Mimi Sidna

Tuesday, November 1

It may not be the last Tbilisi post if it is a pretty day tomorrow and I can get a few more photos. I leave for the states this Thursday (3rd) at 4:45 a.m., so I probably should spend some of my Wednesday packing for the trip. At least I won’t have to think about what I’m taking home…I’ll be taking everything I brought!

I went for a long walk today. Thought I might be hailing a taxi because my stomach didn’t start out feeling all that terrific, but I walked solid for almost 2.5 hours – toward the infamous TV tower that sits on a mountaintop for all of Tbilisi to see. The tower is much further than I thought it was, so by the time I got to the bottom of the hill it was on, I was too weary to climb.

The first photos I am sharing with you is of a meal we had with friends at the same restaurant I was at the other day that had the most amazing Georgian khinkali (sauced ground beef-stuffed dumplings). We had these Parisian friends order for us, and definitely had WAY too much food in front of us. We started out with the chicken salad and a smooth, cottage-cheesy salad, along with a plate of greens (parsley and watercress), radishes and onions. They also had this khachapuri (stuffed cheese bread – similar to a cheese-stuffed pizza, only better) that I was able to eat only one slice of because it was extremely rich. Probably should have ended there, but then they served the dumplings. The ladies that were with us ate 7 and 8 respectively, while Ray ate 6 and I managed to get 3 down! Just found out Ray ate 6. The first photo is of the lone dumpling that was left after 5 of us consumed 24.

The Khinkali (Dumpling)

Khachapuri (Cheese-Stuffed Bread) and other stuff

My walk today took me west of the Sheraton Hotel where we are staying. Below are a few photos taken during the walk. I found this very nice park that was next to the glassed-in walkway (Bridge of Peace) across the Kuri River. I descended the steps that were WAY above the park, crossed the walkway and into another part of Tbilisi I hadn’t been before. Passed a couple churches, restaurants and stores, but what always caught my eye was the old. Old buildings, old homes, old walls, and homes you and I could not imagine living in. We are truly blessed.

Started At the TOP - Baratahsvili Rise

From the Top

Europ Square - Bridge of Peace

Bridge of Peace

Baby Grand "Sculpture"

Wall of Waterfall and Hanging Ivy and Plants

An Old Wall - Tbilisi

Make good memories of your day, with laughter, a smile, a wish.

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”  Mohandas Gandhi

Wednesday, October 26

It is the middle of the week in Tbilisi, and we are experiencing a cool, and dreary-with-rain forecast for most of the day. We’ve been so fortunate to have sunny days and relatively warm weather for this time of the year, and I’ve tried to take advantage of every day with a little walking in the area surrounding the hotel and beyond.

Monday, I started a walk with the goal of seeing at least one “place of interest” in Tbilisi. From the front of the hotel, there is a hill (little mountain) that has a couple interesting sites, but the Narikala Fortress, a fortress first established in the 4th century and parts of it rebuilt in the 17th century, was the one I chose. I decided to gut it out, and walk to the hill’s steep paths without use of the taxi. Leaving the hotel at 10:15 am, I returned at 3:00 pm, exhausted, exhilarated and successful in my walk. I think I walked about 12 miles roundtrip, and though I was sore from the walk, I saw a lot from the hilltop to the city below.

The beginning…from the hotel. The photo was taken early morning from the window where we have breakfast. Note the left structure on the side of the closest mountain (or hill, as some may say it is). That is my target for the day. Where you see the break in the river (bridge across – can barely be seen) there are two churches on either side, the Metekhi Church on the right bank and the Sioni Cathedral on the left.

View From Hotel Window - at Breakfast

I visited both churches. The Avlabari District of Tbilisi is one of the earliest inhabited areas and where the Metekhi Church is located. According Wikipedia and traditional accounts, King Vakhtang I. Gorgasali erected this church and a fort here that also served also as the king’s residence, hence comes the name Metekhi, dating back to the 12th century and means “the area around the palace.” The Mongol invasion of 1235 flattened this site. The Metekhi Church, resting on the top of the hill beside the river, was damaged and rebuilt numerous times, and was once fortified around the church with a strong citadel garrisoned by some 3,000 soldiers during the mid-1600′s. “Under Russian rule (Wikipedia), the church lost its religious purpose and was used as a barracks. The church functioned again in 1988.”

