good times in Gjirokaster...

Fog blankets Gjirokaster with wall of mountains peeking through


One of many abandoned and decrepit houses in Gjirokaster.

On Friday I ventured down to Gjirokaster and had a grand ol' time. Thanks in no small part to the hospitality of my friends Kate and David. They are amazing hosts, providing not only good conversation but also good, and I mean real good, food. Staying with K&D is just relaxing. I am very peaceful while I am there. I am not sure why. It reminds me of spending time at my grandmother's apartment in Westerville, Ohio (and her house in Heath/Newark but that could be something to do with my awesome grandma), the Smith's house in Knightstown, and Mona's house on Park St.
I really like hanging out in Gjirokaster. Like Berat, it's an old city with a castle/fortress/citadel (I don't know what to call these structures in English any more) and unique architecture. Of course Berat is WAY better but that might be cuz I am here.
As Katie and I explored the winding paths, we saw some interesting "fence" material.

After seeing more than one fence like this, it dawned on me that the fence was created from sheets of metal used to make spoons. We also found examples of fork sheets and knife sheets. Apparently, during communism, there was a large silverware factory nearby.

Katie and I were also fortunate enough to catch a ride from Gjirokaster to Tirana in a private vehicle. Albanian lesson for the day: I often say private vehicle now instead of the word car because in Albanian the word car sounds the same as the crude term for a part of the male anatomy. This not only made the ride much shorter, from around 7 hrs to 4hrs, but also gave us a chance to have some great discussions with some of Kate's Albanian co-workers. This was possible due to their strong English skills and their open-mindedness and some hours to kill. I really enjoyed it.