Es
la primera vez en mi vida que escribo sobre un lugar al que llegaba sin
opiniones formadas o referencias. Todo sorprende e inquieta, como cuando un
bebe se mira al espejo por primera vez.
It is the first time in my life that I write about a place I have visited with no prior knowledge, references or formed opinions. Everything surprises you, just like a baby looking at himself in the mirror for the first time.
Bakú,
la ciudad de los cuatro elementos; tierra, agua, aire y fuego; la cabeza del
país con forma de águila, donde la verdadera Asia comienza; la ciudad más
importante que planta cara al aceitoso y maltratado Mar Caspio, lago más bien,
pues no posee conexiones directas al océano; la ciudad de una república
exsoviética que crece a golpe de petrodólar, como muestra su bulevar y los proyectos en construcción que se elevan a sus floridas orillas; la ciudad que
vive en dicho bulevar y detrás de los muros a ambos lados de sus carreteras; la
ciudad donde los infinitos campos de extracción de crudo conviven con sus
habitantes; la ciudad de la ostentación y el contraste de su día a día; la
ciudad de las boutiques más lujosas, los coches de altísima gama y los genuinos
Lada, que se resisten al paso del tiempo; la Dubai del Mar Caspio; la ciudad de
los túneles de mármol; la ciudad que Eurovisión 2012 y los juegos europeos de
2015 situaron en el mapa y que la Fórmula 1 reconfirmará en 2016; la ciudad de
los edificios con dos caras; la ciudad donde la arquitectura se ha hecho un
hueco a nivel internacional; la ciudad de los museos y los pabellones; la
ciudad de las tres torres con forma de llama o buta; la ciudad de los taxis
londinenses color berenjena; la ciudad de su presidente y su bandera; la ciudad
de un país en conflicto al oeste; la ciudad de un país cuya rica historia
podría escribirse en una alfombra de los mejores tejidos provenientes de la
Ruta de la Seda; la ciudad de una nueva reunión; la ciudad de la Mezquita Bibi
Heybet, cuyo interior es de lo más sorprendente
y emocionante que he visto en mucho tiempo y bien podría competir con la
Capilla Sixtina; la ciudad de las mil fotografías; mi primera entrada en dos
idiomas.
Baku, the city of the four elements: earth, water, air and fire; the head of the eagle-shaped country, where real Asia begins; the most important city that faces the oil stained and much-abused Caspian Sea, or lake, as it does not have any direct contact with the ocean; the capital of an ex-soviet republic whose economy grows and expands to the beat of petrodollars trickling in, as can be seen by its popular boulevard and ongoing construction projects arising majestically on its shores; the city that lives on this boulevard and beyond the walls which confine it on both sides; the city where endless oil fields coexist with its inhabitants; the city of ostentation and contrasts in its daily life; the city of the most luxurious boutiques, expensive cars and authentic Ladas fighting to resist the passage of time; the Dubai of the Caspian Sea; the city of marble tunnels; the city that Eurovision 2012 and the European Games of 2015 placed on the world map and that Formula 1 will reconfirm in 2016; the city with double faced buildings; the city where architecture has carved itself a niche internationally; the city of museums and pavilions; the city of the three towers shaped as flame (or buta in Azerbaijani); the city with aubergine coloured London-styled taxis; the city of its president and of its flag; the capital of a country at war on its western borders and whose rich history could be written on a carpet made of the finest fabrics originating from the Silk Road; the city of yet another new meeting; the city of the Bibi Heybet Mosque, whose interior is the most surprising and exciting thing I have seen in a very long time and could well compete with Rome's Sistine Chapel; the city of the thousand pictures; my first post in two languages, for what I have to thank Matteo, great traveller and better friend, for his help.
Aunque
los propósitos de este maravilloso viaje eran claros, hubo tiempo de sobra para
todo; para compartir paseos, aventuras, confidencias, comidas, cenas, sishas,
conversaciones, risas, sonrisas, silencios, aficiones, principios, valores y
sueños; sueños de un grupo internacional en el que cada uno aporta un grano de una
paradisíaca playa. Pero el tiempo vuela y la realidad reclama su lugar. Ese
lugar que muchos buscamos desesperadamente.
