Gallivanting in Gjirokastёr, Albania
Lots of good food, salep, and recharging for the next leg of our journey.
November 21st-23rd, 2022
After squeezing out of the car that shuttled us into Gjirokastёr, we had a couple of hours before our Airbnb would be ready for us to check-in. We decided to go to a coffee shop to refuel ourselves and get a better grasp on how to navigate the area.
We decided to visit Gjirokastёr after being told about its enchanting scenery and learning that it is the hometown of the previous dictator, Enver Hoxha. It is known as the “Stone City” because many of the buildings (especially in the Old Town area) are constructed from light-colored stone and the roads are all cobblestone. Sitting on the foothills of Broad Mountain in the Gjerë mountains, Gjirokastёr also has very steep roads leading up to the Old Town, just like Berat.
With espressos in hand (100 Lek = $1.05), we chatted with the shop owner who was more than excited to hear about our pleasant experiences throughout Albania. We asked him for recommendations and he told us that all the best things to do in Gjirokastёr were in the Old Town. Debating whether we should make the 30-minute hike up the steep roads to our Airbnb, the owner of the cafe ended up calling us a taxi and sending us off like old friends.
Run by a couple with two children, we were warmly welcomed into the Airbnb, which was a newly renovated house, and shown to our room. Very pleased with our decision not only to come to Gjirokastёr but also with our accommodations and hosts, we asked if we could pay in cash for a second night’s stay. We spent 1,500 Lek per night at the hostel, a total of $31.68 for both nights.
For reference, we frequently booked our accommodations “last minute” because our plan was ever-changing with new recommendations. We also usually booked one night at a time in case we wanted to adjust our length of stay– it can be hard to determine how long you want to spend somewhere until you’re there and have a feel for what interests you most.
Side note: This is even more reason to go on a walking tour as soon as you arrive somewhere so you know everything there is to do. However, it should be noted that this impromptu strategy worked well for us because we were traveling during the off-season and sometimes to lesser-traveled places. In other words, there was more availability and therefore it was less necessary to have a plan further in advance.
Luckily, our Airbnb was situated at about the same altitude as the Old Town, so we only needed to walk about 15 minutes with only a few minor hills to get to all the places we wanted to go. Hungry from our chaotic morning of traveling, we ventured into the Old Town in search of some food. We initially had some trouble finding open restaurants, even though it was the middle of the day on a Monday.
We ended up eating at a restaurant in Hotel Fantasy with a stunning view of the valley. Per our usual, we ordered dolmas (rice mixture wrapped in grape leaves), Greek salad, Tarator (cucumber and dill yogurt dip) with fresh bread, and qifqi (Albanian rice balls). For the record, the dolmas were the best we had tried so far– and we had tried some at almost every restaurant that offered them. All of this only cost us 910 Lek each ($9.57).
Following lunch, we headed to the ethnographic museum which is housed in Enver Hoxha’s (previous dictator) childhood home. Tickets were 420 Lek ($4.40). It was fascinating to learn about all the pockets of varying cultures and ethnicities across Albania. As for the home itself, it was absolutely monstrous for its time and even by modern-day, American standards. There were so many rooms and even whole sections of the house that were only used during certain times of the year.
The ethnographic museum started to close while we were there, so we had to wrap up our time there and move on. We then headed back to the center of the Old Town to the “Old Bazaar” area and perused the shops that were still open. Caroline and I both found some cute copper earrings and then picked up some fruit from a stand before heading back to the Airbnb.
The next morning, we were served a fresh breakfast of egg byrek, clementines, and chocolate cake smothered in syrup… I can’t say for sure, but I don’t think cake for breakfast is traditional… But I wasn’t about to refuse that, even if it was 8 am.
When we finished eating, the host came out and asked us how we had been enjoying Gjirokastёr. We told him where we had gone so far and asked for recommendations. It was raining pretty hard already, so he said there wouldn’t be much to do, unfortunately. We asked him if he knew anything about transportation from there to our next destination, Meteora, Greece. He said he would call someone to inquire for us and then we spent most of the morning in our room working on our laptops.
We messaged a tour guide service to see if there was any way we could take a tour, but since it was raining so consistently we were out of luck. Instead, we grabbed our umbrellas, walked to the Old Town, and posted up in an Irish Pub (one of the only places open at the time) to do some more work. It was a nice change of scenery and an excellent excuse to indulge in some more salep.
Once lunchtime rolled around, we headed to a small home-style restaurant called Edua which was highly recommended to us. We were overwhelmed by all the options but opted for an appetizer spread of beet and eggplant sauce, toasted bread, pickled vegetables, cheese, and a fresh citrus salad. All of it was delectable, certainly living up to the hype, and cost us 1,305 Lek ($13.73) each.
Upon leaving Edua, I found that my umbrella had been taken from where I had left it by the door with the others. That was a bummer considering it was still raining consistently and I had my laptop in my backpack.
We weren’t ready to head back to the Airbnb quite yet, so we went to one of the only other places open nearby, a bar called Hangover. Good thing we weren’t looking to drink alcohol because the bar’s name was a little deterring. Instead, I ordered a hot chocolate to pick myself up after the disappointment of having my umbrella stolen.
Seeing that the rain wasn’t letting up, I borrowed Caroline’s umbrella and ran to a nearby shop to buy a replacement. Making the most of the poor weather, we ended up doing a few more hours of work on our laptops in the quiet bar. Eventually, we opted to take a break and eat some dinner. But since there weren’t many restaurants open and there were a few items on Edua’s menu that we couldn’t decide between at lunch, we couldn’t resist the urge to go back for round two.
It turned out to be a great decision because, in my opinion, dinner was even better. This time, we ordered pumpkin soup, beet salad, and pispili (cornbread and vegetable dish) with a side of yogurt and cucumber to top it. Finishing off strong, we ordered a sample dessert plate with fruit preserved in gelatin (not a fan), the best baklava I had ever had thus far, and fig pudding. Somehow, dinner ended up costing us less than lunch at 1,040 Lek ($10.94).
On our way back to the Airbnb, we accumulated a small gang of dogs (one of which even jumped out of a dumpster–no joke), and one by one each of them got distracted and went their separate ways. Except for one, who followed us all the way to our Airbnb where we sadly had to leave him outside. It never ceases to amaze me how much even stray dogs crave human companionship.
Our Airbnb host told us that he had figured out that there was a bus we could take at 6 am the next morning and then offered us a ride to the bus station. Yet again, another person went above and beyond to help us out.
Early the following morning, Caroline and I packed up our things and were met by our host and another traveler who had been staying there. He drove us all to the bus station and confirmed with the bus driver that it was headed to Ioannina, Greece, and that from there we could take another bus to get to Meteora. We thanked him for all his help and he left. Our bus tickets cost 1,000 Lek ($10.52).
We introduced ourselves to the other traveler, Abby, who is from Canada, and started comparing what we did in Gjirokastёr and our upcoming travel plans.
Even though we weren’t able to do all that much in Gjirokastёr because of the weather, it was the perfect place to recharge after constantly packing our schedule with activities and traveling from place to place. The Old Town area was lovely and felt cozy and inviting, even with being some of the only non-locals there at the time (which in and of itself was a neat experience). I do wish we could have gone on a walking tour so that we could learn more about the history of the city but maybe it was for the best so that we could rest up for the days to come!