Fun with the Keens in Baku

When we first decided to move to Azerbaijan, we got a lot of comments like "Azerwhat?", "How's your bra?", and of course, "Where the hell is that?"

Our family and friends were sad because it is quite far away, a very long and expensive plane ride not to mention an extensive visa process....so we don't get many visitors. So when Mike and Kourtney told us they were coming to visit we didn't believe them at first. We figured they would rather spend their time and money in Hawaii or Ireland....but they were serious and a day after we got back from our vacation in Europe, they arrived ready to explore! We took it easy the first day since we were all recovering from jet lag and a time change. We took a driving tour around the city and I showed them where the kids go to school. We stopped for lunch at a French bakery and found a playground for the kids to burn off some energy. The next day we headed to Old City and saw the Maiden Tower and they found some souvenirs. That weekend we took them to Gobustan to see the cave paintings and mud volcanoes that weren't all that muddy in the 104 degree heat. We also found some time to hit the beach club at Amburan so we could all cool off as the days were quite hot. They were great guests often buying our groceries and lunch or dinner as well as doing our dishes for us every night. We loved staying up late to catch up on the year's worth of each other's lives we have missed out on. When it came time to say goodbye it was not easy. There were tears for sure and plans to meet again.....even if it might be another year before it happens...:(

 Kourtney and I at the Amburan Beach Club. You can swim in the Caspian Sea but we chose to just put our feet in as we saw some fish and a lot of oil. However, the beach club also has several pools where we were able to cool off and swim and the kids had a blast!

 On one of the weekends we went to Merdekan Castle. NOT a tourist trap at all. An older guy I think he said he was 70 showed us around. It was amazing.

 Candy Cane Mountains. The kids and I took a day off the day Mike and Kourtney went with Barry to these mountains clearly named for what you see.

 Sorry these are out of order, but back at the Merdekan castle, the tour guide said these holes were the refrigerators.

 Merdekan castle.

 These are the infamous flame towers of Baku. There are 3 of them. One houses the Fairmont Hotel and the other 2 are currently empty but plan to hold apartments and offices. Our tour guide showed us the pools and a room and took us to the 28th floor to see the view of the city.

 Gobustan.

 Cave drawings at Gobustan.

 Grace and Lucy in front of the old city and the Azerbaijan flags.

 Grace and Lucy in Port Baku near the playground.

 We found ketchup flavored Pringles that Tyler, Mike, and Grace loved!!!!

 Tyler, Lucy,, and Grace by the Caspian Sea near port Baku.

 On the funicular.

 Kourtney and I by the Caspian sea with a sunken ship in the background.

 I took them to a place called Bina which is like an outdoor clothing market. You can find jeans, shirts, shoes, and sunglasses here. And Schwarma which Mike tried while the rest of us looked on.

 The infamous sheep route where the sheep are cut and cooked to order right on the street.

 Leg of lamb anyone?

 After we went to Merdekan, the tour guide invited us to his house for tea! He lived with his son, his daughter in law, his wife, and his granddaughter. We sat in their courtyard under the shade of their plum trees. They served us tea, plums, cookies, and candy. I was too scared to try any of it, but everyone else did.

The Merdekan castle.