Although the purposes of this wonderful trip were clear from the start, there was plenty of time for everything in between: to share walks, adventures, confidences, lunches, dinners, sishas, talks, laughs, smiles, silence, hobbies, principles, values and dreams; dreams of an international group in which each individual brings along a grain of sand from a paradisiac beach. But time flies and reality claims back its place. That place that many of us desperately yearn for.
Baku, the city of the four elements: earth, water, air and fire; the head of the eagle-shaped country, where real Asia begins; the most important city that faces the oil stained and much-abused Caspian Sea, or lake, as it does not have any direct contact with the ocean; the capital of an ex-soviet republic whose economy grows and expands to the beat of petrodollars trickling in, as can be seen by its popular boulevard and ongoing construction projects arising majestically on its shores; the city that lives on this boulevard and beyond the walls which confine it on both sides; the city where endless oil fields coexist with its inhabitants; the city of ostentation and contrasts in its daily life; the city of the most luxurious boutiques, expensive cars and authentic Ladas fighting to resist the passage of time; the Dubai of the Caspian Sea; the city of marble tunnels; the city that Eurovision 2012 and the European Games of 2015 placed on the world map and that Formula 1 will reconfirm in 2016; the city with double faced buildings; the city where architecture has carved itself a niche internationally; the city of museums and pavilions; the city of the three towers shaped as flame (or buta in Azerbaijani); the city with aubergine coloured London-styled taxis; the city of its president and of its flag; the capital of a country at war on its western borders and whose rich history could be written on a carpet made of the finest fabrics originating from the Silk Road; the city of yet another new meeting; the city of the Bibi Heybet Mosque, whose interior is the most surprising and exciting thing I have seen in a very long time and could well compete with Rome's Sistine Chapel; the city of the thousand pictures; my first post in two languages, for what I have to thank Matteo, great traveller and better friend, for his help.
Although the purposes of this wonderful trip were clear from the start, there was plenty of time for everything in between: to share walks, adventures, confidences, lunches, dinners, sishas, talks, laughs, smiles, silence, hobbies, principles, values and dreams; dreams of an international group in which each individual brings along a grain of sand from a paradisiac beach. But time flies and reality claims back its place. That place that many of us desperately yearn for.
Me
quedo con el inigualable sentimiento de haber ido de nuevo donde otros no van,
de haber aprovechado cada minuto al máximo y con la felicidad de haber
disfrutado, por segunda vez consecutiva, de un nuevo cumpleaños de mi amigo
Joao, un hombre enamorado de sus amigos, de su familia, de su mujer y de la
vida, con el corazón más grande que todos los casinos de Macao juntos, y de la
boda más loca, divertida y exótica de toda mi vida. Yagmur y Jamil, un nuevo
matrimonio de valores más profundos que las reservas de crudo en el subsuelo
azerí y principios más firmes que los cimientos de la Mezquita de Santa Sofía.
Agradecer a Jamil y a su familia su hospitalidad infinita y desproporcionada
desde el momento que puse pie en el espectacular aeropuerto Heydar Aliyev.
I keep with me the incomparable feeling of having gone once again where others dare not go, having lived every minute to the fullest and with the happiness of having enjoyed, for a second consecutive time, yet another birthday of my friend Joao, a man in love with his friends, his family, his wife and life, with a heart bigger than the largest casinos in Macau put together, and the craziest, funniest and most exotic wedding of my life. Yagmur and Jamil, a new marriage with values deeper than the oil reserves in the subsoil of Azerbaijan and principles firmer than the foundations of the Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul. I have to thank Jamil and his family for their infinite and disproportionate hospitality from the moment I set foot in the architecturally spectacular Heydar Aliyev airport.
I keep with me the incomparable feeling of having gone once again where others dare not go, having lived every minute to the fullest and with the happiness of having enjoyed, for a second consecutive time, yet another birthday of my friend Joao, a man in love with his friends, his family, his wife and life, with a heart bigger than the largest casinos in Macau put together, and the craziest, funniest and most exotic wedding of my life. Yagmur and Jamil, a new marriage with values deeper than the oil reserves in the subsoil of Azerbaijan and principles firmer than the foundations of the Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul. I have to thank Jamil and his family for their infinite and disproportionate hospitality from the moment I set foot in the architecturally spectacular Heydar Aliyev airport.
