Samarkand

So the Grand Samarkand Hotel Superior seems to be duplicated - one on either side of the road. Ours looks very old and authentic but is in fact quite new, or so Georgina says. There is an open garden courtyard with the rooms all around it on 3 floors-Ted and I are on the top floor. The greatly anticipated swimming pool is apparently over the road so I may get chance to see it later if the schedule allows. Breakfast was in the same delightful room as last nights dinner and…. there was a toaster!
Our starting point today was Registan Square (to Uzbekistan as the Taj Mahal is to India) with its ensemble of brightly coloured madrassahs. On to the Bibi-Khanum Mosque, Sian Bazaar (much like the huge Tashkent market), Gur Emir Mausoleum and finally Timor’s mausoleum (he was their national hero who died in 1405). There was a coffee/lunch stop somewhere in there! Most of us feel Mosqued/Mausoleumed out but all the architecture is beautiful and much revered by our guide Shakira!
Back to the hotel and one hour to go for wash and brush up before we set off once more to the theatrical costume museum then to dinner. Determined to even just look at the pool, Ted and I hared over to the sister hotel, climbed 4 flights of stairs to the roof and there it was…. About 5m by 3m. I was only allowed time to get a quick pic before we zoomed off to get a couple of bottles of beer to drink in the room whilst getting ready. One brave couple did go over in their swimmers but they wouldn’t have had much time to get ready. Tomorrow will also be a non-starter pool-wise as we get straight off the train to go to dinner before checking into the hotel….. 😩
So off to the theatre to find it was actually a show with beautiful costumes depicting Uzbekistan fashions through the ages. Lasted an hour and was lovely. Thence to dinner which was outside in a lovely courtyard but a little chilly. On the way back to the coach we stopped by Registan Square to see it all again but lit up by night with music-beautiful!Read more