Metekhi Church

Steps to river side by Metekhi Church

Altar of Metekhi Church at Mtkvari Riverbank

The Sioni Cathedral is located on the opposite corner of the Mtkvari (Kuri) River, and the basic elements of the existing structure date from 1100′s. It was heavily damaged by the Mongols in 1226, restored and damaged several times since from various invasions. According to Wikipedia, the most recent renovation took place in 1980-1983.

Sioni Cathedral

Neoclassic Bell Tower of 1812

Once I established where I was in relation to the Narikala Fortress, I started my climb toward the Botanical Gardens on the opposite side of the Fortress. I began at the Orbeliani Baths, Abanotubani. It is claimed (according to Wikipedia again) that Tbilisi was founded in the fifth century, the legend saying that King Gorgasali was hunting for deer and shot one that fell into a hot sulphur spring. The deer strangely and miraculously healed and this is how the restorative powers of the sulphur springs was discovered. The baths themselves are underground, but beehive-like domes are above ground and now and again give little blasts of steam out of one of the vents of the domes.  ”Abano” means bath, “ubani” means district. When I first saw these mounds, I thought it was an architectural design for the Heydar Aliyev Park, but quickly learned that there were baths beneath the domes.

Sulfur Baths - Tbilisi

Below are several photos of my climb, including views of and from the ruins of the ancient fence of the mother-castle Narikala (formerly called Kala) still standing on the western ridge of Sololaki Range. I’ve been referring it as Narikala Fortress. My descent photos are also included.

Homes, Condos, Shops Below the Narikala Fortress

Steep Grade to Fortress

Walk "Into" Fortress

Inside Castle Walls

St. Nicolas Church - Inside Walls of Narikala Fortress

Mosque on Sololaki Range - By Narikala Fortress

The Mother Georgia - Near Narikala Fortress

Side of Castle Walls

Almost There - Descending - Bridge On Right Is One I Crossed

First Home Immediately Below Narikala Fortress

This was one of the most rewarding walks I’ve had since I have started blogging. It’s not because it was one of the oldest structures, nor the prettiest, but I managed to walk the distance and the climb. It was a satisfaction to know my body could still walk and climb! My brother and I climbed up to Half Dome in Yosemite (8 miles up and 8 miles down) several years ago, and that was excruciating in the pain category. I couldn’t walk down a single step without my chins crying at me. This walk tested my knees and feet, but I did it!

May you have a wonderful day/evening. And may you see beauty in all things big and small.

“The first question I ask myself when something doesn’t seem to be beautiful is, why do I not think it’s beautiful. Very shortly you discover that there is no reason.” John Cage

Monday, October 24

We are back in Tbilisi, Georgia as some of you may already know. Below are some photos of the hotel from where we are staying, including one of the lobby from our floor.

Sheraton Metechi Palace

Lobby of Sheraton Metechi Palace

View From Sheraton - At Dusk

View From Hotel Window - at Breakfast

Ray was able to take a little time on Saturday for a walk close to the hotel to see one of the churches. Thinking it would not be difficult to walk (we made it in about 30 minutes from the hotel), there were steep grades of cobbled roads that had to be climbed. Difficult, but we managed.

Cobblestones on Streets

Steep Street to Sameba Cathedral

The Sameba Cathedral is the main cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church and was built  between 1995 and 2004. It is the third tallest Eastern Orthodox Cathedral in the world.

Approaching Sameba Cathedral

Looking UP - Sameba Cathedral

Bell Tower - Sameba Cathedral

While we were experiencing the beauty of the cathedral, 3 weddings were taking place, along with various photos of bride/groom parties outside on the exquisite patio.

