See the hot spots around The Balkans In 60 Days – Stop 21 Berat, Albania

8-9/9/2018. After Tirana, I next went to Berat on my way to other Balkan destinations. Berat was only three hours away by bus. I arrived at about 4 p.m., but the day was long, so I headed straight to the hills to visit what remained of the castle in the town. The castle area was extensive. Residents still lived normally in it, like they have been living uninterrupted for generations. The castle had sadly suffered much from the ravages of time and had not been made whole. To be expected, in times of conflict, it is usually the only thing standing between two sworn enemies. Of whatever was left, it still was monumental, a very few that I have been through that still breath with inhabitants. The churches remained steadfast. The old houses, stone walls, and alleys still stood their ground.

I climbed to the castle’s highest point. Under my feet, the whole of Berat appeared in full view. The river nourishes this land, the mountains fencing it. This is a land well endowed.

玩完了地拉那，前脚拉着后腿继续前行巴尔干，下一站是三小时外的培拉特(Berat)。抵达时已经下午四点，还是拔腿匆忙关门前赶到这老城的城堡一探风采。城堡很特别，至今人还在城墙内正常生活，好像世世代代从未离开。城墙范围广，但岁月蹂躏后残缺不全，在里面溜达，有时不知在墙内还是溜到墙外了。老房直立不移，老教堂还在忠于职守，石道和石墙任踩任撞，寸步不移。

一班美国人在城墙内扎起二三十个帐篷。统一的衣着和帐篷，不知什么名堂，什么活动，还是有扰风景，没考虑到我的感受。

在石砖路走着，三个坐在长凳年轻人在卷着大麻。我眼睛一瞄，他们即刻嬉皮笑脸问我要不要也来一点。我谢绝了，不想过早飘到仙境。不过还是很欣赏阿尔巴尼亚人们，异常亲切友善，有福共享。

在城墙至高点培拉特城在山谷一览无余，有山脉做靠山，蜿蜒河流滋养，可想而知这天地对繁衍生息得天独厚。

Residents still living within the perimeter of the castle 山坡上城墙外围还有人住居民房 — The castle walls 城堡城墙

One of the characteristics of the Berat old town was the many windows of the houses. With their backs against the hills, their faces lit up. Facing in the right direction, they beamed the most welcoming smiles.

培拉特另一特点是许多旧房子百孔千窗，挺好的，站在山坡上好像都在睁大眼睛笑迎来客。我问当地人这是何解，他们也答不出个所以然。可能是那些遍布全国的十七万埋在地堡无孔无窗，这些房子就多来多几个窗口使心里平衡。

The old town by the Osum River 依河的培拉特老城区 — Old city of Berat 培拉特老城区

I stayed in a village near the foothills, near the town square. Early in the morning, I camouflaged like a local, mingling with the crowd at the open market. It was a village of humble settings. Each vendor tried to outshout others. Clothes and merchandise were piled in heaps for buyers to pick and choose. Sometimes the outsized old Mercedes would budge in, disturbing the peace. This was how we used to live—the simple life we used to have.

In the afternoon, I wandered to the Gorica side of town, on the other side of the river from the old town. The stone walls and roads looked their ages. Seeing just the old town felt incomplete; this side of town made it whole.

In the evening, everyone came out of their holes to chill. The town square swarmed with people, the cafes and bars became noisy, a little town bursts to life.

在培拉特我住在山脚下一个村庄，但也离镇广场不远。一早起来我扮成村民混入附近露天早市体验当地风土人情。民间生活还是很朴实的，到处促销叫嚷声，都是一堆一堆的衣服和鞋子让人们选购，老奔驰时强行闯入，扰乱气氛，青山蓝天下，这就是我们小时乡下朴实的生活。

下午到城河另一方山坡上的老区去转。这方的小村跟老城区一样，房子，鹅卵石坡道，石砖房墙，一样历经无情岁月，但岁月的痕迹使人回味无穷。

晚上大家从地洞钻出来乘凉，广场上人们谈笑风声，酒吧咖啡馆高朋满座，悠闲亲切又充满人气的小镇。