Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaijan

[RooFlyer]

Re: Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaij

On to that night's accommodation - the Schuchmann winery and Chateau, a German-Georgian venture. Like Pheasants Tears (Georgian-American-Swedish), they make a lot of 'European style' as well as traditional Georgian style wines.




Fabulous location, facing those mountains ...




Tour of their winery. Usual qvevries (display only here); they also make a sparking red (Malbec + Cab Sav grapes) and the stainless steel tanks etc.




I was supposed to have a separate tasting before dinner, but this is where things went off the rails. Like many of the other places, you can get 'walk ins' wanting a tasting - could be 2 to 10 people. And in they came. Consequently, the place was woefully under staffed - one manager type who spoke good English, a waiter who spoke passable, and 2 others who spoke none. When I couldn't get anyone's attention to order a wine before dinner (in a winery??) I went to the bar where one of the young ladies was polishing glasses. I asked for a red wine, tu sheidzleba (please) Met with a completely insolent shrug of shoulders and continuing polishing glasses. During the winery tour I met a couple from Texas who was staying with the third person in the group, another lady from Texas ("How are y'all?" ) who lived locally - she was a Christian evangelist. We had dinner together and the tasting during dinner. More chaos. The waiter with passable English thought he could take entrees and mains orders for 4, and 4 different tastings of 3 wines, in English, in his head. Not a hope. I had finished my 2 courses before one of my table companions had her first course. The wines were spread randomly and I won't bother with commentary.




For my main course I ordered toyuq , essentially grilled chicken with walnut paste (what else). It was a bit better than it looks, but not much. The only upside to the evening was the performance of a traditional Georgian male choir. Fantastic! I recorded it on my phone and if I can ever get the sound file off the phone, I will post it here!



To cap the night off, at 9:15pm I got a knock at my door. Now, think of faulty Towers here. A guy, smiling, holding up a big wrench. Says something incomprehensible, and comes into the room, into the bathroom. Girl behind him says, in very broken 'English' "Sorry, fix bath." The guy appears to be doing something with the bathroom oil heater, so I leave him to it. Then he comes into the main room and wants to get past where I am sitting at the desk. Too much. I ask the girl "What is happening." No answer of course, so I shoo them out. Can't find manager guy, only waiter. He can't help. I close the door on the lot and go to bed.

This place could be a nice experience, but the staffing issue made it a shambles. All these places should take reservations, and that's it. Staff according to bookings and paying guests will be satisfied. It'll be getting a 1 or 2 on Trip Advisor from me.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaij

The next day's program was to drive back the couple of hours to Tbilisi via a number of churches. Loverly day; first destination was the Alaverdi Monastery, across the valley from Telavi. I had read that they made great wine and I was hoping for a little extra.




No wine, for me but the church until recently was the largest (tallest) in Georgia - now surpassed by the Holy Trinity cathedral in Tbilisi. Built by King Kvirike in the 11th Century, it was damaged by earthquakes as well as the usual attackers. A feature is, or were magnificent frescoes inside, however they were whitewashed by the Russians. Not by the Soviets, but by the Tsarist Russians in the 1890s. Why, my guide couldn't explain. She had mentioned Russian white washing of frescoes before, and I had assumed the Soviets, incorrectly. However a very nice George and the Dragon fresco over the door, from the 11th century, survives.




Ikalto Monastery back near Telavi, founded in 6th Century by another of the 13 Syrian fathers (David Gareja was another). Like at Gelato, King David the Builder established an academy here in the 12th century and the walls of that survive. this Transfiguration Church dates from the 8th century. Note the qvevris. These are probably placed but a nice custom is that on the birth of a child, a qvevri of wine is sealed and opened at the church on their 16th birthday. SO seeing them scattered about churches is common.




The Akhali Shuamata is a convent at the foot of the hills you climb to go back to Tbilisi. There are some older churches nearby. This new job was founded in the 16th century.




