Bill's Blog

I made my second visit to the ancient Silk Road City of Bukhara on October 20-21. We were with old friends Claudiu, Vesna, Mark, and Tudor who were visiting from Romania. Bukhara is 5,000 years old and is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site with 140 architectural monuments. It is an absolutely magnificent and exotic citadel that gives modern people a glimpse of what it was like on the Silk Road. October is a nice time to visit as the heat of summer has abated. We had a bit more time to explore the city on this visit as I was not in charge of a large delegation. Claudiu and Vesna are history buffs like I am so it was great to listen to our guide and she answered all of my questions.

On this visit, I was particularly interested in visiting sites related to the last Emir of Bukhara, Alim Khan. I recently read a biography of Ghengis Khan, and Alim Khan was the last descendent of Ghengis to rule something, over 700 years after his death. Poor Alim had to flee Bukhara in September of 1920 as Red Army troops stormed the Ark and raised their flag on top of Kalyan Minaret. He eventually found exile in Kabul and died in 1940. I found a couple of photos of him posted at some of the sites and he has a madrassa/museum named after him. The Russian chemist/pioneer photographer Sergey Prokudin took the color photo below of the Emir in 1911. I wonder what kind of person he was and what kind of life he lived. I find it amazing that a khanate would last into the 20th century, but then we have the Sultanate of Brunei still existing today as well as Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Region monarchies. Amazing color photography for 1911! I have to look up other Uzbekistan photographs taken by Prokudin.

One of my favorite parts of the tour was visiting the old Jewish Quarter. Sadly, almost all of the Bukharan Jews are gone today. They originally came to the region in the 6th century (500s) coming out of Persia. They more or less were OK for 1000 years and spread out through Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. Due to persecution from Muslims, eventually, they were isolated in the Khanate of Bukhara. In the mid-1800s, they started moving to Palestine and there is still a Bukharan Quarter in Jerusalem today named after the section where they originally settled. They also suffered under the Soviets, an atheist government. Over the years, they moved on to Israel and the United States. Today, some of their homes have been converted into hotels and are preserved like museums. We visited a couple of them and it really was awesome to get a sense of how they lived.

The walking tour of Bukhara included learning about the famous ornate, wood, carved doors. The doors had two brass knockers, one for men and one for women. If a man knocked using the male knocker and a woman was the only one home, she would go to the door and use the inside female brass knocker to tell the man that she couldn’t open the door.

We toured The Ark or Fortress. When Nadia and I were here in May, much of it was under construction. This time, it was open and it afforded us breathtaking views of the old city. We finished the day having a cup of tea overlooking the plaza inside the old city. Bukhara was truly awesome as it gives one a sense of what it was like so many years ago. I can imagine traveling through the Kyzl Kym (Red Sands) Desert for weeks to come up to the oasis of Bukhara. Seeing the Kaylan Tower in the distance must have been comforting for travelers.

Nadia and I are soaking up as much Oliver as we can this school year! Oliver is in grade 12 and Ocean is in grade 10 and they have many of the same activities. We loved watching them compete in the city soccer championship on Saturday. Both of their teams won the tournament. Oliver didn’t play as much as he was hoping to as he has a very good team. I hope he keeps up his spirit and continues to play hard. The boys defeated the Diplomat International School in the finals 4-3. Oliver made a key defensive play in the final minutes to save the victory. The two varsity girls teams met in the finals. Ocean scored a goal in the finals.

Ocean is getting used to soccer and is improving every day. I can’t wait to watch them play in the CAFA tourney this weekend. Nadia and I are flying up to Almaty on Friday night to watch the finals on Saturday. They look so cute together.

Earlier in the week both Oliver and Ocean participated in our school’s Model United Nations. The students are assigned roles and they practice diplomacy just like the real United Nations. Oliver was assigned to be the delegate of Japan and Ocean was a delegate of the United States. Oliver won a Best Delegate Award for his resolution proposals and convincing arguments on the floor of the General Assembly. I like it when the students dress formally and the kids love it too. Oliver would be a really good diplomat. He is quite charismatic and people gravitate to him.

