Monday, 8 November 2010

A Dreamy Morning in Gjirokaster

An overnight bus from Athens dropped us in the town of Gjirocaster, Albania for five in the morning. We thought we could wait in a park or something until light and then wake up a bit in a warm cafe. We blundered around the town for a while but heavy fog and minimal lighting made it hard to find much. We sat on the curb with a blanket wrapped around us and tried to pass the time doing crosswords. Morning took a bit longer than we expected as we didnt realise the one hour time difference between the two countries and also the fact that day light saving ended that night, making the local time only 3am.  In the end it was quite fun watching the town wake up in the fog.



First we saw a small group of ladies doing laps of the oval for exercise. We wondered if this early start was to do with modesty as they were older and dressed in Islamic headscarves. Since we have been in the east (and Italy also) we have noticed that in general you dont see many older women out and about during the day. In contrast, there are plenty of older men and they often seem to dominate towns and villages, sitting and chatting in all the cafes and park benches and congregating around games of backgammon or chess. We assume the lack of women is probably more cultural than religious, but I guess the line is fuzzy.
We always comment how good life seems to be for older men in these countries. Back home there is such a danger of becoming isolated and lonely once your working life ends. I think this is especially true of men for some reason. Perhaps it can be traced to Germanic/Anglosaxon culture but many older men seem keen to remain aloof and keep a stiff upper lip in their public interactions. Maybe it's also that a faster paced modern world leaves the older generation a bit estranged from things?  Watching throngs  of over-seventies cycle and walk into town parks and greet each other with great affection and joy, the difference is obvious.  Seeing old blokes in deep conversation or telling jokes it feels like the right way to finish life instead of isolated and alone.  We suspect the women here perhaps would share this companionship but not so publicly, perhaps in domestic settings. It's hard to know though.
Next the street sweepers came with their brooms fashioned from pine branches. They built a fire out of debri and gathered around to warm up. We think they invited us over to warm up too but it was a bit confusing. Finally the stores started to open at around five.  These Albanians work hard. We tumbled into a lovely warm cafe and ordered a few coffees until it was light enough to get around. 
tunnel through the hill and under the castle.
Storing our bags in a hotel we wandered up the steep stone streets towards the castle perched above the town.  It was a beautiful morning and introduction to Gjirokaster. We walked around the long walls of the fort (the biggest in the Balkans) and watched the fog clear in waves to reveal the cottages nestled higgeldy-piggeldy around the hills. Gjirokaster is known as  the "City of Stone" and the old town around the hills is striking for its uniform stone look and ancient presence. Its very much a place for locals. Even though it's such a picture book setting the tourist trade hasn't seemed to have affected things much. People are still going about their day and the town isnt fussily preserved so it has chaotic power lines and satellite dishes perched on crumbling stone. Somehow it was a lot more charming to witness this than an impeccably restored and preserved site with neat mown grass and explanatory labels.




anyone interested in using this image for their self help book give me a bell.


In a souvenir shop we picked up some knitted slippers and homemade raki. The owner was excited when she heard Jenny was from New Zealand. She rummaged through the paintings of mist covered mountains and wood carved eagles to show us a painting of a traffic junction in Auckland that her friend had made, perhaps on holiday? It was rendered giving the impression of harsh artificial light and wide well kept streets.  Looking at the painting that to us was the definition of a banal setting it was interesting to wonder if this would have an exotic appeal to people here? Was it the equivalent flip side of our purchase of the home made and folksy. It was funny to think this painting of a clean, modern streetscape sitting above perhaps a wood powered stove in a small  Albanian cottage while we hang a picture of their lovely stone laneways below our air-con unit of a city flat.

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