3 Brides, 3 Grooms, 1 Ceremony

Ceremonial Tapestry

Wedding Finale

The photo below is close-up of the bell tower. The last photo is taken from the front entrance of the Cathedral. So stunning!

Bell Tower of Sameba Cathedral

Front Entrance to Sameba Cathedral

Today, I took another walk, a LONG walk, to the Narikala Fortress, which I will share in the next post.

“Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art.” 

Monday, October 17

This post will give you photos of and by the Maiden Tower. I took another walk this afternoon with the sole purpose in seeing the Maiden Tower up close, but I took a different route than I’ve taken the past few days. Next to the apartment building, there is a very long set of small, old and broken cement steps next to the apartments that can be used to get from top of the hill where the apartment is to the lower road. Below are photos. Going down them was difficult because of the unevenness of the steps. And, walking up the stairs was near impossible, mainly because I was close to having a coronary – HA!

First Set of Steps

Bottom of the Steps

On my walk, I went through some very nice parks that had pretty fountains. Each of those parks were near the Maiden Tower. I’ll share those fountains on another post.

The Maiden Tower:  ”There are a number of competing explanations for the name, the most prominent of which is the legend of a maiden (said to be the daughter of the Khan of Baku) who threw herself off its top to her death in the waves below. The legendary tale of the king falling in love with his daughter and she committing suicide by jumping from the Maiden Tower has been the subject of many Azerbaijani poems and plays. However, the ballet titled ‘Maiden Tower,’ was the first Azerbaijani ballet composed by Afrasiyyab Badalbayli, in 1940. This ballet is performed at Baku´s Opera and Ballet Theatre. However, the story line is a modified version of the legend. According to the modified version of the Ballet, the king on his return from his war campaign found that his wife had given birth to a daughter instead of a son. He became furious and ordered killing of his baby daughter. However, the baby’s nanny took her away to a secret place where she grew up to a beautiful lady. At age seventeen she got engaged to a lover. At this juncture, the king chanced to see her, wanted to marry her and therefore took her away and kept her in the Maiden Tower. The girl’s lover was furious with this turn of events and he managed to kill the king. He then ran to the Maiden Tower to rescue his lover. However, when the girl heard sound of foot steps approaching towards the tower, she thought that it was the king coming to see her and she immediately committed suicide by jumping down from the tower.”

The Maiden Tower was built in the 12th century, as part of the walled city of Baku, the Maiden Tower, with the Shirvanshah’s Palace dated to the 15th century. Vendors have taken space in doorways near the Tower and built their own kiosks to take advantage of the tourists passing by. One photo below shows a vendor in operation. It actually looks like he’s using a very large trunk that has been opened and has his colorful wares displayed attractively.

The Maiden Tower

Walls of Baku Old City

Excavation Near the Maiden Tower

Vendors Near Maiden Tower

The fountain in the next photo is also near the Maiden Tower, with a beautifully landscaped park on the hill.

Fountain Looking up at Baku Opera House

There are renovations happening at the Opera House, but here are a few photos of the buildings and surroundings.

Baku Philharmonic and Opera House

Fountain Below the Opera House

It is a rather romantic and quiet site, and I saw several couples embraced, enjoying the peacefulness and each other.

And, my final photo for this post is one that I saw behind a barrier. Though I’m not always appreciative of art on bridge walls, rocks, etc., I find this one very colorful and curious to know what they were thinking about when they created.

Stone Art

It is so much fun for me to share my walks and experiences with you. I hope you are “seeing” a little of Baku though my photos.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”  Aristotle

Monday, October 16 – Update

Last Friday night, Ray and I joined some friends for dinner at an authentic Azeri restaurant where they served beef, lamb and chicken kabob. We started out with greens (mint, parsley, dill and basil) and tomatoes and cucumbers, along with cheeses – delicious – and ended up with a very tasty meal of kabob and grilled aubergine (eggplant). It was so dark in the restaurant that I was sure my camera wouldn’t take a decent photo of the plated food.  After our dinner, we went to a new outdoor restaurant that served delicious teas and desserts. When it gets cold in the evenings, they provide their customers with blankets so that they can continue to enjoy the ambiance of the outdoor setting.

