Azerbaijan

A few weeks ago we returned from an amazing trip to a country called Azerbaijan. My daughter and her family were living there. It is a place I never knew I wanted to visit and am so glad I had the opportunity to go. Azerbaijan is the country above Iran on the Caspian Sea. It is both a young country and old at the same time. It was part of the Soviet Block and has been struggling to pull itself together again for about 20 years. There are remnants of Soviet occupation everywhere. There are traces of the ancient country that it is in plain sight as well as the new country it is becoming.

I was amazed by the sheep herders, kind people, beautiful architecture, bazaars, interesting country side and good food. It is a Muslim country but most people dressed very western. They are a simple people, most have very little, but were eager to share what they did have.

Shawna and Sean were great tour guides. We saw the Candy Cane Mountains with their interesting striations and the mud volcanoes spitting and spewing. We enjoyed Old City and going to church at home. We had delicious chocolate and a warm milk shake. There were sheep everywhere, including the dinner table.

Before I was married I only left the state of California once. Now I have a passport filled with wonderful stamps of interesting trips, but I must say that I will think and ponder on this wonderful adventure for a long, long time.

Thank you Sean and Shawna for a wonderful experience.