Ladies

The hotel that stands on the square in GJIROKASTER (Albania) was named after Andon Çajupi (1866-1930), a poet and playwright. He was born in Sheper in the Zagori Mountains north-east of Gjirokastër. The hotel was the one where I stayed in 1984. It has been modernised, but has kept 1 room, a lounge, from the Hoxha period in its original state. This was decorated with carved wood panelling and a number of well-preserved frescoes, which at first sight looked almost pre-Raphaelite. The exquisitely painted scenes depicted aspects of modern (i.e. pre-1990) life. Some of the rustic landscapes contained electric pylons and oil derricks. In one domestic scene there was a modern briefcase in the foreground and in the background washing lines with laundry hanging on them.