Choosing Albania as a destination for a honeymoon left a lot of people in my life perplexed and confused. But Lauren and I knew it was the perfect choice for us.
In the countryside, 44 miles from Tirana, the capital of Albania, lies the small town and UNESCO World Heritage Site of Berat. Known as the ‘town of a thousand windows’, this well preserved Ottoman town was one of our highlights in Albania.
Deciding to stay in a guesthouse rather than a hotel, we met Ardit, a local who grew up in Berat and welcomed us warmly into his home, which had been in his family for numerous generations. He prepared a traditional Albanian breakfast of tomato, cucumber, eggs, ham, yoghurt and bread everyday with his mothers homemade jams, enlightened us about the history of his country and we even shared beers atop a hill overlooking the unique town.
We had interesting conversations about religion, politics and what we would do if we had a million dollars. As you might expect, we had wildly differing views on certain topics but I feel us hearing his perspectives and him hearing ours only made us more understanding of each other. Ardit told us his dream was to blast into outer space and too look down on the place we all call home. It made me think that every time we look at a map, with all the lines we draw and how we individualize ourselves because of those lines, looking upon the earth from the stars, there are no borders. No lines to tell whatever is out there that we are all different, and while we are all distinctly unique in our own ways, we are all human beings.
Berat, Albania (September 2022)
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