The drive over the Gombori mountains is very scenic - the pass has an elevation of 1,600m. Trees in upper elevations are just starting to turn colours, however the resolution in these pics has suffered - the views would be magical in a few weeks.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaij

The tour ended that afternoon but I had most of the next day in Tbilisi before flying out to Baku. In brief:

A funicular takes you up a tall hill behind the town and gives great views. I've been on a few of these, and this is one of the longer, and steeper rides!!





From the top and elsewhere we get more of a look at the house of Georgian billionaire come politician Bidzina (Boris) Ivanishvili, quoted as costing the equivalent of 30 million UK ponds to build.

He made his money in the Russian oil privatisation and founded the successful 'Georgian Dream' party, named after a song of one of his rapper sons. (That's something Clive Palmer didn't think of.)




The largest church in Georgia is now the Holy Trinity church, completed in 2004. Inside are many icons but other than that its rather austere. great views over the town from a large plaza there.




A few more looks at the un renovated side of Tbilisi Old Town. And last (almost) I found this is a coffee shop!! I only looked - I didn't inhale .

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaij

Last stop, Vino underground, introduced to me by AFFer tehuringa (many thanks again ) I was introduced to the manager but unfortunately he was in the west of the country when I visited, on the harvest and setting up a new shop.

Like many tasting rooms in Tbilisi, it has a rather unprepossessing exterior, but a great interior.




Tasted 4 wines but forgot to take notes. I recall that there wasn't a bad one amongst them. Tthe white on the left is a qvevri wine, but 'double decanted' as described before, and therefore light in colour and more fruit. Second one is a rose; really nice and refreshing. I found a 'stray' on the shelves - "strong potato drink" .





To the airport. I got a hotel taxi, priced at 35 GEL, which is what my guide said was a fair taxi price. However the chit I signed was for 15 GEl, so the poor driver got left than half!! I gave him another 10.

Easy check in for QR254 to Baku - it continues onto Doha. Exit immigration, then to the PrimeClass lounge. My QFF/one World Emerald card (with my QR BP) got me in no problems. its quite a decent lounge - lots of space (including outside for smokers) and very decent food offerings - cold selections, as well as a hot soup and several hot selections. I was happy to take that as dinner. Spirits, but amazingly a single 'European' style Georgian wine. Its was horrid.




Onto QR254. Boarded very early and pushed back on time. Second row of whY ... quite cramped. No-one in J. Snack was a hot pie thing, plus OJ; not bad for the hour long flight. I settled back and didn't watch Detective Byomesh Bakshy .

Interestingly not once but twice I was given a special welcome for my oneWorld Emerald status - one by the FA on their seat belt walk around, then by the CSM during the flight. Quite unexpected on QR - but well done. Better than on some Qantas flights!!



Writing this, I'm filling in time in the Hilton lobby in Baku until my ride to the airport to catch QR254 onwards to Doha; it takes off over the Caspian and then south over Iran. I'm not that pleased I found this article just now.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaij

So, summing up Georgia.

Its very diverse - great mountains, beaches to the west, lots of history of course and there's no doubt its a unique wine experience. Reasonably cheap - you can get a good dinner and drinks in a decent restaurant for about A$30 - A$40 all up. Lots of much cheaper options. Moderate - good hotels I think were about A$150 (hard to tell; mine were booked through the tour agency).

People are very hospitable and the country as a whole is very clean. Pretty safe too - I didn't hesitate in walking through Edit: Tbilisi! at night, even up some lesser streets in the Old Town, but I wouldn't push my luck too far. The police are simply everywhere - they have their red and blue lights flashing all the time, so you can't miss them. On the other hand, drivers on the highways and out of Tbilisi are pretty bad.

