Starting the Journey
Berat is located almost directly south of Elbasan, but I don’t know the exact distance. In the East, people don’t measure by distance but by how long it takes. The journey to Berat took fourteen hours, with only two short breaks of half an hour each. It rained for almost the entire trip, except for the last half hour.
We were supposed to leave at 2 AM. My Albanian guide, my dragoman, and I were ready, but the Turkish soldiers didn’t want to leave in the rain and darkness. After two days in Elbasan, with its coffee houses and cheap tobacco, the soldiers had become lazy Istanbul Day Tours.
Delays and Difficulties
Eventually, some of the soldiers were ready, and we started our journey. The guide led the way on a slow horse that made a lot of noise but didn’t move very quickly. We made our way through the dark streets of Elbasan, passing ducks and soldiers.
No comments:
Post a Comment