Finally, I started basketball season early by coaching the grades 4 and 5 students. Coaching sports was one of the reasons I went into education and it is very satisfying to mentor young players to develop their fundamentals, learn the strategy of the game, and learn to be part of the team. I wish I would have kept track of how many games I’ve coached and my ultimate win-loss record. We went 3 and 1 on Saturday.

Early Thursday evening at 2:58 AM my wife Nadia shook me awake and asked if I left the door open. She heard a loud noise and assumed I left the door open and the wind blew it shut. I didn’t think much of it and went back to bed. That morning I decided not to check my email like I usually do and instead did a yoga workout and went for a swim. I was in the pool when Nadia came out and said that a warehouse near the airport exploded. That was the noise she heard.

I quickly got out of the pool and changed and went to the Crisis Response Team Google Chat to call the team together. We wanted to check if anyone from the school community was injured or if it was a terrorist attack and we would be on lockdown. Through Telegram, calling the facilities manager, and news reports, we discovered that it was an accidental explosion. The manager, Rashid is the community member living closest to the blast and all employees were fine. The blast took place about 6 kilometers from the school and my home as the crow flies in an industrial district with low-income apartment blocks, so I was pretty sure none of our families lived there.

The cause of the blast is uncertain. From the best information I found, it was electric car batteries and bleach that exploded. A lot of new BYD (Build Your Dreams) Chinese electric cars were damaged as they were parked nearby. The students were finding ashes on our campus on the ground during the morning break. An odor of burnt plastic wafted into campus mid-morning, but our air quality monitors had healthy numbers so we kept everyone outside as usual. One teenager died in the blast and hundreds were injured.

I visited the site today, Monday, to check it out. There were police, ambulances, soldiers, and construction workers at and near the site. Smoke was still coming from the rubble as cranes and construction trucks were cleaning the site. Many workers were replacing windows in the apartment blocks across the street from the warehouse. It was probably 200 meters between the first row of apartments and the warehouse so it must have been a powerful blast.

I hope they figure out what caused the explosion so it does not happen again. My condolences to the family of the young person who died. The government is doing a good job of caring for the injured and repairing the apartments. There were many soldiers and construction people installing windows, cleaning debris, and repairing damaged buildings.

This was my third visit to Bucharest (Bucaresti in Romanian) having visited in 2009 and 2014. It was a refreshing break for me to be back in the “West” and to see again one of my favorite places on the planet, the Balkans. Romania has a special place in our hearts because of our close friends, Claudiu and Vesna. I stayed with them on this visit. It is always great to see them as they are like family to Nadia and me. We were very close when we lived in Belgrade (2008-2014). It is also a better experience to stay with locals as you get a better understanding of life through their eyes. They live in an apartment in the suburb of Titan, which is just inside Sector 3 in Bucharest.  

On Sunday, we went to lunch at Ivan Pescar, a restaurant owned by Romanian Olympic rowing champion Ivan Patzaichin. He is ethnically Russian and is from the Danube Delta region where the river empties into the Black Sea. It was a nice atmosphere on the back patio and my pike with polenta and a spicy tomato sauce was delicious. I highly recommend the restaurant!

One of my highlights of the trip was to visit the balcony of the former Central Committee of the Communist Party in the center of the city. The former dictator, Nicolae Ceaușescu was booed off the stage by angry crowds in December of 1989. A few days later he and his wife were executed. This led to eventually, Romania joining the European Union and its prosperity today. We always joke that my wife Nadia shares Ceausescu’s birthday, January 26 and I share Yugoslavia’s former leader Tito’s birthday, May 25. It is coming out that it was not entirely the popular uprising from the masses that deposed of Ceausescu. Like most dictators, it was the elites around him that turned on him with probable support from the intelligence/military of the larger countries that got rid of him. The revolution was a big deal for Romanians and I saw graves and memorials all over the place, marking 1989 as a historic date. I remember 1989 well, as I was in university. In another 40 years, most people will not have lived through the events and it changes.