Gorodok Restaurant - Baku

Gorodok Restaurant - Front Entrance

Gorodok Restaurant - People Dancing

This photo is taken at the outdoor restaurant where we enjoyed tea and the most amazing cheese dessert I’ve ever tasted.

Rooftop Dafne Restaurant - Baku

Saturday, Ray and I took a taxi to the Park Bulvar Mall for a late lunch at KFC. Terribly unhealthy food, but the spicy chicken tenders were delicious. As you can see by the line, it is a popular new restaurant in the food court. It got busier just minutes later, when they had 5 people behind the counter with minimum of 5 people in line at the same time.

Baku KFC

The view below is taken from the outdoor seating for the Food Court at the mall.

The Caspian Sea and Boardwalk

As we were leaving the mall, Ray showed me the very large kiosk that friends have of an Inglot space at the mall.  It is located immediately as you get off the escalator.  The colors are so brilliant and this cosmetic display is stunning.

Inglot Cosmetics - Park Bulvar Mall

Yesterday…for some reason, I couldn’t get out of the apartment until after noon.  It wasn’t because I’m oversleeping, because I’m not. I think it’s because I go through my email and Facebook to see if there is anything important to read, and there usually is, so I don’t get started showering until almost 11. Ray had meetings early Sunday morning so I didn’t anticipate him returning until evening.

I left the apartment at 12:30 and walked 3 miles to my final destination, the Citi-Market at Park Bulvar Mall. I expected a sprinkling rain because of the overcast sky, but was actually quite warm on my walk down the steep hill. I was back at the apartment by 3, with the assistance of a new Baku cab that was purchased from UK – nice, clean and roomy, and cheaper than the other cabs because they have a meter in the car. I thought New York City had crazy drivers, but the taxi drivers in Dubai and Baku are fearless in their driving, too. Their cars are often only an inch from another car on the roads, and there is merging into other lanes within a blink of an eye, making no efforts to stay within the designated lanes. Unbelievable, and frightening at times! By the time I returned, Ray was back from his meetings.

I’ll be

“If you’re not using your smile, you’re like a man with a million dollars in the bank and no checkbook.”

“Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.”

“A smile is an inexpensive way to change your looks.”  So, SMILE!!!

Wednesday, October 12

It was a windy, but very pretty day in Baku. I’m thankful to have a short hairstyle that doesn’t blow out of place very much. There won’t be a lot of text in this post, because I will fill it with photos. I took a walk yesterday and again today from the apartment, and went down very steep streets. I tried to get photos of the slope, but it doesn’t give you the perspective necessary to appreciate the hill. It was extremely easy to walk down, even in spite of the countless holes in the road, but when I walked back up the street, I was certainly huffing and puffing. Fortunately, my body managed to walk and climb it (slowly, perhaps at times) without stopping. Several areas of the road had steps, which will be identified in photos. Today, I walked in another direction, which was also hilly, but less intense.

This photo was taken from the apartment window in February 2011, just to give you a comparison of cloudiness vs sun.  You can barely see the sea:

Baku - November 2010

This was taken today:

Baku - October 2011

Today I walked to Fountain Square that is near the sea, and actually has a tunnel from it to the boardwalk beside the Caspian Sea. I walked from the flag in the foreground to the second pier and back.

Caspian Sea Boardwalk in Baku

Below is a photo taken of the open area of the square, with shops on all sides, any designer store you can think of as well as Mexx and Zara (two of my favorite stores over here and in Dubai).  You can’t see the stores, but I wanted you to see the stones that were placed in design-fashion.  When I was in Baku six years ago, these stones were non-existent and old concrete slabs were in place, with vendors haphazardly all over the place, trying to sell their wares.