Lo
más remarcable de Bakú a nivel turístico gira en torno a su centro, de estilo
clásico europeo, a su ciudad vieja amurallada, presidida por la Torre de la
Doncella y custodiada desde lo alto por el Palacio de Sirvan Shahs, a su parte
más elevada, donde descansan los iconos actuales y omnipresentes de la ciudad,
las Flame Towers, y la llama eterna que vela a los ejecutados a manos de la
intervención soviética un fatídico 20 de Enero de 1990, al futurístico centro
de exposiciones Heydar Aliyev Center, de la arquitecta británico-iraquí Zaha
Hadid, fallecida unos días después de nuestra visita pero de talento inmortal, a su impoluto y ameno
bulevar desde el Palacio del Gobierno, de claro estilo soviético, hasta Dovlet
Bayragi Meydani, el promontorio donde la bandera de Azerbaiyán, con sus 350
kilogramos de peso a 162 metros de altura, ondea acompasada y orgullosa del
viento de su capital, y más allá, hasta que el paseo de mármol y los pabellones
se acaban, al Templo del Fuego de Atashgah, centro de peregrinación hindú, casa
del más ardiente de los elementos, donde una inscripción en sánscrito indica el
nacimiento del Zoroastrismo, adoradores del fuego, y a la región de Gobustán,
famosa por sus volcanes de lodo, formaciones rocosas e increíbles petroglifos
con antigüedades comprendidas entre los 5.000 y los 20.000 años, y su museo
interactivo.
The most remarkable touristic sites of Baku are its city center, with a classic European style; its old town and its walls, dominated by the Maiden's Tower and watched over from above by the Palace of the Shirvanshahs; its highest part where the current and ubiquitous icons of the city, the Flame Towers, and the eternal flame remembering those executed in the Soviet intervention on a fateful 20th of January 1990, lie; the futuristic Heydar Aliyev exhibition center, designed by the British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, who died just a few days after our visit but whose talent will remain immortal; its immaculate and lovely boulevard from the Government Palace, with a clear #sovietstyle, to Dövlet Bayragi Meydani, the promontory where the flag of Azerbaijan, weighing 350 kilograms and flying 162 meters high, flutters rhythmically, proud of its city's wind, and further afar, after the marble and the pavilions cease to be seen; the Ateshgah Fire Temple, a Hindu pilgrimage site, home to the most ardent element, where an inscription in Sanskrit indicates the birth of Zoroastrianism, fire worshipers; and the region of Gobustan, famous for its mud volcanos, rock formations and incredible petroglyphs dating back to between 5,000 and 20,000 years ago as well as its interactive museum.
The most remarkable touristic sites of Baku are its city center, with a classic European style; its old town and its walls, dominated by the Maiden's Tower and watched over from above by the Palace of the Shirvanshahs; its highest part where the current and ubiquitous icons of the city, the Flame Towers, and the eternal flame remembering those executed in the Soviet intervention on a fateful 20th of January 1990, lie; the futuristic Heydar Aliyev exhibition center, designed by the British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, who died just a few days after our visit but whose talent will remain immortal; its immaculate and lovely boulevard from the Government Palace, with a clear #sovietstyle, to Dövlet Bayragi Meydani, the promontory where the flag of Azerbaijan, weighing 350 kilograms and flying 162 meters high, flutters rhythmically, proud of its city's wind, and further afar, after the marble and the pavilions cease to be seen; the Ateshgah Fire Temple, a Hindu pilgrimage site, home to the most ardent element, where an inscription in Sanskrit indicates the birth of Zoroastrianism, fire worshipers; and the region of Gobustan, famous for its mud volcanos, rock formations and incredible petroglyphs dating back to between 5,000 and 20,000 years ago as well as its interactive museum.
