We were now on the road that goes from Valona to Janina, heading towards the Greek border. It felt nice to travel smoothly along the road without the tough, rocky hillsides to climb. We were happy when, in the late afternoon, we finally saw the town of Premedi (also known as Permet). The town is nestled in a narrow gap of the Nimeretchka Mountains, which are tall and impressive, with beautiful trees at their base. The people in the town saw us from far away, and as we crossed a narrow cobbled bridge, hundreds of people gathered to watch us arrive.
Arriving in Permet
Permet is a pleasant little town, but it was a bit annoying to be followed by curious crowds. However, the Turkish officials who visited me were friendly and helped me hire horses for the next part of the journey. Once again, though, I had trouble getting clear information about the route ahead. I had been traveling southeast from Berat and wanted to go northeast to Koritza. I knew that there was a main road that goes from Janina to Koritza, leading towards Monastir, but I was told the only way to get there was to travel further south until I reached the main road, and then I could easily head north.
Finding a Shortcut
Money can solve a lot of problems, so I managed to find a man who claimed he knew a shortcut over the mountains to the town of Liaskovik. This shortcut would save us almost a whole day of travel. We set off! The path was just a small, rough trail used by local farmers, but after seeing how strong Albanian horses were, I had no doubts about using them for this climb.
Beautiful Scenery and Small Farms
The scenery along the way was beautiful, much like the Austrian Tyrol. We traveled through a valley with a lovely stream, and the Nimeretchka Mountains loomed behind, their peaks hidden by clouds. The weather was sunny and clear. As we climbed the hills for hours, it was surprising to come across small, flat areas of land where Albanians grew their maize. These little farms were tucked away in the hills. I learned that many Albanians prefer to live in these remote, hard-to-reach areas, rather than in the valleys, where they could be attacked by rival clans.
