Gjirokastra

The southern Albanian city of Gjirokastra was one of the highlights of our trip. Isolated throughout the Cold War, Albania is still off the radar screen of most tourists, so we had this wonderful medieval city entirely to ourselves. We also had the pleasure of getting a tour by Taulant, the 11-year-old son of our hotel's owner, who gave us a unique perspective of the city.

A shepard works the fields of southern Albania, just across the border from Greece.
Albania's countryside is dotted with bunkers, a legacy of the country's former dictator, Enver Hoxha.

The city of Gjirokastra.
Gjirokastra's roofs are traditionally covered in slate.

A view of the city, with the Ottoman mosque and fortress off to the right.
Many houses on the hillside were surrounded by wildflowers.

Gjirokastra's medieval houses dot the hillside.
The entrance to each house were built on the second floor, originally with a retractable ladder to protect families against local blood feuds.

The slate roofs were immortalized in Ismail Kadare's Chronicle in Stone, about the author's childhood in Gjirokastra during WWII.
Hoxhi Kotoni's Bed and Breakfast, our home in Gjirokastra.

Gjirokastra's main outdoor market.
View of a small, quiet cafe.

The city's Ottoman mosque.
Typical Gjirokastra street scene.

Susanne poses along the hillside leading to the Ottoman fortress.
The hills are so steep in Gjirokastra, you can practically fall onto a neighbor's roof -- something that occasionally happens to local drunks!

View of the valley below.
Taulant sitting on the hillside.

Taulant poses with a bug he found in a wildflower patch.
The Ottoman fort.

Barbed wire seals off the old communist prison atop the Ottoman fortress, but that didn't stop Taulant from convincing us to climb over the fence for a visit.
Three locals hanging out at the city's newest restaurant.

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	A shepard works the fields of southern Albania, just across the border from Greece.		Albania's countryside is dotted with bunkers, a legacy of the country's former dictator, Enver Hoxha.
	The city of Gjirokastra.		Gjirokastra's roofs are traditionally covered in slate.
	A view of the city, with the Ottoman mosque and fortress off to the right.		Many houses on the hillside were surrounded by wildflowers.
	Gjirokastra's medieval houses dot the hillside.		The entrance to each house were built on the second floor, originally with a retractable ladder to protect families against local blood feuds.
	The slate roofs were immortalized in Ismail Kadare's Chronicle in Stone, about the author's childhood in Gjirokastra during WWII.		Hoxhi Kotoni's Bed and Breakfast, our home in Gjirokastra.
	Gjirokastra's main outdoor market.		View of a small, quiet cafe.
	The city's Ottoman mosque.		Typical Gjirokastra street scene.
	Susanne poses along the hillside leading to the Ottoman fortress.		The hills are so steep in Gjirokastra, you can practically fall onto a neighbor's roof -- something that occasionally happens to local drunks!
	View of the valley below.		Taulant sitting on the hillside.
	Taulant poses with a bug he found in a wildflower patch.		The Ottoman fort.
	Barbed wire seals off the old communist prison atop the Ottoman fortress, but that didn't stop Taulant from convincing us to climb over the fence for a visit.		Three locals hanging out at the city's newest restaurant.