What Surprised Me Most in Azerbaijan

I had always wanted to visit Azerbaijan because it is located at the crossroad of Europe and Asia. I had read about its oil wealth, rich gas reserves and futuristic buildings. But I wasn't quite prepared for what I witnessed.

Baku was my first surprise, I expected a modern skyline and wide boulevards, what I didn’t expect was to suddenly walk into a medieval stone fortress. Inside Icherisheher, laundry hung between walls, cats slept on steps, and there were small bakeries scattered all over the place selling flat bread baked in clay ovens. As I walked just ahead I saw flame towers glowing above old rooftops. I realized there is no distinction between old and new, both are merged

The second surprise was the very hospitable people. I was served tea in a café and when I offered to pay the owner waved it off with a smile, taxi drivers were willing to share their snacks, shop keepers insisted I sit down. It was all so overwhelming in a good way

Don’t get me started on the landscape with its curved mountain roads, wooden houses with painted windows lining the hills, and I also noticed that stained glass art was a thing here. The most amazing thing is that the beauty is not loud, it kind of grows on you. I arrived not really knowing what to expect, but I left wondering why more people haven’t discovered the hidden treasure that is Azerbaijan yet.