Tbilisi is a great town to spend a couple of days - wine tasting, checking out the city and exploring the old town. If I had my time again, I wouldn't have gone west, except to visit Gori, Jvari and Mtskheta as a day trip out of Tbilisi. I think 5 days would be a good visit length in total - 2 days in Tbilisi and surrounds (museums are closed on Mondays), one day tripping out of Tbilisi and 2 days to the east at Sighnaghi and Telavi. An extra day in the east would be good. Of course that doesn't get you to the high country villages - but I reckon that's a job for Azerbaijan!!

The churches and monasteries got a bit monotonous after a while - much the same story and few in more than 50% original condition. But a must see to some degree. Ladies need to wear a scarf over their hair in all churches and in some, a skirt - if you (ladies) are wearing jeans, there will be a supply or wrap-around skirts inside the door way you put over them.

Tipping: Appreciated. The level of wages in the country is VERY low - African country type low. Even 1 lari is good to get, but I was happy to make 5 lari ($2.50) my standard for hotel maids, and 15% in restaurants (cash).

Language: A few words - hello, please, thank-you, aren't difficult, and no-one expects you to have more. Even those few words will bring a smile to the other party. Lots of shop signs in English, and every menu you are likely to see will have an English version. As mentioned above, in country areas, and in some small churches, English decreases to below effective level, but you could probably get by, unless an explanation is needed.

Food: Frankly I found it all a bit bland. They say it an be 'spicy', but that means hot type spice, not flavoursome. Most of the touristy type restaurants offer more European type dishes if you like. I didn't but if I was there for few more days I would have succumbed! Portions are LARGE.

Wine: Go and judge for yourself . Its very different. If you like dry whites and reds, this place is definitely for you.

Smoking. unfortunately, a heavy smoking country, and its allowed in-doors in restaurants etc. The better places are smoke free inside, but the nice views on the verandas are where the smokers are.

Independent travel? Yes, certainly possible. There are signs in English everywhere, from sign posts all about the cities and towns, pointing to attractions, and along the roads. You could drive yourself, but it would be a bit of a white knuckle ride. Where you may come unstuck is at many of the attractions. Because many of them are active churches, they tend to be closed without notice and signs and English are largely absent. My guide was frequently able to sus out an alternative, or a time to come back when the door was locked - or who to slip a few lari to get the door opened. Also the parking at many of the attractions, and in the towns and cities is a bit 'creative'. We had a driver who stayed with the car - I wouldn't know where or how to park at many of the places, and I also wouldn't like leaving my valuables in the car at some of those places. But you could plan around that.

I couldn't honestly say to put it on the bucket list - although hard core wine lovers could easily give it a place. But its a really interesting place - go, if you get half the chance.

Now, for a change of gears and - Baku. Holy smokes!

 

[cgichard]

Re: Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaij

Your route in Georgia was pretty much the standard tourist tour of Georgia, and that is indeed about all one can fit in within a week. But that's the equivalent of going no further than Sydney and Melbourne and perhaps Adelaide, with a few wine-growing areas thrown in. Those who are less focussed on wine and want to experience the full magnificence and beauty of the country need longer to discover Svaneti (Mestia and beyond) in the north-west and Kazbegi/Gergeti in the north-east, and be prepared to spend at least some time walking.

That said, I'm looking forward to hearing about Azerbaijan, which I don't know at all. (I don't count an hour or so sitting in a plane at Baku airport on a British Midland flight from Tbilisi to Heathrow routed via Baku).

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaij

Arrived to Baku airport - obviously modern. I had obtained the necessary Azerbaijan visa through my travel agent. You need a letter of invitation through an authorised agent, and to fill in a moderately extensive form - some of the questions are a bit obtuse, but with help from the TA, it was OK. You then e-mail them the form, a digital passport photo and a copy of the photo page of your passport, and 2 weeks later comes a 1 page PDF which is your e-Visa. It cost me $60 through the TA.

** Hang onto your stamped e-visa bit of paper. You need to re-submit it on exit!! (I didn't know but happened to have it still in my passport). Expect to be hassled a bit if you have an Armenian stamp in your passport - bad relations between the 2 countries due to the past Nagorno-Karabakh issue (war). If you are carrying books or maps they will be examined to make sure they comply with the Azeri view of the boundaries of their country.

