What a day! We stepped back in time on our visit to Berat, a castle complex on a hill where people have lived continuously for over 2000 years, and still live today! We stepped back in time during our visit to Berat, exploring its hilltop castle complex, where people have lived continuously for more than 2,000 years—and still live today!
I can’t imagine what it would be like to live in a place so far from grocery stores, banks and doctors.
This UNESCO World Heritage Site is an important center of early Christian history and art. Two extraordinary decorated Gospel manuscripts, known as codices, have survived from the sixth and ninth centuries.
The icon painter Onufri was famous for creating this distinctive shade of red.
Later, we went to Durrës, another ancient city, founded in 627 BC!!! But its claim to fame for us is Çela Gelato. We use this gelateria as the benchmark against which we judge all other gelato. The salted caramel did not disappoint, and I even went back for seconds!
The news is on in almost every restaurant, and the violent protests here are escalating. Protesters have burned banks, and government buildings. Many streetlights have also been damaged, adding to the already chaotic driving conditions. In some places, protesters have even pulled up cobblestones from the sidewalks to throw at the police.
I have the sickly green again. The Byzantine Church absolutely makes me ache. I would love to see it and the idea of being able to see original compiled scripture from the 9th century sounds absolutely profound. Pretty good-looking group. Sorry about the protests. Hope they don’t disrupt your plans. ________________________________
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