TravelswithCharie

Ananuri Castle Fortress I knew the road to Gergeti would be long. But I wanted to go and see the Holy Trinity Church which had captivated me when I saw photos of it with the Caucasus Mountains in the distance. I’m glad I went as the day trip proved to be a surprising and memorable experience. The images I’ve posted here will confirm that. On the way to Gergeti, we stopped at Ananuri which was the seat of the Dukes of Aragvi from the 13th century. A rival duchy, the Shanshe of Ksami, attacked them in the 18th century and massacred the Aragvi clan. Four years later the Shanshe were killed during a revolt by local peasants. These same peasants invited King Teimuraz II to be their ruler. But peace was short lived and the peasants revolted once more in 1746. With the help of the King of Kakheti, Teimuraz II was able to quell the peasant rebellion. The fortress remained in use until the early 19th century.  Watchtower and the Aragvi River Carved façade of the Church of the Mother of God ...

Bird’s Eye view of Gorica, a neighborhood in Berat We had a smooth ride to Berat from Tirana and immediately drove up to the Citadel. We circled the hills to avoid the bus load of tourists who had just arrived at the castle gate. It was a good move as I got to see the lay of this beautiful land at the panoramic overlook before we started our walk around the castle grounds. It was quite an introduction! Berat was my first sightseeing stop in Albania. It was only my second day and I hadn’t yet seen Tirana but my guide suggested we go to Berat before anything else. Needless to say, he was right! I was completely bowled over by everything that I saw; from the sweeping views of the lower town, to the lofty mountains that cradle the valleys, to the citadel and the surrounding stone houses and of course, the white Ottoman-era houses and its windows. These windows have given Berat its title, “town of a thousand windows”. Gorica Gorica was a Christian neighborhood across the Osum River during...