I looked it up. Apparently, it's to ward off the "evil eye". One of Albanian superstitions.
Common to see cars from some European countries here with business names still on them.
Sardines and mackerel, mostly from Spain, some from Greece and 1 brand from Albania.
You attach this to a broom stick. After a while it gets shorter and you buy a new one.
Original sign on old door (surgeon-gynaecologist). 1902 -1980
Surgeons at home tend to live in a big house and own multiple Mercedes. Physician Laboviti lived in this simple house. He studied in Corfu, Graz (Austria) and Istanbul. Returned to Gjirokaster where he lived and worked his entire life. They named this street after him. An Albanian writer had mentioned the doctor in one of his books.
Stone streets here are so steep and narrow. Dangerously slippery when wet or icy.
Staying with a lovely family in their traditional Gjirokastrian home. Room comes with a good breakfast but we also pay extra for home-cooked dinner for the duration of our stay.
Soup with meat balls.
They cooked the vegetables I brought from Tirana. Lemon from the garden. I see 2 trees full of lemons.
Own wine. Very nice and a bit strong. Their "vineyard" has 2 short row and about 5 vine plants in each row. It's just right in the back garden.
Trout
Barely sweet, fluffy, light as air 3 milk cake with caramel. Albanian raki is quite a bit more potent than Greek.
Re bargaining. Tourists are likely to be told a non Albanian price, especially at a touristy market.