Fountain Square Baku - 2011

The next photo is of one of the newest stores at the square, called Inglot, a cosmetic company that friends of Ray’s has opened. It is similar to Mac Cosmetics, but it offers a different variety of colors and beauty aids, including feather and sequined and sparkly eyelashes…kinda cool, yet very unique.

Inglot Cosmetics at Fountain Square

Here is a photo of the street I walked UP that was very steep. Notice in the second photo the steps that I had to climb because the street was too narrow to walk in the street.

Steep Hill

Steep Steps of the Steep Hill

My other walk took me to another area of Baku, where dignitaries and wealthy people have apartments. I’ve included a photo of a new apartment building that has scaffolding that doesn’t look very safe, and there’s lots of it. It does, however, look considerably safer than some I saw in Capetown, SA in 2002.

Rickety Scaffolding

These are a complex of buildings being built near the apartment building we are living in while here, called the Flame Towers. One building is specific for office, one residential and one hotel. Near the buildings is the Presidental Palace.  It is on the other side of the hill, however, so I didn’t make it there today. Perhaps tomorrow or the next day, I will make that trek.

The Flame Towers

I hope your day is splendid. Give everyone a smile today. Not only will it lift their spirits up, but it will do amazing things to your own.

“A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more.”  -  Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Sunday, October 9

We are back in Baku. Originally, we had tickets from Tbilisi for return to Baku at midnight tonight, but since I was able to see a lot of Tbilisi yesterday, and had walked a blister on my heel, my feet wouldn’t have taken another day of walking. Ray also had many steps he made with people from the meetings, creating sore feet and legs. We decided to leave the hotel after our buffet breakfast and try to get an earlier flight. Ray found one that was at 11:30 am, and fortunately, the ticket counter was able to change our tickets for minimal cost.

Last night, Ray and I sat out on the veranda and had a very light dinner about 8 pm. Here are some additional photos I took before we left Tbilisi.

A Cathedral From the Hotel - Tbilisi

St. Nicholas Church - Tbilisi

Ray and I on the Veranda of Radisson Blu Hotel - Tbilisi

Tbilisi Airport at 9 a.m.

Georgian Vendor at Tbilisi Airport

We would visit Tbilisi again in a heartbeat. It was such a friendly, old (architecture) and beautiful city.

I am hopeful this week will be good weather, because I’m in the walking mood. Haven’t had that mood in a long time, so the weather better not disappoint. There is this very long hill behind the apartment building in Baku we are in that goes directly to the heart of the city. I’ve not walked it yet, but I don’t think it will take long, especially with tennis shoes. It’s the getting- back-UP-the-hill that has me concerned. I’ll tough it out, I am sure.

One last photo couldn’t be forgotten. Picture this…we are early at the airport, have our return tickets from Tbilisi to Baku in hand, and are now waiting for the 1.5 hours to pass, so we are set. Any of you who remember Ray from one specific volleyball tournament (the wire shelves) will appreciate this photo. He can sleep ANYWHERE! If only I could be so lucky to sleep as sound…in a bed.

Sleepy Ray

Wow, do I ever like being with him! Wouldn’t want to miss this!

Saturday, October 8

I mentioned last post that we would be taking a short trip to Tbilisi, Georgia.  We arrived at the hotel in Tbilisi at 12:30 am (1:30 am Baku time), which is 9 hours ahead of CST.  Needless to say, I haven’t had much sleep in the past 48 hours, but it doesn’t matter.  I will make it up when we get back to Baku Sunday night. For now, I’ll enjoy time I have in this beautiful city.

Thanks to Wikipedia, here is a brief description of Tbilisi:  ”Tbilisi is the capital and largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River, and has about 1.5 million inhabitants.  Tbilisi was founded in the 5th century by Vakhtang Gorgasali, the Georgian King of Iberia and made into the capital in the 6th century.  It is a significant industrial, social and cultural city, and is emerging as an important transit route for global energy and trade projects. The city of Tbilisi has the shape of an amphitheatre surrounded by mountains on three sides.”