Pero,
sin duda, me tengo que quedar con un improvisado recorrido en bicicleta que
satisfizo los deseos más aventureros de tres amigos una mañana soleada. En el
extremo oeste del bulevar, pasada la gran bandera y donde antes comenté que
finalizaba el mármol; aquí comenzaba el episodio que difícilmente podremos
olvidar. Una aventura a través de los campos de extracción de crudo más
próximos a la ciudad, entre charcos de petróleo, montículos de grava y
escombros y oxidadas grúas en repetitivo funcionamiento, la mirada atónita de
algún trabajador y algún vigilante y el susto de un perro extrañado por nuestra
presencia, y con la permanente visión en el horizonte de dos gigantes
plataformas petrolíferas en construcción, que en breve seguirán contribuyendo
al desarrollo de la ciudad. Todo con el objetivo de alcanzar la Mezquita Bibi Heybet,
majestuosa en lo alto. Evitaré resultar rimbombante, pero su interior es algo
digno de ver. Sus cúpulas me recordaron a los cielos estrellados en el desierto
del Wadi Rum y su ornamenta y sus recubrimientos, simplemente brillantes, como
sacados de un cuento de las mil y una noches. Los lacrimales, a flor de piel,
inmerso en esa extraña sensación de sentirse abrumado, de viajar en el tiempo.
También recordaremos el cementerio a sus espaldas, en las lomas de la montaña,
y sus originales criptas con los difuntos serigrafiados en el mármol negro.
Todos éramos testigos de las que, en mi humilde opinión, fueron las mejores
vistas de la ciudad.
But surely, what will forever remain in my memory was an unexpected bicycle ride driven by the most adventurous desires of three friends on a sunny Azeri morning. The unforgettable experience began at the west end of the boulevard, past the great flag and beyond the end of the marble walkway. An adventure through the oil fields closest to the city, among puddles of oil, mounds of gravel and rubble, rusty cranes in repetitive motion, the astonished gaze of a worker and a vigilante and the fearful reaction of a stray dog surprised by our presence; with the permanent vision on the horizon of two giant oil rigs under construction which will soon contribute to the development of the city. All this with the objective in mind of reaching the Bibi Heybet Mosque, majestically located on top of a hill overlooking the Caspian Sea. I will try to avoid sounding grandiose, but its interior was something absolutely worth seeing. Its domes reminded me of the starry skies of the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan and its ornamental decorations are simply just brilliant, as if taken out of an Arabian Nights tale. With teary eyes, immersed in this strange and overwhelming feeling as if traveling through time. We will remember as well the cemetery behind it, on the slopes of the hill, and its peculiar tomb stones with portraits of the deceased carved on the black marble. There, we witnessed, in my humble opinion, the most beautiful view of the city.
But surely, what will forever remain in my memory was an unexpected bicycle ride driven by the most adventurous desires of three friends on a sunny Azeri morning. The unforgettable experience began at the west end of the boulevard, past the great flag and beyond the end of the marble walkway. An adventure through the oil fields closest to the city, among puddles of oil, mounds of gravel and rubble, rusty cranes in repetitive motion, the astonished gaze of a worker and a vigilante and the fearful reaction of a stray dog surprised by our presence; with the permanent vision on the horizon of two giant oil rigs under construction which will soon contribute to the development of the city. All this with the objective in mind of reaching the Bibi Heybet Mosque, majestically located on top of a hill overlooking the Caspian Sea. I will try to avoid sounding grandiose, but its interior was something absolutely worth seeing. Its domes reminded me of the starry skies of the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan and its ornamental decorations are simply just brilliant, as if taken out of an Arabian Nights tale. With teary eyes, immersed in this strange and overwhelming feeling as if traveling through time. We will remember as well the cemetery behind it, on the slopes of the hill, and its peculiar tomb stones with portraits of the deceased carved on the black marble. There, we witnessed, in my humble opinion, the most beautiful view of the city.