Submit the printed out e-visa at the immigration counter on entry and you are though in minutes! Again, an attractive young lady on the desk, in sharp uniform with a number of gold stars on shoulders.

Met in the arrivals area by my driver (guide comes tomorrow), and we are off within maybe 15 minutes of me exiting the plane (I'm still HLO).

As soon as I stepped out of the terminal I could sense that this place had a bit of a pizzaz. New international terminal (1 year old) on the left, old terminal, now domestic, on the right. It was brighter than it appears here (car park lights) - lit up like a super Christmas tree!!




Drove into the city via a very modern, wide freeway. Buildings lit up all over the place: LH some office block with animated scenes; the gymnastics arena from the recently (June 2015) hosted first European Games (6,000 athletes). Strangely enough, the buildings etc for this are all prefaced 'Olympic...' There was a lot of criticism for the expense of building new stadiums etc for these games.




I checked into the Hilton Baku (more later) and immediately decided to go for a walk (about 8pm). Absolutely no concerns about safety on these streets. This is the view at the front door of the Hilton. The building on far left and RH pic is 'Government House'. Again, more on these later.





However I was drawn to the Caspian Sea-side park just across the road for the show that was put on by the 'Flame Towers'. Now 'flames' is a recurring theme in Azerbaijan (stay tuned) and these towers, looming above the city puts them forward in spades.

They change colours in a simple rotation (the 4th pic is animated - its like the towers are being filled up with water, poured from the top):




Then more scenes - waving Azeri flags across all 3 buildings, and then the flames - flickering 200m, or 30+ stories high. 10,000 high powered LEDs cover the things.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaij

A bit about Azerbaijan, as like me, most will be completely unfamiliar with the place. Wikipedia is a good source (edited a little):

The Republic of Azerbaijan is in the Caucasus region, situated at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west and Iran to the south. The Azeri exclave of Nakhchivan is bounded by Armenia to the north and east, Iran to the south and west, while having a short border with Turkey in the northwest.

The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic proclaimed its independence in 1918 and became the first Muslim-majority democratic and secular republic.It was also the first Muslim-majority country after Egypt to have operas, theaters and modern universities. The country was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1920 as the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.Azerbaijan proclaimed its independence on 30 August 1991, before the official dissolution of the USSR. In September 1991, the disputed Armenian-majority Nagorno-Karabakh region re-affirmed its willingness to create a separate state as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic[SUP]. [/SUP]The region, effectively independent since the beginning of the Nagorno Karabakh War in 1991, is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan until a final solution to its status is found through negotiations facilitated by the OSCE.

Azerbaijan is a unitary constitutional presidential republic. The country is a member state of the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) program. It is one of the six independent Turkic-speaking states, being an active member of the Turkic Council and the TÜRKSOY community. Azerbaijan has diplomatic relations with 158 countries and holds membership in 38 international organizations. Azerbaijan is also a member state of the Non-Aligned Movement, holds observer status in World Trade Organization and is a correspondent at the International Telecommunication Union.

Important point: it is a 75% by population Muslim (mostly Shia - like Iran but unlike Turkey), but like Turkey, it's a secular state. Ladies don't have to wear the veil and in fact the young people of both sexes dress pretty much as they would in the west. You'd be hard pressed to tell this was a Muslim country (as frequently envisaged) from just walking about. The language is very close to Turkish.

The current president is the son of the past president and there's not that much democracy about, but research shows that there isn't much of a democratic movement either. Money probably helps quell those.

Population about 10 million, but about 50 million more ethnic Azeris live in Iran, Georgia and Russia.

