micheleOur first interaction in Baku was bad. Really bad. Like, Taxi-driver-slamming-the-steering-wheel-seething-in-anger-at-us bad
We had just greeted our Bolt driver when we exited the Heydar Aliyev International Airport and were on our way to Baku. While driving out the airport property, he stopped at a payment kiosk and turned around, gesturing to us for money. That is when things went south.
We paid in Bolt, right? The driver quickly got agitated and slammed the steering wheel when we refused to give him cash. He got out in a huff and paid the machine, but he was fuming the entire way to Baku downtown.
He did end up softening a bit at the end when we busted out our finest Duolingo–honed Russian and tried it out on him. I think we said something to the effect of “We give money Bolt app. We don’t want problem.” We added some tip in the app as we got out and wished him well.*
*N.B.: We later discovered his airport fees were NOT included in that ride! On the return to the airport a few days later the Bolt app displayed 3 manat additional included in the price. So while Bolt included it for our return driver, our first driver had been right and it had not been pre-paid. We did reach out to Bolt after that. SO FYI: Remember to factor 3 manat (about US $1.75) into your ride from the Baku airport if you do not see it listed in your ride share app.
Not a great start. We hoped that this was not a bad omen for our time in Azerbaijan, but we did not need to worry. Beautiful Baku was magical. Here is our walking itinerary, we can’t recommend this mysterious city enough!
Driver anger aside, the ride from the Heydar Aliyev Airport was probably the shiniest, sparkliest ride from an airport to its downtown that I have ever seen. Large polished mansions, shiny high rise buildings and a clean & modern highway. As with many airports, I expected a far more rough and tumble airport neighborhood but the building scenery on the ride into Baku was glossy and gleaming!
After dropping our bags at the Courtyard by Marriott Baku, we set out on foot to get the lay of the land, and hopefully find wine and/or coffee.
Across the street from the Courtyard, the Fuzuli Park is a long, slender park running parallel between Fuzuli and Badalbeyli Streets. For goodness’ sake, PLEASE find an underground tunnel to cross these roads, or you will take your life in your hands! The tunnels are clean and actually glitter with gold flecks!
We wandered first through a verdant [newer] older section of Baku with cafés and bustling public squares. Our first stop was at CoffeeMoffie, a cozy wine-and-coffee place. Quirky vintage art adorns the walls, you can sit at tables or on soft furniture, and they speak English at the counter. We saw a number of patrons working on laptops since it was daytime. We enjoyed our first Azerbaijani wine and continued wandering.
We made our way through clean, animated streets, both paved and cobblestone, all the way to the Dənizkənarı Milli Park, another long, slender green space, bordered by the Baku Promenade, the walkway along the Caspian Sea.
The Promenade led past cafés, play areas and even a small attraction known as Mini-Venice. Because we were behind it, and because fountains are so plentiful in Baku, we missed it on the first pass. One can ride in little boats there for 5 manat (approx. US $3 at the time of this writing), which would most likely be quite refreshing in the heat. Next time.
The giant flower structure to the left is actually the Deniz Mall, a shiny multilevel center containing upscale stores, and of course McDonalds and KFC in a food court.
Funny note: Being so enthralled by the Azerbaijani language and letters, we started taking photos in the McD’s of the menu. The manager came out pronto and told us to stop. He zeroed in on me (Michele) and made me delete my photo(!), but I didn’t realize that I still had another one (oops). Tauni may have snagged a few more photos of the menu while he was busy with me. He thought we were taking photos of the staff, but we are language geeks and simply wanted a photo of the writing.
There was also a basic viewing patio, as well as a [terrifying-looking!] 3 to 5 story Slide (depending on age) down the center of the entire mall!
After the much-needed air conditioning break in the Mall for a few minutes, we continued our self-guided walk around Baku. We found the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum, actually shaped like a roll of carpet! Sadly it was closing soon and by this point we had been walking for hours, so we did not go in. Next time!
I was secretly relieved the Baku Eye was not running, as ferris wheels just unnerve me for some reason. We continued on around to the Funicular (ah, now we see the front of Mini Venice!). For 1 manat (about US $.60), we took the funicular up to Highland Park, a pristine area with memorials and a cemetery commemorating soldiers of various nationalities, including British and Turks, who lost their lives to the Soviets in Azerbaijan’s sometimes turbulent history.
Besides a beautiful view overlooking Baku, Highland Park also leads to the iconic Baku Flame Towers, visible from nearly everywhere in Baku. The striking contrast of the ornate traditional mosque juxtaposed with the sleek modern skyscrapers is mesmerizing. These breathtaking towers light up at night with video. We were there before the World Cup, so Azerbaijani flags and moving soccer ball video was interspersed with blazing flames in all three towers. The adventurous (and well-funded) can stay in the Fairmont Baku Hotel located in one of the towers.
Having walked for about 3 hours, we decided to Bolt back down to explore the old city and find some dinner, then make our way back to the hotel. We had an amazing meal at the exquisite Art Club Restaurant in Old Baku. The attentive staff treated us like royalty in this airy and charming restaurant inside a hotel of the same name, and the Josper (whole, roasted vegetables), brought out ceremoniously under a traditional azerbaijani metallic dome cover, were to die for. Our entire meal for two, with two appetizers, two entrées and two glasses of wine, totaled about the equivalent of US $35. I later read that reservations are usually de rigeur at Art Club, but we were grateful they were not too busy when we arrived at dusk. This is a first-class traditional food experience not to be missed in Baku.
We wandered out of the restaurant as it started to get dark, through more of dramatically-illuminated Old Baku, into the Icherisheher (the inner walled old city center), past the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, the Baylar mosque, and the Museum of Miniature Books, We simply continued to wander the beautifully lit, animated cobbled streets and plazas, doubling back through different streets back to Bazaar Square, which opened up to a sunken Haji Bani Bath complex, guarded by archeological statues and treasures, and finally the gem of Baku, the Maiden Tower.
Finally, we turned off Kichik Qala onto Qüllə, passing Karavansera Bazaar and just meandered through to the outer gate to the ‘new’ Baku.
Can I take a moment to give an ode to the art in Baku? All day, I was taken aback by the sheer number of statues and street art in the newer part of the city. The architecture is of course a stunning mix of past, Soviet, and present/future, but the street art and sculptures also cannot be missed. Tucked nonchalantly into corners on a sidewalk or featured in dramatic lighting on a pedestal, this city is a bold statement of art and pride. What an exhilarating first night exploring the old and new cities of Baku! Finally, after this more than 6 hour ‘walk,’ we headed back to our hotel to get ready for our long Shekki day in the morning.
