Visit to Berat

Actually, I've been to Berat one time before, but I guess I never got around to posting any photos. I wasn't all that happy with how they looked. Taking advantage of the long weekend, I went back. Berat is one of the oldest cities in Albania, and it's fascinating design and architecture enabled it to become a UNESCO World Heritage site. The main attractions of the city are its whitewashed houses built onto the side of two hills on opposite sides of the river, and the castle at the top which is still home to dozens of families.

Return to Tetovo

After seeing how Struga has changed since I left Macedonia in 2007, I wanted to see if Tetovo had changed in the intervening years. I didn't notice too much change -- a few more buildings between where my apartment used to be and the university, and more coffee bars along the river, but not much.

This is an old Turkish bath that was converted into a museum not long after I left. There were only a few items hanging on the walls on the day that I went.

The Painted Mosque has defied my many attempts to take a good picture of it. At least the sun was cooperative this time, and you can get a sense of the colors.