Wed - arrive and tourist stuff
Wed - 4 hour bus to Fier Junction then fugone 250L
- set up my hammock in the hostel
Wed - Tourist - explored old buildings at bottom of hill then up the hill to fortress - met up with Swiss walker tourist - we came down west side into new town market street
From the back of the castle looking up
- Gjirokastra is better than Berat But Scott has made a good hostel here
| Thu - work - walked East
- Tried to get some work done - then walked east - library, stadium etc ... Luxury Mercedes outside rundown apartment buildings
| Fri - Walk South - meet people
- walked up South Hill Goritsa, good view , didn't find ruins
- walked West across river ..not interesting
- met Eva, and Marius the translator ... Then ex fire-chief Tomi showed me some churches- Idea : make walking tour of the old war sites One interesting thing Tomi explained was a war memorial which commemorated a partizan battle against the Germans where his neighbors a brother and sister had fought the Germans. Similar monuments are found every 500m across town. Some one could make an interesting walking trail listing the story of each monument
| People in Berat
- Scott the hostel owner
- Eva and Kate - in the tourist information
- Marius - the young expert in the municipal office of Tourism and Culture
- Tomi - guide/musician ex fire department
- Andreas - Tomi's fellow singer anyoung guy who works in the passport office
- English Teacher Chimi who has visited the UK 4 times
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From the Goritsa side of the river looking up to the castle
| Fri - ATM Mistake might cost me £20
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- Oh my God - My Dad just told me I'm $30 overdrawn
- somehow in the dark on Wednesday I used the wrong bank card
- I transferred money in - Saturday seems the bank will only charge me £2 not £20 ..Thankyou Coopbank
| Sat - Drubonek - walk west
Sat - fugone to Drubonek, village 8Km up river, walked around, but nothing to see
- later walked west to edge of town
| Sun -
- Run upto Goritsa Castle - writing
| Mon - Berati wedding music singing party
- Computer Work
- passing the shop I met Tomi, they were having a singing party while they watched the soccer. 7 men sang Berati famous wedding songs...
- Tomi got out his guitar and another bloke the accordian ..an experience
- but the music didn't grab me the same way French accordian music does
| Tue - Meet teachers
- There was a big meeting next to the 4 storey cafe ..it was the teachers ...I met English Teacher Chimi who has visited the UK 4 times and headmaster Adrian
| Wed - castle again
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- I went upto castle again .. it was hot it's a steep unshaded path ... not like Gjirokastra where you walk up through old houses monuments and shops ..also it's dead at the top only a few tourists and blanket sellers whereas Gjirokastra old town is living as there are a lot of government offices and businesses there.... Yes I have to say Gjirokastra is better it's castle is bigger the area more lively and there are interesting local villages within walking distance or a short furgon ride.
- Naïve american girls thought they'd got a days rafting for €15
- Canadian confirmed waterfall wasn't great .. He fell
| Thu - leave
- The buses have a special price of 250LEV as against the normal price of 400Lev. First I went over western bridge and waited there but 11:30 bus never came so I walked 1Km east 12pm bus was just leaving they wanted 400lev... no time to argue ... So decided to try 12:30 bus .. First they wanted 400Lev .. So I sat waiting for a passing bus ..The stupid gas lighter repair man kept saying there were no 250LEV buses ... Of course at 12:25 the 12:30 bus people told me 250LEV .. Yes everyone on the bus paid 250LEV but he actually charged me 300lev... In fact I was thinking of paying 350 cos 250 maybe doesn't give them enough money for proper maintenance.
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