TravelswithCharie

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