Azerbaijan

What a day! It started with getting up early, a cup of coffee made by Tom and jumping into the nearby lake. Though our campspot on the parking lot of what could pass as an amusement park was far from perfect, at least no one else was around this early and we enjoyed the short swim.
While heading back to the car, the weather decided to cheer up and I was looking forward to breakfast and researching Georgian festivals (internet reception was quite good). Little did we know that we were in for a surprise: Tom called me to the back of the car as he was cuddling one of the cutest puppies we've met in a while. "Tara" (we named her and were seriously considering taking her along) kept us busy with cuteness overload. She staid around for a few hours, but headed off when it became busier and she had the prospect of getting some fresh fish from the fishermen. So no dog, yet...
And time for research with no distraction 😉 Tom repaired a few small things around the car and I got all excited about the many opportunities in Georgia. There is a city festival "Tbilisoba" in Tiflis next weekend that I don't want to miss. Tom, having finished the repairs, had found out about a beautiful National Park just after the border and so our plan was fixed: head towards the National Park, spend a few days there and then live in an AirBnB over the weekend to explore Tifllis and the festival. And on top of that we'll attend a cool DJ event working with the symphony orchestra!
Wow.
Now time is precious, so we pack up, ready to go. At that moment, yesterday's flower seller returns to his workplace. He had gifted me a lovely bunch and I wanted to say thank you again. So I get some biscuits and a bit of money, but he refused. Instead, I get another flower. Unfortunately, he wouldn't take a picture with me, but he was such a lovely soul, it makes me smile every time I look at the flowers that are now in my keepcup in the cupholder on my door.
We have time enough to visit one more sight in Azerbaijan so we head to Sheki. A beautiful village, home to a still actively used caravanserai (silk road resting place) and two of the Khan's palaces. Small, but beautifully restored, I love walking through them on our cultural excursion.
To take care of our hungry bellies we feast on our earlier bought fresh local bread and cheese (sor is a kind of quark and dangerously yummy) and move to our campspot for the night. It's only 10kms from the border along a small creek. Lush green surrounds us. I'm fearing to be sushed away when a man walks quickly right towards us, but no, it's a local fisherman. I mistake his hand movement for wanting to take a picture of the car but am handed 4 small fish instead. Ok... He heads off and I suddenly feel movement. Tom tells me it's probably just muscles working after its death but I'm not convinced. It's moving again! On Tom's suggestion (I am far less experienced with fish), I carry it down to the creek. It's breathing! After a few minutes being held underneath the surface and gullping up the fresh water, the fish actually manages to swim away. What a win!
The not so lucky ones we'll fry over a campfire tonight (both of us would have preferred if we had been able to rescue all of them). With a glass of wine, we'll toast our short but beautiful trip through Azerbaijan.
What a day!Read more