The country has benefited rom 2 oil booms - one in the 1890s and the other in the 1990s. After independence, there were about 5 rough years before the country signed a bunch of JVs with oil companies (eg BP, Turkish) to develop the oil and gas resources and this has paid off big dividends. A huge amount of cash has been generated, and a lot spent in modernising the country (or at least Baku). Walking round at night, I thought you could either be in Las Vegas, or Paris (although Baku is a lot cleaner).

There are various interpretations of the name of the country but a prominent one relates it to 'The land of fire'. There is plenty of fire about - natural gas seeps are aflame in a number of spots - this is the land of Zoroastrianism, or fire worship. Baku and adjacent Caspian sea lies atop oil and gas reservoirs and although much has been cleaned up, there's still a lot of derricks around and in the city and all around.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaij

Some more pics from my walk around downtown. Most buildings are made of (or have a façade of) nice honey coloured limestone, and are up-lit.







No hesitation in walking through parks, which are well lit and have plenty of individuals walking about (in a non nefarious fashion ). Topiary seems to be a thing here.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaij

My room at the Baku Hilton. The digs in Georgia were all a bit austere, and beds on the firm side, so the Hilton was a blessing! Great amenities and a nice comfy bed. Staff switched on as well.




Next morning was grey and threatening rain. The tour began at a memorial complex on a hill overlooking the city, next to the parliament building.




There are a number of sections, over several terraces, all immaculately done. Not only war dead, but Azeris killed in pre independence city fights with Soviet authorities. Tomb of the unknown soldier on the right.




Even a memorial to British dead. Remember Britons (and Australians) were fighting the Turks in WW1, and the Azeris heavily align with the Turks. On the right, graves of people killed in protests against the Soviets.




Nice views of the town. On the left, the world's second tallest flagpole, but it is the biggest flag ; Caspian Sea. Downtown on the right.

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

Re: Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaij

That would annoy me.

I found the same thing with EK J when we went to Europe... I guess I kind of understand it...

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

Re: Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaij

Quick quiz.

Can you name the functions of the following Tbilisi structures:

Nope.. but I love the photographs Really enjoying the TR RF.. sorry I'm a bit late...

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaij

Here are those Flame Towers. Like the Sydney Opera house, they tend to be a backdrop to many pictures!




There is a UNESCO World Heritage Listed walled Old Town. The major attraction is the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, mainly dating from the 15th century. It has been extensively restored - almost too extensively - there isn't a cracked stone or an imperfect wall anywhere. On the lft is the main entrance; on the right, the minarets of the main (small) mosque.



There are some very good electronic displays showing the history and function of the place. In fact I found the illustrations in all the Azeri museums very good. The illustration on the right is animated.




This the mausoleum of the Shah's family.




We leave the Palace to some later artefacts (and more topiary) and some street art even can appreciate.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaij

Back in the Old town for a sec, these installations relate to the next feature, the Maidens Tower.




Not a clear cut origin of the name - either about a girl who threw herself off the top of the tower rather than marry her father (not sure what the cats have to do with that story), or more likely, the name should be more like 'unsullied' or 'virgin' tower, as it was never taken by a conqueror.




Good views from the top and well illustrated historical shows on the climb up.




In the Old town are several old caravanserais - the official 'hotels' (with taxes) for the travellers on the old Silk Road. Now fancy restaurants; Margaret Thatcher enjoyed lunch here, apparently.




Back outside the city wall.

 

[love_the_life]

Re: Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaij

Love those flame towers. A real page turner of a TR. thanks RF. Can't wait for the next instalment. It's not a part of the world we have ever thought about visiting or in fact know much about.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaij

The Maiden's Tower, built in the 12th Century. More downtown views.





Nearby, an excavation (LH pic) has revealed a very old Mosque built on the site of pre Islam pagan (sun worship) site. In the RH pic a Christian church, probably 5th century.




In the PM, we head out of town, past a new cultural centre and the football stadium built for the recent 1st European Games.




