Formula One

Baku recently hosted the Formula One Grand Prix for the first time.  In the weeks leading up to it, the city was humming with discussion of the event.  Some were excited for the activities, others were dreading the disruption to Baku's city center, some turned it into a political issue, and others just wanted to ignore the subject all together.  But there was no denying it was a key topic of conversation.  While I'm not a Formula One fan, I bought my ticket early as there was no chance I was gonna miss out!  Jeremy claimed no interest, but was eventually drawn in at the last minute by a free seat on a friend's balcony overlooking the course.

Jeremy's birds-eye view from a friend's balcony

A favorite activity of the spectators was attempting to take a picture and catch a shot of a car as it sped past.  This filled our camera's digital memory with missed shots, as well as the gaps between cars as we framed the shot and listened for approaching engines to begin clicking away.  Below is the best picture I was able to get!

Did you get the shot?  Can I stop smiling now?

In between the races, there were various activities to keep the masses entertained.  While the modern attractions such as racing simulators and virtual reality games were big draws, I liked the displays on Azerbaijani culture and handicrafts. Spectators could taste Azerbaijani pastries, view traditional dresses, and watch skilled craftsmen creating their wares.  My favorite Azerbaijani handicraft is shebeke stained glass, created by a master carefully wedging in each glass sliver and each wooden separator so the whole piece holds together without glue or other bonding agent.  

A beautiful shebeke piece in progress

To be perfectly honest, a big reason I bought a Formula One ticket was that it also included entrance to three headline concerts - Chris Brown, Enrique Iglesias, and Pharrell Williams.  Before the concerts, I was most looking forward to Pharrell, but hands-down, Enrique was the best.  He was clearly having an awesome time, bounding back and forth across the stage and smiling out into the audience.  Plus I'd never been so close to the stage for a world-famous artist!

Enrique playing to the crowd

The weekend came to a close with a massive fireworks display over the Caspian Sea.  Well done Baku!

There was no mistaking this fireworks finale