Azerbaijan Adventures
My trip to Azerbaijan was the perfect example of how things never turn out the way you think! Expectation leads to disappointment but if you go with the flow, life surprises you in wonderful ways!
Azerbaijan was not at all as I expected it to be and while it didn’t measure up to my expectations in some ways, in other aspects it was truly a magical experience.
When I travel I’m usually looking to visit a lot of markets and night bazaars where I can walk around and enjoy local food stalls and arts and crafts. I’ve also gotten into the habit of looking up art, craft and cooking classes so that I can learn something new while traveling. Thailand and Malaysia were amazing in this regard and I was expecting a similar experience in Azerbaijan. I was surprised.
Surprised to learn that I needed to let each destination decide what the experience would be. Surprised to learn that there were many different travel experiences waiting for me all around the world. Surprised to learn how much I would enjoy a place that served up something unique and different, something I was not expecting at all!
We went to Azerbaijan for nine days and looking back I wish I had the foresight to get the visa to Georgia as well. We had more than enough time to do both countries. We went to Gence and Baku and took day trips to Sheki and Gobustan. Looking back I would have spent a couple of days in Gence and about four days in Baku and then I would have made my way across the border.
Gence is a lovely city with some beautiful architecture and great walks. It was almost like being in a small European city. There was not a lot to do so my husband and I spent a day just walking around the city. That’s one of the best days we spent there. There was no hurrying from attraction to attraction. It was a leisurely day and we enjoyed it thoroughly. One of the things I learnt on this trip is that it’s OK to not have the entire day planned out. I usually have a long list of things I want to see and do and it tires me out most of the time. I think the next time I travel to a new place I will definitely give myself some time to just ‘be’. Soak in the environment and enjoy the surroundings.
We took a day trip to Sheki. Even though this was the city where I was supposed to find many local crafts, other than a couple of small paintings, I wasn’t able to find a lot. I was lucky in finding these in a little out of the way art gallery and they were both made by local artists! Azerbaijan is known for its beautiful games of Backgammon and hand painted stained glass tea cups. Other than that I wasn’t able to find anything much that caught my eye. The local souvenirs seemed to come from Turkey mostly.
Walking around Sheki was a lot of fun too! It’s a lovely little city and you can easily see it in a day. We also took a day trip to Gobustan. Gobustan State Reserve is a very rich archeological site with more than 6000 rock carvings. These carvings depict primitive people, animals, ritual dances and more! On average these date back 5,000 - 20,000 years! The place is a desert and since we went in the summer (looking back the timing was bad) we weren’t able to explore a lot but I did make my way to some carvings that were close to the small museum.
Baku was beautiful and we spent a couple of days walking around the old city. There are some lovely cafes in Baku and one of my favorites was MariVanna, Baku . It was a beautiful establishment and a creative dream! The interior was just stunning. We went at night and the lighting was low so I wasn’t able to get any good photographs but the experience there was amazing!
Another place we went for lunch was the Shirvanshah museum restaurant. We happened upon it while walking around Baku. It was massive! Just the expanse and attention to detail were astounding! The whole place was set up as a journey through the country's recent history. The core of this structure was a Medieval hammam and is now surrounded by rooms upon rooms filled with treasures. Each dining area has been decorated around a unique theme and you can see an entire wing that has been devoted to the Soviet period. You will find lots of museum worthy pieces scattered all over and this is one experience I truly recommend! We went for lunch and found it empty - which I loved! But for dinner you might need a reservation. Prices were very reasonable too.
Speaking of food the best meal we had in Azerbaijan was on our way to Lake Goygol. We made our way through the mountains and stopped in the middle for a meal at a small hut style restaurant. The bbq I ate there was so tender and tasty. But that’s not all! The bread and the salads that came with were some of the best I’ve had. My favorite was a grilled eggplant salad. Never thought I would love it as much as I did since I’m not fond of eggplants at all. Eating it on a wooden bench and table in the mountains was an experience in itself. Something I will always remember. I'm going to try and recreate that eggplant salad soon!
The old city of Baku had some beautiful monuments and you can walk around for an entire day. The streets are winding and there are lots of trees for shade. The atmosphere is relaxed and beautiful. Here and there you will find small cafes and souvenirs shops. Some shops also have antiques and original paintings in the miniature style.
n the whole I enjoyed my experience in Azerbaijan - it was almost as if I was shuttling between Europe and the Middle East. From a historic muslim shrine to a Russian cafe in minutes!