From Seattle to Baku

Notes from Alison
Welcome! As we become cleverer at blogging, things will likely improve here. For now, we will try to catch everyone up on our last week and a half. First..the house and land we left behind.








Note the lovely new orange suitcase we bought special for this trip (extra-special on Amazon because of its color!)--this was the one we thought we'd never be able to lose--but it was the one that went missing between Seattle and Brussels. It was finally found, flown via Austrian Air to the Baku Airport and delivered to the US Embassy yesterday afternoon. Marlys is very excited not to see her mother in the same black pants AGAIN today. Now for a couple images enroute to Baku.

These are pics of Brussels--the main square, though we never located the pissing boy fountain, and Marlys in the Metro. We arrived in the morning and were so tired from flying all night that we literally started falling asleep when we sat down on a curb to rest here. We then had a very luxurious night in the Airport Crown Plaza hotel--I bathed three times! We were lots more rested for the next days' journey.


Now for a few pics of Riga, Latvia where we had a nine-hour layover, so took the bus for about 30 cents into town and wandered around--it is a lovely town--highly recommend it. It is not nearly so crowded with tourists as Brussels was and food is much cheaper. On the downside, the historical buildings didn't get much attention from the USSR last century so the biggest cathedral in the Baltics is scarily held up with what looks like very impromptu steel bits and straps inside--it is sinking. They are trying to find out what's up with the foundation and plan to restore, but money is lacking. The rooster below was the weathervane from the roof some hundreds of years ago.



Okay, this looks pretty shoddy, but first attempts! We flew Air Baltic Brussels to Baku--they share flights and planes with SAS and I recommend AB. They were easy to book online (can't find except through their own website) and nice to fly. Even drinks cost $ on board though. We arrived tired again at 3:40am in Baku--breezed through customs with our pre-obtained Visas (unlike the poor jumble of backpackers et al who seemed to have to go back and forth a few times between desks/officials. We were met by an embassy driver, also picking up some embassy workers, one of whom is from Riga and then we were driven to our new apartment. There we were met by our landlord, Shirin (means "sweet") who only spoke to us in Russian, toured us around the apt and its light switch locations and appliances--in Russian, and then we were left to rest for a couple hours before Marlys had a school orientation.

Then we went outside, found taxi who completely misunderstood where we wanted to go--but we refused to get out, so he found someone who could understand and explain...Marlys' school is outside the city in the boonies--we had another wild taxi ride the next day before learning how to ask properly...More on her school, other stuff later. Here's some pics from Baku--we haven't done much picture taking but here are a few selections narrated by my lovely daughter Marlys (she told me to say that!). Alison signing off...

Notes from Marlys:
Hey there my lovely relatives and random other people! Yes, you do not go unloved. :) So the first picture you see just below are the most darling little kittens!!! Here in Baku, lets just say the wild cat population has boomed! These are better off then some, because they do receive food from people once in a while. This picture was taken in our parking lot which is home to a mother cat and her three kittens. Aren't they cute? However, in this picture it looks as if I may have blinded them with the flash. Sorry kitties!


This pic. of me was taken by mom in the "Old City" of Baku. This is the old wall you see behind me. The United Nations have actually titled Baku a "World Heritage City" because of it's age. This part of the city is much like Venice, my mom took note of. Itty-bitty little streets, and easy to get lost in. Unfortunately, unlike Venice, The old City does have cars. (And Baku drivers, and tiny streets, are not a thing to be mixed, if you get my meaning.)


Here, mom is sitting at a pizza place in downtown Baku. To be exact, Fountain Sqaure. Less than a block from our house! We had delicious thin-crust pizza meal outside in the shade of trees! (The shade was quite nice, as that day the sun beat down and it was unbearable to be outside unless you were shaded.)


Last but not least, here we show a most wonderful picture of mother modeling her pajamas. Too bad you cant actually see the pajamas...
This was taken as mom started her journal, which she hopes to keep throughout our stay in Baku. And yes, this is our living room! :)


Loved blogging for the first time, though we haven't yet figured out how to move the pictures around.....so bye for now!

Alison and Marlys