Baku has some neat traffic controls. Throughout downtown are signs like on the left, showing routes available in green, or slow(amber) or red (blocked). The main freeway, out to the airport has differential speed limits on various lanes; usual max speed is 100km/h.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaij

We are headed out to the adjacent Abseron Peninsula, which is a mix of old and new oil and gas fields, holiday dachas for the elite and booming seaside towns and suburbs of greater Baku.

First stop is the Atesgah Mebedi (the e's in the latter word are meant to be upside down, and pronounced as 'a' as in cat) at the town of Suraxani. It was originally a temple for the Zoroastrians, the fire worshippers, but the current buildings were renovated in the 18th century by Indian Shiva devotees. Its the site of a natural gas vent, which flamed for centuries, until oil drilling in the area closed off the supply or collapsed the natural vent.




Today, piped in gas supplies the fires. In the RH pic you can see a small trench in the bedrock, where the naturally seeping gas was channelled (covered) around the temple.




The temple was also a stop of and lodging point for travellers, especially Zoroastrians. The Shivas practiced devotion by techniques including lying on hot coals or carrying very heavy chains around their necks.

Old picture showing oil derricks in the late 1800s; and modern ones nearby.




Nearby are two walled lookout towers dating from pre 1000 I think. Very steep stairs. In the courtyards are holes for storing grain, and water.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaij

A map of the Aberson peninsula and places visited (or at least photographed).




Ah yes, the oil and gas. In 1900, Azerbaijan produced 50% or the world's oil!! Today, its about 3%. From the lookout tower above, you can see on the horizon many oil platforms - these pics are pretty large telephoto.




Immediately around the tower is a field of derricks. The oil in the forground of pic 2 was described as 'a natural oil seep'. hmmm...




The James Bond film 'The World is not Enough' featured Baku oilfields, shown in this clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_oN0QAelok The area is actually south of Baku, where we go tomorrow, but that area has been substantially cleaned up. And I can guarantee you that you don't drive from the oilfields into a tall conifer forest!!

Water usually comes up with the oil - that's why derrick fields are usually so wet. Note the football stadium in the LH pic. The international airport is close by too.




In the RH pic, the rust orange roof is where 2 Nobel Brothers, Ludvig and Robert - Alfred Nobel of Nobel Prize and dynamite fame was another - housed workers for their oil refinery in Baku in the 1870s. They were very successful and also sort of invented oil tankers (bulk sea transport of oil).

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaij

I mentioned the smell of the oil when we were looking out from the old tower. It was quite marked.

He smiled and said, of course: "Ah yes, the smell of money .."

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Uncorking the Caucasus. EY F Apartment to Georgia (birthplace of wine) & Azerbaij

Next on the Peninsula, Yanar Dag - its the NW location on the map above. Another natural, natural gas seep which is aflame. According to my guide its been like this for time immemorial. According to Lonely Planet, it lit up when a local shepherd flicked a cigarette in a paddock about 50 years ago; as there is no temple or anything here, the latter seems more likely. Anyway, its been enhanced a bit by excavation; there are plan for a visitors centre.



There was another fort and tower, but the same as the other. We drove back to town, via a stop so I could take a pic of the new Cultural Centre, with artistic snails and rabbits; the Supreme Court on the right.




This is the Hilton Hotel - pretty distinctive and well located right opposite a new mall and the Bulvar waterfront park. I ts about 5 (short-ish) blocks from the Old Town though - the Four Seasons is better located for that - right next to it. RH pic shows the Government Building shown lit up on the first post about Baku.




A few more shots around town and I concluded my look there. LH pic is the Literature Museum - I went inside, as there is a large bookshop there, but unfortunately a disappointing selection of books in English about the place (my preferred souvenir these days).




One of the main streets has been pedestrianized and is very busy with shoppers. Like I said before, Baku could be any European city. On the RH pic you can see another of the features of the city - most crossings of busy streets have under-passes, not crossing lights. Mostly the underpasses have escalators down and up and one of the wider ones even had a people-mover down below!