Yesterday was my only full day in Berat In the morning, I walked up to the big castle on the hill. It is an impressive structure, and walking up I actually met some guy who lived there who offered to give me a tour (for tips of course). Knowing that I didn't know what I was looking at-I figured I would go on his tour.
The guide was somewhat knowledgable but not completely so-he shrugged off many questions I had, and seemed at times to just be giving a very basic tour for the money. I learned that there we're many churches in the castle, and a few mosques (the castle was built during Ottoman rule-and thus why there are mosques, and the churches we're added later). I also saw various lookout points, and a cistern where water was held-now occupied by rats and bats.
After the tour, I went back to the hostel for a nap, and I napped for about an hour. Then I took a walk back into town.
In town, two girls and a boy, about 12 years old, wanted me to take their picture with my camera for Facebook-I couldn't figure out why but then they kept hustling me for money.
I went down a few streets, and found a mosque-I enjoy houses of worships and haven't really explored mosques-the mosque was comfy as supplicants/visitors are asked to remove their shoes and there is thick red carpet to walk on.(I guess an American exploring a Mosque on 9/11 isn't THAT typical) Some guy who was praying showed me how Muslims pray-and told me how they are commanded to not eat pork, abstain from Alcohol, etc, and that is the way to Heaven-there are no other way-it was interesting.
I then had dinner at a restaurant the hostel recommended-it was an inexpensive enough dinner (about $7.00 for pasta, desert and a beer). The restaurant had the incongruous scene of male waiters in their 60's and 70's properly attired serving food while 90's dance remixes played on the sound system-sounds like Cotton Eyed Joe, etc.
After dinner i went back to the hostel-I am getting a cold due to walking in the rain, and am starting to cough, but I stayed up and talked with people staying here-and others-a couple who was attending Oxford University was able to rattle off the GDP of each country they visited. Another was from Seattle, and dropped out of college and is planning on traveling for 2 years.
I then went to sleep.
