Today was a venture into the country side. What a contrast to around Baku. Outside of Baku is like desert and there are Donkeys( oil wells) and gas towers but as soon as you go towards the hills everything changes. It looks more like Georgia.
As we entered Quba to visit the Mosque we passed a former Mosque which was very quaint.
The new Mosque was built with the help of a Turkish group. It is traditional in colour and beautifully tranquil inside with a glorious aqua carpet. On the wall was an illuminated sign which at first glance looked like the money exchange rates but of course they were the prayer times!
Our next stop was the Genocide Memorial Complex in Guba city (Quba) constructed in 2012-2013. This memorial commemorates the massacre of many villagers in Azerbaijan by Armenians under the Bolshevik name in 1918. Later the perpetrators were lauded as heroes by the Soviet Union. The history was distorted and after independence when the real facts were revealed the monuments to those false heroes were removed from Baku and replaced by the gardens that line the coastal path. The sharp angles of the monument express the severity of the suffering. The way to the surface from underground symbolises the impossibility of hiding the truth.
This memorial was a poignant reminder of the difficulties the three countries have experienced. Much of the division was perpetuated and stoked by the Soviet Union. They moved populations to disperse their culture and enforce control. These issues are so hard for us (white Australians) to grasp. I think many First Nations Australians would understand.
This Memorial was a sombre tribute to explore. The boxes in the garden were all different shapes to indicate the ages of the people slaughtered. The trees were apple trees that are symbols of the area and hope for the future.
The actual massacre site was discovered during construction works in the area. After research in 2007 the identities of the victims were identified.
This cast a serious feeling over all of us and we all spent the trip home reflecting on the continual stress and threat with which these three countries struggle.
On the return trip to lighten the mood Anne and I challenged the bus with the Age newspaper weekend super quiz. Anne and I do this with friends every week. So it was a chance to increase our ‘brains trust’! It was a great diversion and I became the regular quiz leader on long bus trips. We discovered areas of strength amongst the group. Ray was great on military history and warfare, Monica was excellent with Geography and the rest all contributed so we managed scores in the 20s. A better result than I get on my own!
Another included dinner tonight so when we arrived back at the hotel, it was a quick freshen up and off we went to dinner.
Another salads and grilled meat meal that was so generous we felt obliged to eat. I felt like a stuffed whale and when Anne and I got back to our room I fell asleep fully clothed for a half hour or so!
Restaurants here are very generous with portions and while a lot is salads I am sure I am putting on ‘condition’! The breakfast spreads are also very savoury and diverse. Barely a cereal bowl to be seen though it is offered. I like all the salads at breakfast. I started to do that a bit before I left on this trip and I enjoy the variety. But it is so easy to fill a plate. I haven’t had toast at all though I crave it. Gluten free bread is rare.
fleetfootkath 