There are a few historical landmarks that can be seen from most areas of the city.  The Narikala is an ancient fortress, established in the 4th century and it overlooks Tbilisi and the Kura River. The fortress consists of two walled sections on a steep hill between the sulphur baths and the botanical gardens of Tbilisi. The Anchiskhati Basilica of St Mary is the oldest surviving church in Tbilisi.  It belongs to the Georgian Orthodox Church and dates from the sixth century. The Sioni Cathedral was built in the 5th century, and the Church of Metekhi was built in the 13th century.

The two photos below are taken from our hotel windows.

From Hotel Window - Looking North

From Hotel Window - Looking East

Tbilisi has not disappointed in charm and beauty.  In fact, I wish we had more time to spend here to explore.  I walked for about 2 hours this morning along a boulevard in front of the hotel, and then took several side streets, only to find churches, small hotels and beautiful parks hidden between old homes and apartment buildings.  I sat in one of the parks for 15 minutes, just meditating and enjoying the scenery while watching people walk by.  Many of the parks have fountains and/or unique sculptures.  I couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather, either…just a slight breeze along with a sunny day.

Fountain #1

Statue Behind the Georgian National Museum

Fountain #2

Flowering Sculpture in the Rocks

Such beauty in these surroundings.  I only wish I’d brought my tennis shoes for walking the distances I want to walk to see what I want to see.

“Most travel is best of all in the anticipation or the remembering; the reality has more to do with losing your luggage.”  Regina Nadelson

Friday, October 7, 2011

I am back on the track again to write onto my travel blog.  Our home in KC has been our base from March until a few weeks ago, when Ray returned to Baku for business.  I joined Ray in Baku last night, after a very harried Tuesday, trying to arrange travel around my work schedule.  Within 24 hours, I managed to get a frequent flyer trip with United and Lufthansa via Chicago and Frankfurt, which ended up being the best connections to Baku.  As is always the case, I wasn’t able to sleep on the plane but only a few hours, and that may be pushing it.

After a good night of sleep, I wanted to see Ray’s office at Shollar Water Company in Baku, and have been working on my computer since I got to the plant.  I’m including a few photos from bottling plant.

Entrance to Office Building of Shollar Water Company

Lobby of Office Building

The additional photos are taken inside the bottling plant, where I was given a tour by the plant manager.  They have a machine that takes little pieces of plastic (called preforms) and blows them into the shape of different sized bottles. There is a machine that filters the water and then fills the bottles. There’s a machine that puts the caps on, one that sticks the labels on, one that is a date stamp, and one that prepares the bottles for shipment, using shrink wrap to seal the bottles in place.

Inside Shollar Water Bottling Plant

Bottling Equipment in Shollar Plant

Labels for Labeling Machine

New Refrigerator Cases for Shollar

We will be joining friends for dinner this evening and at 11:30 pm, we will get on our flight, headed for Tbilisi, Georgia.  I hope to have good photos from yet another country to share with my readers.

May you experience a wonderful and beautiful day.  It’s amazing how smiling can brighten not only your day, but everyone else around you.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.  Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”  Mark Twain

Monday, February 21 – Part 3

Later in the day of last Friday, a friend picked me up to go for a walk with her at the Fountain Square in the city. When I visited Baku the first time in 2005, Fountain Square was dirty, had street vendors, buildings were dingy, yet it had a few reputable retail stores, like Mango and Chanel. Now, the area boasts of many designer shops, new facade to old buildings, beautifully lighted and new faced multi-level apartment/condos, evenly placed tiled walkways and many little shops that invite you because of their charm.

