Due to my job as an urban planner, I often have the chance to visit peculiar destinations not considered by many as top places to see in Albania. Such expeditions include amazing places such as Zagoria, Kruma in Has, Tropoja and rural zones surrounding it and Dropulli with its 41 magnificent villages, for which me and the team are now finishing all the work. These destinations offer not only great landscapes and nature but also a view of Albanian values and history, being hosted by welcoming people who are happy to share their traditions, be their cultural, culinary, etc. They so simply can show you how unique every region is and how proud we should be of this.
This is what made us realize how fun and amazing expeditions are and with our days being so busy, we decided we need to arrange a getaway trip every couple of months. We are eager to learn more about our country, new exciting places we don`t know anything about, but also we found this as a way of promising to each other to spend more quality time together. It does sound like a win – win situation, don`t you think? That said, do follow us on our Food and Travel section to get inspired on the topics!
We started our adventures with Gjirokastra, my favorite city. Julia and Kristi had never been before, so it was my turn to be the guide.
Gjirokastra is a city with an intertwining of historical and cultural layers, and it has a lot of stories to tell. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005, it has long been a favorite with the tourists, even though when considering the level of service provided in relation with the visitors, Gjirokastra, as many Albanian cities, has suffered for a long time. But I can honestly and happily confess that our last visit made us look at the city, its inhabitants and local authorities in a different way; there was clearly a lot of work been done to make the city so friendly to all. I think Gjirokastra can serve as an actual example for all the other cities, especially in matters of services offered with great quality and authenticity. The Old Bazar and the best part of the historical centre has been restored, emphasizing the city`s unique character, with the narrow and steep streets – which go up and down the hill – filled with inhabitants, tourists, shops and cafes. The castle offers a nice view above the bazar while people enjoy a coffee on the café tables down the alleyways or sited on the stairs, gazing at a scenery coloured by the many traditional carpet on the store stands. All these details make Gjirokastra, the iconic city of stone, more authentic and beautiful.
Various hotels and inns offer accommodation, providing an amazing feeling of traditional houses, making this an even more special stay. To be closer to the center and enjoy all its perks, we decided to spend our night at hotel Kalemi 2. We were very happy with our stay there, the lovely environment and service, and even the great breakfast on the terrace.
We spend our first day taking in the beauty of the old bazar and visiting the house of Gjirokastra born, writer Ismail Kadare. Gjirokastra has a variety of house-museums; you can also visit Skëndulaj or Zekate House, and there is even an Ethnographic Museum. At Kadare`s House we had the chance to see not only the architectonic beauty of another century with a modern restoration twist, but also learn about the author`s life. They were also having an exhibition with photographs from the `90s at the time. On our second day we opted for the Skëndulaj House, which is by far our favorite; even to this day it looks exactly how it was when it was inhabited by the family, with all the original furniture and a sweet wood smell lingering in the air, almost making you feel like you have travelled back in time.
We saved the castle walls for a sunset view. It is a nice climb up the cobble stone road which winds along the hill until the very top, where the castle lies proud. The Arms Museum we had already visited shortly so we skipped it, but it is a good stop for every first timer, it has an interesting collection, even though it needs a restauration and a bit of better organizing. The walk inside the castle and the garden is utterly beautiful, especially on a sunset; the city from this point look lovely.
Certainly, another reason why Gjirokastra is one of my favorite destinations, is the food! We had a long list with places we wished to visit and suggestions by friends, but since we had such a short time to work with, did not get to try everything (that only means we have to pay the city another visit though). For our first lunch we decided to try Kuka Tavern and we were so happy with everything; the variety of delicious food, beautiful environment and panorama and the amazing service! It is such a great business example, taking care of every little detail. We tried the main salads, and of course the qifqi (they were one of the reasons we traveled from Tirana!), baked gjizë baked peppers, dandelion marinated in olive oil and lemon, grilled chicken, homemade potato fries, white wine and in the end we had to try the fig oshaf! In the evening after our walk, I wanted the girls to try the ice-cream and cassata from Hotel Çajupi bar. They also have a gorgeous balcony view from the top floor so you can enjoy the city at night, with the winding streets lit by lights. A fantastic ending for our day in Gjirokastra.
The next morning, we had our breakfast at the hotel and we were glad to find a real homely one, with petulla, Gjirokastra cheese, season vegetables and fruit, fresh butter and omelet. Such a great start of the day, with tasty food and a perfect terrace view of the city waking up. After visiting the Skëndulaj House, we took a detour from heading to Tirana and headed to the Banja Baths instead. None of us had been there before and we thought going there by lunch time would give us some private time at the baths, but we were surprised by a big crowd of people and the baths being almost full! Parking was also a bit tricky due to the amount of people. Inside tip: the GPS showed us an off-road path towards the baths, but after getting in touch with friends we learned there is a perfectly asphalted street which leads you there, which was much better for our “city car”. Local inhabitants were also very helpful in guiding us to the right direction and at the entrance we were taught that various baths serve for various purposes, each dedicated to the skin, stomach and rheumatism. We enjoyed our time at the baths and heading back, we stopped for lunch in Përmet, and of course we tried some desserts too, including the special Turkish delights with walnuts and rose water.
So, our dear readers, our country has plenty of destinations waiting to be explored. We started our adventure with Gjirokastra and Përmet, soon with more destinations added to our list, to which we invite you to follow us along and hopefully inspire you to go on your adventure too. Luckily there are a lot of activities organized everywhere around Albania now, with an open invitation to everyone. Not long than a couple of weeks ago there was the Gjirokastra Qifqi Festival and the Zig Zag Orchestra jazz concert. We can all find some free time and turn into a great time!
Photography by Kikiliciouss
