Today is the first day here where we’ll have a day trip and we’re going to Berat which is a UNESCO site along with a stop at Lake Belshi. Our pickup location was only a 5 minute walk away and thankfully at a coffee location so we grabbed a coffee while we waited. We met Lola our guide outside and waited for others in the group to arrive as we were early. When everyone arrived we were off to different stops to pick up others. We would be a group of 11-12 people today.

The people in our group were mostly from the U.S. from states of NJ, CA and TX. Lola informed us that Albanians love smoking, coffee and driving Mercedes. The driving of Mercedes dates back to the time of the German king in Albania who was rich and had a Mercedes so it symbols wealth (same for cigarettes because he smoked). There’s an Italian influence for coffee and a Greek influence for politics.

Our first stop was at Belshi Lake for a scenic view. We were allowed 30 minutes to have some free time so we found a bathroom, enjoyed some bumper cars and took some photos during our time there. Once time was up we boarded the van again for a ride of about another hour. When we arrived to Berat Castle we had two hours to walk through and then two hours of free time. Berat Castle has been a part of UNESCO since 2008 and there is a church within the castle and this is one of few castles that people actually live in (there were homes and shops along the side).

Inside were beautiful pictures and artifacts along with an alter and urns. As a group we walked to a better scenic viewpoint of the city of Berat at the top. The view was spectacular on this gorgeous day and we were able to get award winning photos and videos. Going back down we stopped quickly at a shop and brought a few souvenirs.

Down in the old town of Berat a group of us chose to go to the same restaurant that featured Albanian food. My mom tried the homemade lasagna with salad while I got the grilled sea bream with potatoes. I’ll be honest we’re not that impressed with Albania’s food so far, everything has just been ok, nothing special. While my mom sat down I browsed around a bit more until it was time to go.

We boarded the van back to Tirana and on the way back we played a game. Lola entered everyone’s name on an electronic prize wheel and the winner would get a free trip. Guess who won…me! I could choose a trip to a lake (which she said involved a lot of hiking) or Kruja Castle. The thing is it would only be for me so I decided that since my mom can’t hike and we already have the Kruja Castle tour booked for Friday that I’d donate it back and let someone else have a chance to win it. At next chance a girl who was solo won so she got a chance to choose (and it felt good that I could give that to her).

We were dropped off at our designated pick-up spots but not before we got a group photo in. Having a good group always helps your experience and I’ve been lucky enough to say that I can’t recall not having a good group. Thankfully our drop-off location was only a short walk away from the bookstore so we proceeded there before heading to the Airbnb. I found what I was looking for so we started on the walk back since it was only a short walk away.

So story time, I’m going to tell you how something so simple irritated me but within good reason. On the way in, we stopped at Pizza Inn and decided to buy some pizza and wings and I decided to pay on my card. When you travel, you can either pay in the local currency or your home currency when paying by card. I wanted to pay in US dollars versus Albanian leke and those were my two options. The server and owner wanted me to pay in Albanian leke and I wanted to understand why. My thing is I operate on principle, don’t give me an option if I cannot choose.

I will ask our guide tomorrow about this because this is the second time that I have noticed at a restaurant that this has happened when I have paid using my card (make it make sense to me is all I’m asking). My mom stopped at the grocery store to get a few more things and then in for the night we went. This is one of the earlier times we’ll get in over the next few days (8pm) so I wanted to wash and dry a load of clothes before going to bed because tomorrow is a 6:30am pick-up time. We’re crossing the border tomorrow.