And so the time has come for us to say goodbye to Baku. It's been fun but it's time to move on. We've spent the last week saying goodbye to friends, colleagues and students, and we've also made new friends which is so sad as we were about to leave! It's been hectic, social and very enjoyable. We thought we should try to get into the old city one more time as it's an area of Baku we haven't really spent any time exploring. It's a nice area to wander around and we just hope that it's beautification and modernisation doesn't [View Full Entry]

---

---

Today we decided to go back to the mud volcanoes of Qobustan. Unfortunately the weather wasn't great so most of the photos seem pretty grey. That shouldn't be too much of a surprise though as the landscape really is very grey there! This time we took a local marshrutka to Qobustan for 80 qapik (60p) each, not bad for an hour's ride. Taxis are plentiful when you get there and negotiating a price (15 Manat - £12) was easily done. The local taxi drivers actually know where they are going, unlike Baku-based drivers! The route is not easy to find and [View Full Entry]

---

---

Two International football matches in four days. It was too much to resist! First up was the World Cup Qualifier where neither Azerbaijan nor Wales could qualify, so it was more of a friendly really! We had met some of the Welsh fans in Finnegans bar the night before the match. It turned into quite a late one and the half price Guinness was really good! We made some good friends, especially Lucy from the FAW who couldn't believe Russ was wearing his Bridgend Ravens shirt and wanted photos for her boyfriend to prove it!! Getting to the game proved a [View Full Entry]

---

---

Lots of photos this time. Please look at page 2 as well! On Friday night we finally made it to Baku's Philharmonia where we listened to an evening of music in a tribute to Leonard Bernstein. It was really nice to finally get inside the building which, apparently, was modelled on the casino at Monte Carlo. Before the music began the US Ambassador gave a speech firstly in Azeri (excellently delivered) and then in English. Then the National Symphony Orchestra began and they were superb. We didn't recognise any of the music though, until they got to the finale which was, [View Full Entry]

---

---

Georgia may not have been participating in the Eurovision Song Contest this year thanks to the possibly political title of their song "We don't want a Put In" (Putin?!) but their music and dance ensemble Erisioni came to Baku instead to give us a taste of Georgian talent. The problem was that the tickets started at 30AZN (US$40) which we thought was a bit expensive. Having given up on the idea of going, Russ received a phone call on Friday afternoon from his Georgian student, Iza, offering us free tickets! Hooray!!!!! It was amazing. We were [View Full Entry]

---

---

Arriving from the east, Baku seems like the gateway to Europe: a quaint European style old town with cobble stone alleys and narrow side streets, big squares and fountains, cafes and restaurants - in all a lovely place to spend a few days. The slight distraction are all the oil fields. Oil and gas are the country's main assets, and perhaps what it is most known for, and step out of the old town and you can see oil pumps all around, in the sea, across the harbour, and just in land. I team up with Graham, a Brit who turns [View Full Entry]

---

---

In most of the former Soviet Union Victory Day is commemorated with a huge military parade which must be amazing to see. What did we get? A long weekend and some good weather!! We set out for a day in Mardakan on the Absheron peninsula. It's easy! Get the metro out to Neftchilar Station then look for a 341 bus heading all the way. Cheap and simple!! And it really was. There are no hiccups or hassles to report this time. We got off the bus outside Dendro Park which is a sort of Botanical Garden cum Zoo. We felt that [View Full Entry]

---

---

Unfortunately the photos for this entry have been lost due to a technical glitch at Travelblog. I will get around to reloading them soon! One day it's lovely and sunny, the next it's cold and grey. Everyone says in another month the weather will be stable and the temperatures will keep on climbing until everyone complains it's just too hot. We can't wait! For now, we make every effort to get out and about in the city whenever we can and our most recent wanderings took us to the Russian Orthodox church. From the outside it's not overly glamorous but inside [View Full Entry]

---

---

Last night we went to the Baku Opera and Ballet Theatre to watch a production of Aida. Aided by stars from Georgia and Belarus, the Azeri National Opera must be feeling quite pleased with themselves for putting on such a good show. The best part of three and a half hours simply flew by and we never once felt inclined to leave early. We left the theatre with the music ringing in our ears. It was wonderful. Today the sun has been shining and it has been pleasantly warm. As a result we decided to jump on a bus to a [View Full Entry]

---

---

March 8th is International Women's Day. In Azerbaijan that means a long weekend! Hoorah!!! Sadly the sun didn't shine so we decided to stay in Baku and see what happened. We also decided to check out a few different places. On Friday night we moved from our regular haunt for happy hour to The Clansman which was rather nice inside and far less crowded. Then we moved on to The Brewery which is a micro-brewery with wonderful beer and excellent (if a bit pricey) food. On Saturday we had an easy day but got to try a new cafe in Baku. [View Full Entry]

---

---