The first coup d’ ceil of the great town and the lake is certainly impressive, but not so much so as I had expected. Once inside the town the thing that streek me most was the splendid dress of all ranks and the shabby appearance we Franks presented.
The number and richness of the shops is surprising, and the bustle of business is such as I have not seen since leaving Constantinople. We understood that when the vizier first settled at Janina in ’87 – that is 27 years ago – there were but 5 or 6 shops in the place: now there are more than 2,000. The city has immensely increased, and we passed through several quarters of the town which are entirely new.
The fortresses the promontory into the lake are of the vizier’s building.