Del
mismo modo, imborrable en nuestra memoria ya la noche previa a la boda, en la
que, bajo las ramas de las higueras, corrió la henna, la comida, el delicioso
vino azerí, la sensual danza de una bailarina, los cánticos de sirena azerí de
la artista Günel y los interminables bailes típicos, brincando en solitario o
en corrillo hasta la extenuación. Todo en torno a la engalanada novia, y a su
místico ritual de cambio de vida. El mejor avance de lo que Bakú nos ofrecería
y de lo que nos esperaba en la boda un día después. El hotel Four Seasons
acogió la ceremonia, al mínimo detalle. La mejor mesa nos permitió ser espectadores
de primera fila de bailes ambientados, música en directo y la picante actuación
de la reina del pop azerí, Röya. Cuando creíamos que la noche no daría para
más, aquel compendio de mentes joviales e internacionales tuvo una gran idea. Y
así es como surgió un Harlem Shake que pasará a nuestra historia, en una
habitación de hotel en Bakú.
Similarly, in our memories will also remain impressed the night before the wedding, during which, under the branches of fig trees, we experienced henna, food, delicious Azeri wine, the sensual dance of a belly dancer, the mesmerizing songs of the Azerbaijani singer Günel as well as the endless traditional dancing, both jumping alone or in huddle until exhaustion. All around the decorated bride and her mystical life-changing ritual. That was the best preview of what Baku could offer and also what to expect at the wedding a day later. The ceremony was hosted at The Four Seasons Hotel with impeccable attention to detail. Having the best table in the house allowed us to be front row spectators to traditional dances, live music and a spicy performance from Azeri pop queen, Röya. And just when we thought that the night could not offer us anything more, this eclectic mix of jovial and international minds came up with a great idea: a Harlem Shake recording in a hotel room in Baku.
Similarly, in our memories will also remain impressed the night before the wedding, during which, under the branches of fig trees, we experienced henna, food, delicious Azeri wine, the sensual dance of a belly dancer, the mesmerizing songs of the Azerbaijani singer Günel as well as the endless traditional dancing, both jumping alone or in huddle until exhaustion. All around the decorated bride and her mystical life-changing ritual. That was the best preview of what Baku could offer and also what to expect at the wedding a day later. The ceremony was hosted at The Four Seasons Hotel with impeccable attention to detail. Having the best table in the house allowed us to be front row spectators to traditional dances, live music and a spicy performance from Azeri pop queen, Röya. And just when we thought that the night could not offer us anything more, this eclectic mix of jovial and international minds came up with a great idea: a Harlem Shake recording in a hotel room in Baku.
Estos
dos eventos, más los banquetes en Mangal, en Nar & Sharab por partida doble
y en casa de la familia de Jamil deleitaron nuestros paladares con sabores y
formatos nuevos. Manjares como el caviar, por doquier, el esturión, la
berenjena, los quesos, el te azerí con baklava, las verduras a palo seco, el
kebab, el ayran, un yogur ácido y salado para acompañar las comidas, o el shah
pilaf, un crujiente de pan relleno de arroz con carne y pasas, convirtieron
también este viaje en una experiencia culinaria.
These two ceremonies in addition to the banquets at Mangal, our double experience at Nar & Sharab as well as at Jamil´s family home, delighted our palates with new flavours and culinary delights. Delicacies like caviar as well as sturgeon, eggplant, various types of cheese, Azeri tea with baklava, dry vegetables, kebabs, ayran - an acid and salty yogurt to accompany meals - or shah pilaf, a crispy bread stuffed with rice with meat and raisins, also turned this trip into a culinary experience.
Recordando
risas y momentos de relax en el bar del hotel, gintonic muy decente en mano, ya
echo de menos #Baku2016.
As I remember the laughs and the relaxing moments at the hotel bar with our quite decent gin tonics at hand, I miss #Baku2016 already.
These two ceremonies in addition to the banquets at Mangal, our double experience at Nar & Sharab as well as at Jamil´s family home, delighted our palates with new flavours and culinary delights. Delicacies like caviar as well as sturgeon, eggplant, various types of cheese, Azeri tea with baklava, dry vegetables, kebabs, ayran - an acid and salty yogurt to accompany meals - or shah pilaf, a crispy bread stuffed with rice with meat and raisins, also turned this trip into a culinary experience.
As I remember the laughs and the relaxing moments at the hotel bar with our quite decent gin tonics at hand, I miss #Baku2016 already.
Hasta
la próxima mi gente, hasta la próxima viajeros.
Until the next time folks, until the next time travelers.
Until the next time folks, until the next time travelers.
Regards,
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario