26th stage "Tashkent, Uzbekistan"

Today the stage to Tashkent was on the agenda, or rather my meeting with Barbara. Although I tried everything to get going early, my departure was delayed due to problems with registration. After about three quarters of an hour, the time had come and I was able to set off. Interestingly, there are border crossings between the different oblasts/regions. In any case, traffic is slowed down and the police check one or two drivers. Today it was apparently my turn. However, the check was quite harmless and was essentially limited to the questions: Where are you from? Have you been drinking alcohol or taking drugs? After that, I was allowed to continue driving. At around 1:00 p.m. I arrived at the hotel where Barbara was already waiting. At around 2:00 p.m. we were finally able to check in. In the early evening we went out for dinner and then watched the European Championship match against Spain.

07/06/2024: Today we first had to organize ourselves a little and think about how we want to spend the next few days. The plan is that we will first spend two more days in Tashkent and then take the train to Samarkand and Bukhara. After that we will spend a few days at the Chorvog reservoir and go hiking. We want to spend the last two days in Tashkent again. After we had organized ourselves, we first went to the main train station to get tickets. Then we went to the Chorsu Bazaar and then to the Hazari Imam Complex. An area with a mosque, Koran school and an exhibition of the oldest Koran ever (1149). We spent the late afternoon in the hotel and in the evening we had a delicious Lebanese meal. On the way home we stopped in a liquor store where we wanted to find out more about Uzbek wine. Another customer from Uzbekistan who had seen this kindly gave us some tips and the address of a winery where we could do a wine tasting. Very nice 👍

07/07/2024: Today the agenda included a visit to the Madrasa Kugeldash, the Photography Museum and the Timorid Museum. The subway and taxi are both suitable for trips through the city. It all depends on the destination and your personal situation. The exhibition in the Photography Museum was a mixture of photos of sporting events and Paris as well as some paintings. All in all, a colorful mix and free to boot. The Timorid Museum focuses, how could it be otherwise, on the ruling dynasty of the Timurids. The museum building itself is very impressive, although most of the exhibits are not originals. Overall, however, it is well worth seeing. In the evening we had Georgian food. While the last Georgian restaurant turned out to be an Uzbek restaurant, this time the cuisine was right.

07/08/2024: Today we wanted to look at a gallery that offers art by currently popular artists, among other things. Unfortunately, this gallery no longer seemed to exist. We then decided to look at the Museum of Applied Arts. The exhibits spanned a wide range from textiles to miniature paintings to musical instruments. A beautiful exhibition in an equally beautiful setting. In the evening we had pizza and then it was time to make preparations for our departure to Samarkand. I can kindly leave the motorcycle and my motorcycle clothing in the hotel until we return.