Our big trip
A few thoughts and photos from our travels
-
Day 13 – Over the border
8th September: Sheki, Azerbaijan to Sighnaghi, Georgia Having packed last night, we had one final breakfast in the garden before leaving. Ilqar even picked us some fresh apples! We were at the Karvansaray at 9:55 and Salman was already waiting for us. He gave us some more freshly picked apples and pears from his garden…
-
Day 12 – Sweet treats
7th September: Sheki, Azerbaijan Today was a chilled day. Again, we had breakfast in the garden at half 8 with tea and breathed in to the sounds of Sheki. It was the first time I’d needed an extra layer so far on this trip, as morning air was refreshingly crisp. The morning was spent writing,…
-
Day 11 – Silk road Sheki
6th September: Sheki, Azerbaijan We asked for breakfast in the homestay, and they were able to cook up a vegan feast for us. We awoke to the smell of bread baking and as well as a whole fresh loaf, we were treated to an apple version of powidla (kind of a caramelised fruit jam), cucumber,…
-
Day 10 – On the road at last
5th September: Baku, Azerbaijan to Sheki, Azerbaijan We left the hostel to wind howling through the city streets. At least that’ll clear the smog for a day! Getting to the bus station was an adventure. After catching the metro for the first time – cheap (about 22p to go anywhere), but doesn’t really go anywhere…
-
Day 9 – Lost and found in Qobustan!
4th September: Baku, Azerbaijan We got Kaja’s bag back!!! This evening, we went to airport and, as promised and after a lengthy set of security checks, the airport staff handed us back the bag. The relief hasn’t quite sunk in yet. Earlier in the day, we’d begun by heading out of town along the F1…
-
Day 8 – The ‘Expo’ City
3rd September: Baku, Azerbaijan Neither of us slept much and what we had was fitful. There was also seemingly a car crash followed by screaming right outside at around 3am, which sounded horrific and certainly didn’t aid our state of mind. We were slow getting going again, spending time in the chay garden on the…
-
Day 7 – Bag-less in Baku
2nd September: Baku, Azerbaijan We had a slow start, trying to get to grips with what we might need for insurance and how we could replace key items. Eventually, we ventured out around midday and found a very friendly local bakery from which we got 7 potato pirojki (think doughnuts but with potato inside), a…
-
Day 6 – Airborne across Anatolia
1st September: Istanbul, Turkey to Baku, Azerbaijan Through the Istanbul night in a taxi. The streets were busy with people and the roads busy with cars even at 3:45! We eventually found the bus (at a different location to website says) and got last two seats on the 4:00 shuttle to Sabiha Gokcen. The airport…
-
Day 5 – Strolls to Suleymaniye
31st August: Istanbul, Turkey We had breakfast of borek, simit and Turkish coffee at a nearby family bakery and cafe again. The owners’ grandsons – Yusuf (8) and Afiyet (6) – were very eager to help and came to join us for breakfast! The spice bazaar was a little underwhelming, however, the Ottoman mausoleum –…
-
Day 4 – Tram to Taksim
30th August: Istanbul, Turkey The morning was chilled as we caught up with some admin bits we’d not gotten around to and again waited until early afternoon for the rain to pass. Today is the Turkish holiday of Victory Day and at midday a large helicopter with an even larger Turkish flag passed over. Once…