A stroll around a couple of ancient churches and stuff.
St. Mary's Apollonia.
St Mary's Byzantine Church and monastery dates back to the 13th century, built on top of a hill overlooking the plain of Myzeke, which stretches far into the distance to the Adriatic Sea
There are some stunning views from the grounds of the surrounding mountains. The complex sits close to some of the ruins of the ancient Greek city of Apollonia, founded in 600BCE.
There were some school children being filmed in the grounds enjoying traditional dancing
Inside the church was nicely cold, housing relics and Iconic murals from across times ancient and modern.
The church is still used by locals as a place of prayer, wheras the monastery has been converted to a museum housing artefacts and treasures from ancient times.
Imagine having to lug that lot round all day
Cathedral of Assumption of St.Mary
The Citadel of Berat, a fortress, sits high above and overlooks the town, the Citadel has been around since the 13th CE.
It is like a town within a town as there are many homes here; at one point there were twenty churches and one mosque within its walls.
Walking up to the Church through ancient narrow cobbled streets was an experience in itself, living and immersing oneself in the history.
The Church, Albanian Orthodox, was constructed in 18th CE. It was granted World Heritage Status in 2005. I guess that's the reason it is visited above all others.
To be greeted by a uniformed security guard telling us "No Photos", was not very welcoming.
But hey, it was fun dodging his snooping around, keeping his beady eye on these pesky tourists. Thankfully he was a heavy smoker and enjoyed going outside for a puff quite frequently!
It was quite small inside, but housed some nice architectural features and religious iconography.
Making our way back to the town itself by an alternative route, the views were stunning, and it became quite obvious how strategic the fortress was in defending the plains below
The Church of The Holy Trinity
The River Osum skirting the town
The sprawling town of Berat.