Day 6 May 2, 2026 Baku Azerbaijan
Today’s highlight was very special. We met Ida and her husband Mike (not their Azerbaijani names). Nam from Vietnam set us up. We agreed to meet at a very special restaurant inside a museum. The food was incredible and the conversation stimulating. After lunch we had a guided tour of the building. So much history on display here. Their original constitution was on display here. As it turns out Ida’s great grand father was one of the signers. Lots of individual rooms to have your meal or larger common areas. I have no idea how to spell or pronounce the foods we ate. Ida teaches law at one of the universities and working on her PHD. Mike is a civil prosecutor. They are both very passionate about their work and their country. They have two children who did not join us. They promised to visit us when the kids are a little older.
After touring the restaurant (museum) we returned to our room for tea and dessert. We had two kinds of tea, two kinds of jam, nuts and pastries. They could be a meal all by themselves. They have many sweets but once again not as sweet as in the states. (And that is a good thing.
We eventually had to return to the hotel to pack and prepare to leave early in the morning. We have learned so much about this part of the world. Even though Azerbaijan is sandwiched between Ukraine and Iran we have felt very safe. The country is doing everything it can to remain civil with all its neighbors and religions. Not an easy thing to do.
Some thoughts about the country.
We felt very safe here. The military is not standing on the corners with machine guns. The city and countryside are clean. Tourism was very low. Reports here say as much as 40% of hotel reservations have been cancelled. If you decide to come here, be prepared for wind. The title of Windy City is well deserved. The three major religions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. coexist without trouble. Perhaps this is because the population is not practicing as much as in some countries. They all share each others religious holidays so they get more time off work.
Spoffords Travel 