Bucharest is an economic powerhouse in southeastern Europe and is known for its tech industry and high GDP. I was surprised to read that the 2.2 million Bucharest metro area has overtaken other comparable cities in Europe, including Rome, Budapest, and Madrid regarding the size of its economy. My friends commented that they have seen the country move from a country of emigrant to immigrants. I noticed a lot of south Asian waiters and construction workers. As with many countries in the Balkans, Romania has a low birthrate and experienced some “brain drain” with younger professionals leaving. One of the consequences of a stronger economy is strains on the infrastructure of the city and country. Traffic is a real hassle. It took us 90 minutes to go from the airport to their apartment. Ceaușescu, like many Eastern European Socialist leaders, built huge, ugly apartment blocks. At the time, few people had cars, but now, with a high density of inhabitants and no parking available, the sidewalks and lanes of the streets are filled with parked cars. We also had traffic going to Transylvania. Typical Balkan country, great at living life to the fullest (family, friends, good times) but not so good with organization, infrastructure, and government.

I had to laugh at the Pro-TV national news broadcast that we watched. Pro-TV is one of the big networks and leans a bit to the left politically. On the show, the beloved Netty Sandu, had her traditional astrology segment. I just don’t see CNN having an astrology commentator. We also watched the Romanian version of The Voice and I noticed quite a few Moldovans on the show. Moldova is an interesting country with a big Russian population. The Romanians gave a lot of support to Ukrainian refugees and the government is concerned about Russia’s invasion of bordering country Ukraine. The Romanian government pays 10 euros per day per refugee to anyone renting to Ukrainian families.

Overall it was a delightful trip to Bucharest and all too short. It is only a 55-minute flight from Istanbul. I hope to get back again someday.

Romania historically was split into two major regions, partly due to geography and partly due to politics. The capital city of Bucharest is in the center of the crescent-shaped plain in the southeast of the country which takes up approximately half of modern Romania. The other northwest half of the country is mountainous. After spending two days in the capital, we took a bus to the mountains, which is famously named Transylvania. It is famous due to the Irish author Bram Stoker who wrote the Gothic novel, Dracula in 1897. Count Dracula is one of the world’s most known mythic figures. Stoker took the name Dracula (Romanian peasants mispronounced the word “dragon” referring to an ancient Transylvanian dynasty. Stoker never visited Romania and didn’t refer to Vlad the Impaler (one of the real life historical “Draculas”) in his notes, only getting the name from a Hungarian acquaintance from the region. Transylvania, the mountainous region was controlled by the Austrian-Hapsburg Empire. The Hungarian leaders supported the settlement of German farmers and tradesmen to develop the towns and cities of the region. In part to protect from the Ottoman Empire which controlled the plains. Many of the German settlers were from Luxembourg and spoke a dialect of German similar to modern Luxembourgish. Today there are only about 12,00o left in the country. Most emigrated during and after World War II and through the years of the brutal dictatorship of Nicola Ceaușescu.

Our first stop was the ski resort village of Sinaia. The Carpathian Mountains offer breathtaking views and combined with the German-style architecture reminiscent of the Bavarian Alps, it is a beautiful town. Romania has an infrastructure problem and there were several traffic jams. The 139 kilometers took us over four hours. This is on a Saturday morning. The government should have used the European Union development funds to build wider highways to avoid this. I was surprised that the main highway out of the capital city going to another major city, Brasov, was only a single lane.

Our destination was the ornate Peles Palace, the summer residence of King Carol I (1839-1914). He was the first king of the Hohenzollern-Sigmarigen dynasty to rule Romania. He was named king in 1866 after a coup détat ousted Alexandru Ioan Cuza, one of Romania’s military heroes. Carol was a stern, German military man who led Romanian-Russian troops to defeat the Turks and help unify Romania. He ruled from 1866 to his death in 1914. His only daughter died as a child and eventually, a nephew took over, Ferdinand. The family dynasty ruled the country until they were exiled by the communists in 1947.