There is a 2-level coffee shop with free wi-fi, called Cafe Caramel, that is owned by Pirouz and Vafa, business associates of Ray’s. Vafa creates the recipes for the little cafe, and everything that I’ve had there, including the coffee mixes, is very good. She has a Caesar salad and creamy mushroom soup that will put other restaurants to shame. Vafa is a very ambitious young 31-year old, married, a two-year-old and just had a new baby a couple weeks ago, yet she’s opening a cosmetic store like MAC, called Inglot and has an Italian designer shoe store two doors down from Cafe Caramel. She speaks exquisite English and is a delight to be around. Apparently, she lived in Kansas City for a while, worked with Cliff Cohen as her mentor before she became the manager of Seaview Plaza, the apartment building we are staying in while in Baku.

Torgovaya Street - Baku

First McDonalds in Baku

Nizami Museum of Literature

Pebblestone Walkway

We had dinner Friday evening with Vafa, her husband and Pirouz at a restaurant called Chinar, a very trendy and beautiful Chinese cuisine. Ray has been helping them with their business plan for Cafe Caramel and may continue to work on other projects with them, something he can certainly do via email. Below are some photos of the restaurant.

Chinar Dining Area

Chinar Bar - Baku

Chinar Lounge

Saturday was spent walking with Ray at Fountain Square. It was a bit chilly, but not too bad. We wore our overcoats which seemed to be adequate, and we ended up at the Cafe Caramel, where I had a Caesar’s Salad and the best mushroom soup I’ve ever tasted, and Ray had a Calzone that he said was very good. Their coffee drinks are nice and probably cost similar to a good Starbuck’s drink. Saturday evening, we were invited to join business associates at a restaurant in the old Baku city, called the Mugam Club. Below are some photos of that restaurant.

Entrance to Mugam Club

Table Setting in front of our "room"

The arched room to the right of the first photo of the Mugam club had the table set for our party of 10. In the middle of the table was a beautiful display of appetizers that I will share with you later in this post.

Courtyard of Mugam Club

The courtyard of this restaurant typically has an open ceiling so that the sky is viewed. However, during the winter months, they close it because of inclement weather. Each of the archways were at one time stables for the camels of a caravan, and their “keepers” stayed in the rooms above the stable after long travels. The conversion into a restaurant was authentic and beautiful, with amazing Azeri cuisine.

Musicians at Mugam Club

We didn’t begin to eat until almost 9:30 p.m. when our host arrived. Below is the appetizer portion of our meal. We spent almost 1/2 hour with the appetizers. Our host carefully chose dishes that would be authentic for me to experience. Each plate had at least one thing on it that I really enjoyed. There are so many flavors with meats, vegetables and fruits that are mixed together nicely such that they are savored each bite. The bowls that look like applesauce is called aubergine, an eggplant mixture that is one of my favorites. It goes very well with the breads and cheeses of this region of the world. the “greens” platter on the bottom left of the photo had small cucumbers and small tomatoes with greens from this area. The fresh mint, coriander, dill, basil, parsley, green onion, goy and watercress is served along with the cheeses and vegetables and chorek, their bread. There was a bowl of pickles, one of olives (black and green) and a platter of smoked fish filets.

Appetizers at Mugam Club

There were warm qutab served, a delicious thinly rolled sort of pancake turnover stuffed with minced lamb, cheese or spinach. They served miniature dolmas, a mixture of minced lamb and rice, flavored with mint, fennel and cinnamon and wrapped in vine leaves. Fabulous! Both qutab and dolmas were served with fresh yogurt and sumac.

The main course was chicken kebab, sturgeon (the fish that is prevalent in the Caspian Sea and provides the world with delicious caviar), a minced lamb kebab (like our hamburger) and lamb chops. Dessert was a combination of pahklava (baklava), dried and fresh fruits. They offered me a preserved walnut that had been soaking in sugar, lemon, cardamon and slaked lime (calcium hydroxide). Worst ever! Apparently they are highly prized, as their preparation is laborious and time consuming. Ewww, just thinking about it. Not good. However, if you’d like the recipe, I’m including the link for walnut preserves from the President of Azerbaijan’s cuisine page. Don’t expect to find it at my home.

Enjoy what is out there for you…

“Don’t limit investing to the financial world. Invest something of yourself, and you will be richly rewarded.” Charles Schwab