Day 5 May 1, 2026 Baku Azerbaijan
Today’s big adventure was trying to find a donor cafe. We had seen one across the street from one of the banks. Of course there are a lot of banks in a city this size. Also we drove in and around so many places we easily got confused. Rob’s idea was to go to the grocery store and find someone with enough English to direct us to a place. While he did that Connie explored a little more of the store. What a lot of candy! They must all have big sweet teeth. The dentists must make a good living. Well Rob’s efforts worked. One is not too far away. Now if we can only follow the directions in Google Maps.
We had only gone about two blocks when the scenery looked familiar. Sure enough just half a block away was the donor cafe we had seen a few days ago. No one in the little cafe spoke English but we managed to order two beef donors and an orange soda. Very tasty. They run a small cafeteria like place. Several dishes were in a display bar. People came in and chose which one(s) they wanted. Then someone heated it up in a microwave. The locals could consume a plate full in short order. About the time we were ready to leave something happened with a customer and tempers flew. Sure would like to know the story. The food was delicious. Rob tipped the cook which brought a big smile.
Connie spent part of the day getting caught up on the blog and Facebook. Rob got boarding passes and a room in Tbilisi. We fly back to Georgia day after tomorrow and the day after that head for home.
This provides an opportunity to discuss a few things we have missed. First of all pomegranate is very popular in this part of the world. We saw more of them in Armenia but it is one of the country symbols for Azerbaijan.
This hotel has an unusual elevator system. First of all there are three elevators: A, B, and C. An electronic tablet type device sits between the elevators. The tablet has all the floors displayed. You tap the number of the floor you want to go to. Then the system tells you which elevator to get in. Once in the elevator Rob tells you to turn around and look out the glass. There are no floor buttons in the elevators.
Cherry juice is very common in all three countries. Orange and apple are as well. We have enjoyed the cherry juice because it is local. They also have cherry jam but it doesn’t have a strong cherry flavor.
The breakfast buffet here has what is labeled scrambled eggs. It’s more like scrambled egg soup. The eggs are so runny. We both passed on those. The fresh made omelets on the other hand are very good.
Cats are everywhere. They are calm and love to be petted. We have not petted them but have seen many locals do so. Now that we know what to look for we have seen quite a few cat houses providing shelter for the cats. Most have small dishes in front for food and/or water. Dogs on the other hand seem to be missing. The “city” cats did not have ear tags like the “city” dogs did in Armenia and Georgia.
At the Fire Temple we were shown a picture of the Faraavahar, one of the most prominent symbols of Zoroastrianism. Our guide told us about it but that seemed to go in one ear and out the other. Seems he said something about one wing being the good angel and the other wing the bad angel. Since we couldn’t really remember we asked Google. Here is the answer:
It represents a guardian spirit, known as a fravashi, symbolizing the human soul’s spiritual journey.
The figure is surrounded by a ring, not a hula hoop, which represents the eternity of the soul.
The wings are divided into three feathers, symbolizing the Zoroastrian principles of good thoughts, good words, and good deeds.
This emblem is a significant cultural icon of ancient Persian heritage.
A little about their education. Nine years of schooling is mandatory. If you want to learn a trade you go do so after the nine years. If you want to attend a university you must continue your schooling for two more years. Most degrees require four years except medical degrees which require more. Two sessions occur each day Monday through Friday. The first session goes from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. Those kids go home and the next group goes from 2:00 to 7:00. This is true for universities as well. Baku has about 20 universities. The schools don’t have big sport fields only big buildings.
The city seems quite clean except for the leaves that are flying around in the wind. Today was only about a 10 mph breeze. Nice and calm.
The city has at least two large stadiums that have been used for Olympic and European championships.
Across the street from the donor cafe was the entrance to a small pub. The pictures outside looked like they might serve food as well as beer. Google says some of the pubs do serve snack type food such as chicken neck, chicken heart, chicken gizzard, string cheese, peas and things I have no idea what.
Spoffords Travel 