The palace is excessively ornamented with huge murals, detailed woodwork on the doors, walls, and ceilings, stained-glass windows, etc. It looked like a movie set and would be good for Harry Potter or a murder mystery plot. Cherubs must have been quite popular when it was built in 1883. As you can see from the photos and videos, it is incredible that citizens would build something like this as a vacation home for the leader of their country. The idea of monarchs and royal families is abhorrent to me. I guess it is my American spirit, as I am a descendent of poor, European immigrants fleeing the unfair economic system of haves and have-nots in a quasi-feudal system. Andreas Kralovec left Bohemia right around this time, in 1888, to America. He was probably looking for a better life possibility in the frontiers of the Great Lakes region instead of staying under Hapsburg rule. Thank you Andreas!

The grounds are also spectacular with a wall of green pine trees to frame the scene. I noticed besides the massive statue of King Carol I, they also made statues of King’s dogs. I could definitely spend a summer holiday here. I bet the hiking is really nice. The downside to the visit was the huge crowds and we had to wait 5-10 minutes to get in. I am glad I did, however, because taking the tour of the first floor took my breath away. I would have loved to write blog posts in his study and library. It is exactly how I pictured it in my mind with a second loft for more walls of books and a gorgeous desk.

One of our friends broke his foot as he slipped on one of the steps leading into the palace. It was a freak accident and we had to take him to a local hospital, which was another fascinating, cultural experience after seeing the palace. I think this small hospital receives many skiers in the winter with broken bones. He got an x-ray and cast within an hour and we were on our way to Brasov. While we were waiting, I found a trail to the Presov River which runs through the valley. The water quality did not look good and I suspect the wastewater treatment in the region is poor. The Romanians are typical Balkan people, who love life, and live for the moment, but are not very organized.

We finished up the day touring the famous Bran’s Castle, located about 25 kilometers outside of Brasov in the town of Bran. The owners market it as Dracula’s Castle and it is surrounded by markets selling vampire kitsch. It is fun, but author Bram Stoker never heard of the castle. It was a customs house, charging taxes on goods moving through a pass in the mountains between the fertile mountain plateau fields. They have done a great job in improving the castle museum. My family visited the castle in 2009 and there were none of the displays and renovations. They have a cool elevator that goes down an old well that leads to an underground shelter.

The castle is now a museum dedicated to the wife of King Ferdinand, Queen Marie. She was quite artistic and decorated it to be used as the family home. Excerpts from her diary were on display and she was thrilled about the romance of living in a castle. The people of Brasov gave it to the royal family. It would have been a very cool place to grow up. She made it cozy, although the winds whipping through the pass must have been tough to live with. We had fun pretending to be spooked by vampires and there was a video depicting all of the Dracula movies through the years. The idea of vampires and the bloodthirsty living dead is irresistible to humans. I saw a poster advertising a Halloween party to be held there. That would be fun!

We finished the evening with a 4-course meal in a private dining room on the grounds of the castle. The perfect way to end a Transylvanian day! The trout covered with butter and garlic was delicious and the duck breast looked and tasted with beef. We had a decent Romanian wine to go with dinner and had lots of laughs as we reflected on our day. I enjoy attending the CEESA fall directors’ meetings and retreats. It is a nice respite from the hectic pace of school leadership and a chance to connect with colleagues who understand the challenges we face.

Brasov is a gorgeous city and much improved since I last was here. There were lots of people in the parks and there was a food truck festival to attract even more hungry people. My friend Vesna is from Brasov and it is a great base to explore Transylvania. We stayed here for New Year’s in 2009-2010. The kids were much younger then as you can see below.

Journalist Anna Fifield tried to interview everyone who had interactions with the current North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. She traveled to many of the places of significance to Kim Jong Un. Examples include traveling to Japan to interview the former chef and playmate of Kim Jong Un, a Japanese man who worked for the family for years. Or visiting the International School of Berne, where he attended for two years while Kim Jong Un lived with his aunt and uncle. Fifield is currently the Washington Post bureau chief in Beijing and previously reported on North Korea for many years with the Financial Times and the Washington Post. 

North Korea has always interested me. I can’t believe a family can repress an entire nation (get the population). How does this happen? Aren’t there enough people there that know it is all a sham and just take him out? The book reminded me of the authoritarian playbook Kim Jong Un used to keep the dynasty going and consolidate his rule.

