Town of a Thousand Windows

KNOWN AS “THE TOWN OF A THOUSAND WINDOWS”, Berat, Albania is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, cradled by the Osum River and the Tomorr Mountains. Inhabited since the 6th century BC, various religious and cultural communities have coexisted here for several centuries.

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VERDICT: Mostly Harmless - but watch out for the evil eye.

The center of Berat, Albania.

The person who placed this stuffed panda over their doorway is trying to protect themselves from the Evil Eye. A common practice in Albania, a kukull is placed on top of homes and businesses so visitors are distracted by a cute, fluffy object, instead of fixating on what’s inside.

Fer overlooking St. Michael’s, a medieval, Byzantine church from the 14th century.

Inside the walls of Berat Castle - 13th century.

Getting down from Berat Castle proved dangerous. We couldn’t figure out a way to walk down this polished stone street without slipping. After a lot of laughter and a lot of pain, we had to figure something else out that wasn’t taking off our shoes. TIP: Use the retaining wall that lines the street to get back to town!