Berat Things to Do

Money changing shops. These can be very, very, very useful. If, say, you happen to have hit an extra zero when changing money at a Tirana airport cash machine and you’re landed with the lek equivalent of 1500 Euros in cash, wondering how you’ll ever get it changed back, don’t worry! Simply go into any shop you notice with “KEMBIM VALUTE” above the door and they’ll change it all straight back into Euros (or pounds, or dollars – any “big” currency) with no problem at all, and at a better rate than the bank would offer (if a bank would change it at all) with absolutely no formalities. A bloke inside asks how much you want to change, he counts your wad of leks, he does a calculation on a grubby calculator, he says how much he’ll give (you can try for a little bit more), you say Yes and he hands you a wad of Swiss Francs or NZ dollars or whatever, which you can count if you want. That’s it. Brilliant. No hassle.

Incidentally, I think this says something about the general atmosphere in Berat. Would you expect to find shops openly changing large sums of cash (the hotel told me my one and a half thousand euros would be nothing for them, and in fact they didn’t bat an eyelid), with the people going in and out probably carrying substantial amounts on them, with so far as I could see no special security at all, in Wimbledon, say ?

(I wonder how long it’ll be before these convenient establishments get regulated or closed down by the blasted EEC or something.)

Life in the street in Berat is endlessly fascinating: piles of vegetables on the pavement, a man outside the post office apparently selling individual bananas (at 20 leks each), the dentist who’s set up shop in an old shipping container on the pavement, shoe-shine boys, enormous turkeys (!!) scavenging on the municipal rubbish tip…. You can spend hours sitting with a beer (excellent in Albania, by the way – far better than the muck you get in Greece nowadays) just watching.

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From the terraces of hotel Mangalem the view are outstanding

Photo 1: is a new terrace, with new rooms that they are currently building. Right now, they have only 5 rooms! In the background, Mangalem district.

Photo 2 is a view on the former pasha’s harem (Vrionis house)

Photo 3 is a view on Mangalem district. On the for right, the windows of the new hotel rooms. In the background, far left, Gorica district.

Photo 4 shows the new part of the town with Xhami e Mbretit on the left

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Kisha e Shën Mërisë (Saint Mary church) was built in 1797 where was already a previous church. The famous icon painter Onufri painted several frescoes in Kisha e Shën Mërisë as well as in other chuches of Kala. The church is now a museum with a wide collection of Onufri works.

Photo 1 : the cloister of Kisha e Shën Mërisë. The entrance into the museum is on the left; There were several schools visiting the museum. In our May visits, we noticed that there were always groups of school and college that visit places of historical interest. That has to be “end of year” travels.

Photo 2 : the entrance into the museum is not the main entrance of the church, but a vaulted entrance under the cloister.

Photo 3 : on top of the entrance, an amazing fresco. There are 24 (!) saints, standing as a pyramid, bent over a coffin with a baby that has to be newborn Jesus. Or may be the saints are actually angels as some of them have wings showing. On top of the pyramid, a winged figure with an aureole (the holy spirit ?). On each side, a saint riding a horse, carrying a smaller figure. The left rider is surrounded by a crowned king and a winged goat. The right rider is piercing with its spear a fallen man with a smaller spear.
Underneath, a three lines text that uses unusual Greek fonts with the date “1850”! Then this strange fresco is not that old!

Onufri works are inside but photography is forbidden! Too bad! Fortunately, I visited the church in 1988 and took a photo (photo 4). It is not very sharp as it was very dark. Onufri painting are indeed very beautiful and worth the visit. In adjoining rooms, there are other paintings on display, from Onufri and followers. Outside the museum, postcards are for sale.

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A little further to the head of Constantin, Kisha e Shën Triada (Church of St Trinity) stands inside the fortress walls at a place where their general orientation turns from north-south to east-west. It was built in the fourteenth century

Photo 1 shows Kisha e Shën Triada from the acropolis. In the background, the valley with a modern part of Berat.

Photo 2 was taken a little further on the way down, closer to the church.

On photo 3, the east-west part of the ramparts can be seen behind the church.

Photo 4 shows the southern part of the church from below.

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Kisha e Shën Kollit (Saint Kollit church) is on the side of Kisha Shën Mëri Vllaherna. It is built in a different style and uses stones mixed with bricks. It was built in the XVIth. The church was closed. It has frescoes painted by Onufri.

Photo 1 : general view of Kisha e Shën Kollit

Photo 2 : side view of Kisha e Shën Kollit

Photo 3 : sign for Kisha e Shën Kollit

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Kisha Shën Mëri Vllaherna (church of Saint Mary of Vllaherna), is situated near Saint Nicolas and Saint Costandin and Helena. It is preserved and in good condition.

Photo 1 : general view of Kisha Shën Mëri Vllaherna

Photo 2 : side apse

Photo 3 : sign for Kisha Shën Mëri Vllaherna

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Photo 1 shows the red mosque or at least the basement of the minaret as this is all what has been left.

Photo 2 shows the remains of the castle itself (kala). It stands in such a strategic place that it now hosts antennas for TV, radio and telephone. It was first built in the Ivth century BC but the ruins that we see today date from 1440.

Photo 3 is the entrance into the cistern. Water was collected and kept in order to resist to a siege.

Photo 4 shows both the castle and the red mosque.

Photo 5 shows the entrance into the castle that a nice lady that attended a small bar under the shade of a tree (next tip) wanted to show us.