Don Curry enjoys

Don Curry is still learning as he travels. In recent years, the realization has developed that it is advantageous and quite pleasant not to burden the last day before departure with the necessary program, but rather to simply have time to round off the trip and calmly pack up the suitcase for the return journey to pack. And maybe even enjoy the final destination a little more...

That's exactly what was in the foreground today: enjoying. It started with the advantages of the exclusive bathroom, continued with the beguiling panoramic view in the Baku morning light and finally led to breakfast, which Don Curry was able to experience for the first time in Azerbaijan in the form of a buffet. This was more international than Azerbaijani in character: with croissants, Danish Danish pastries, hash browns and muesli variations. Don Curry took it as an opportunity to gradually break away from the Caspian-Oriental realm. After a long walk around the hotel and the necessary clearing out of Kia, it was already time for the next meal. At lunchtime, the hotel's various specialty restaurants offered very affordable menu options. Don Curry forewent the offerings of the Italian, Turkish and Japanese establishments and chose the Asian restaurant "Spices" as the setting for his lunch, which he had outside on the hotel terrace on the 20th floor. From the many options he chose a Thai shrimp and coconut soup, Chinese fried ground beef balls and finally borderline spicy pork kung pao with rice; A glass of mineral water was included free of charge for a total price of €7.50.

Strengthened in this way, he was able to plunge into the Baku adventure one last time and this time he chose the metro as his means of transport. In the metro station, around 500 m away, we first had to go through a security check like in the airport. Don Curry then had to generate a Baku Card in the machine for the equivalent of €1, which he then topped up with €1. Since a metro ride only cost the equivalent of €0.15, that would be more than enough for his purposes. In former Soviet republics, metro stations are always dug very deep into the ground in order to be able to serve as bunkers in times of (nuclear) war if necessary. This possible defensive purpose is probably also the reason why there is a strict ban on photography in the metro and why there is a large police presence everywhere. Don Curry only rode two stops in a crowded subway and then had to walk almost 1 kilometer to his actual destination: the Heydar Aliyev Center.

This dreamy masterpiece by famous Iraqi-British architect Zara Hadid is worth a trip to Azerbaijan in itself. Like a mirage in the style of Dali, the monumental building rises in radiant blossom white and organically flowing form. You won't find right angles here. Even the stairs gradually bend towards the wall to merge into it. The center is the permanent home of various museums and at the same time a venue for outstanding cultural events. When Don Curry visited, the Turkish-Azerbaijani Film Festival was underway, so a large red carpet was spread out in front of the center's cinema hall.

At the center, Don Curry discovered an extensive biographical exhibition about Heydar Aliyev and a presentation of the numerous state gifts given to him by foreign diplomats and heads of government during his time in office. There were also some state cars on the ground floor that were used in the Soviet Republic and the independent state of Azerbaijan in recent decades. In keeping with the astronomy conference currently taking place in Baku, there were some tapestries on display by a German artist who had transformed spectacular images of the cosmos into the art of carpet weaving. Other exhibitions were dedicated to Azerbaijani musical instruments, classical carpets and outstanding buildings. Don Curry's favorite area was quite remote at the far end of the center. Here, young modern artists from Azerbaijan exhibited works on the theme of “Life and Living Space”. Don Curry was particularly impressed by the paintings of a certain Leyla Aliyeva, a daughter of the current President, as he later found out.

After enjoying so much art, Don Curry strolled around the area around the Heydar Aliyev Center with the artificial waterfalls and the constantly besieged "I Love Baku" sign. Instead of walking the one kilometer back to the metro station, he decided to simply walk the three kilometers straight back to the hotel. During the journey it became increasingly clear why Baku is also known as the City of Winds: strong gusts prevented even Don Curry from making progress for a short time.

In the evening, Don Curry just sat down at his panoramic window, ordered a club sandwich with fries and Xirdalan in the hotel restaurant and enjoyed the culinary highlight in the face of the visual one. After a restful night, Don Curry visited the breakfast buffet again and then left the hospitable hotel and the sophisticated city of Baku.

He actually wanted to calmly sort his luggage for the flight in the airport parking lot and prepare the Kia for delivery, but as soon as he turned off the engine, Samir, the well-known employee with difficult to understand English, knocked on Kia's windows and asked for the rental agreement see. Don Curry handed it out, but Baku's still-gusty wind almost immediately ripped it from Samir's hands and sent it disappearing into the distance. The landlord didn't care. He had brought with him a list of five speeding violations over the last 10 days, as determined by radar measurements, and was very surprised at where Don Curry had been in such a short time. Don Curry had to pay a total of around €40 for these offenses and for the necessary car wash. He also had to unload his luggage immediately and leave Kia behind to complete the final formalities at the desk under the stairs in the airport building.

This unexpected and unwanted rush when returning the vehicle at least gave Don Curry more time in the airport, where he sorted his luggage, checked in without any problems and was even able to leisurely explore the small but architecturally interesting airport in daylight. He also discovered a row of armchair cabins in which one could lie comfortably and even close the top so that one could slumber undisturbed in the dark. It's a shame that there is no such thing at Istanbul airport...

In complete contrast to the miserable outbound flight, everything worked smoothly on the return flight: the planes took off and landed almost on time, Don Curry was given aisle or window seats, served delicious food and even discovered a huge area in Istanbul Airport that he hadn't yet seen knew. The transport to the parking lot of his car was also completely uncomplicated - and so in the end the wonderful impression remained undiminished: this trip through Azerbaijan was a real pleasure!!!