1. Enrich and surround yourself with a small portion of the population whose wealth and lifestyle rely on keeping you in power. This should include elites in the military, police, natural resources, media, and other important parts of any society.
2. Get rid of any potential rivals to power so they stay as an elite or are eliminated.
3. Order the military, police, and internal affairs (intelligence) to quash any dissent through violence, jail, firing, etc.
4. Develop a nuclear arms program so big nations will not mess with you.

World War II helped start the dynasty. 80 years later, we are still dealing with the aftermath of that tumultuous time. The Soviets and fellow socialists China, controlled Northern Korea after Japan was defeated. The Soviets installed Jong Un’s grandfather, Kim il Sung, as the leader because they thought he was easy to control. He surprised them by developing a cult of personality, making up myths about his legendary war heroics, and suppressing a traumatized nation. I was angered reading that Kim il Sung begged the Soviets and Chinese to allow him to invade South Korea in 1950. Tens of thousands of US soldiers died in the Korean War because of this initiative. 

I could see how he bamboozled the country back then about how great he was against Japan during the war. People can be like sheep, easily led by misinformation. This was also before the internet, video, etc. where it is easier to find out the truth about con men. He was even able to pass power on to his son in 1994 and his grandson took over in 2011 on the death of his son. I laugh at his leadership trait of being filmed “dispensing pearls of wisdom on everything from agricultural methods to military tactics during publicity tours around the country during the on-the-spot guidance sessions.”

Kim Jong Un’s childhood was amazing. He was treated like a little “comrade general” and lived a life of absolute luxury, seclusion, and doted on my sycophants. I can see how this would change a person’s outlook on life. Jong Un loves basketball and that is what he did all the time. I loved basketball in my youth too, so we do have something in common. The Dennis Rodman visit was interesting and ended how it was expected, with Kim Jong Un becoming disillusioned with him.

Fifield details what a horrible person he is. He ordered the murder of his uncle and half-brother (see #2 above). Through selfishness and ineptitude, he starves the majority of the population. Dooming them to a life of depravity and boredom. He also sends a lot of people to prison for any minor infraction or questioning his rule (see #3 above). I don’t see a change in leadership anytime soon in North Korea. I would like to see a reunification of the peninsula in my lifetime like East and West Germany.

Last Sunday I made it to the top of Big Chimgan (3,309 meters / 10,856 feet). It was a brutal ascent, 7 kilometers basically straight up, climbing from 1,600 meters from the road. My Strava app recorded 5 hours and 30 minutes of walking time, an elevation gain of 1,675 meters (5,495 feet), and a total round trip of 14.19 kilometers. I am pleased that my 56 year old body can still do physical feats like this. I was dead exhausted at the end and kind of melted into the seat of my car. For the next few days, I could feel the lactic acid buildup in my thighs as I walked down any sets of stairs. A week later, I am fully recovered and look forward to some more mountain adventures.

We left Tashkent at 5:00 AM and drove to the village of Chimgan, about a 90 minute-drive from the city. We started walking from an old ski resort, just outside of the village of Chimgan. The first 5 kilometers of the hike is steep but pretty straight forward. It was mostly a dirt path winding through over-grazed grasses, with the occasional bush or small tree. The views of the Charvak Reservoir and the village of Chimgan, nestled in the valley were spectacular. It was a hard slog, I would take 20 steps or so, and then stop to breathe and take in the scenery. Uzbeks don’t really have proper switchbacks and a formal trail system like in North America. It is mostly walking along paths used by shepherds. Livestock is moved around mountain valleys up and down depending on the season. There are many paths worn down by generations of livestock minders. We saw a couple heards of sheep and horses and lots of droppings.

The last two kilometers is where it got rocky and interesting. Looking up at the peak, I couldn’t an easy route to the top. The guides led us on a windy route around huge outcroppings. We didn’t have to use ropes or crampons, but there were some technical sections that required using hands and feet to scramble over boulders. One section had a thick wire to assist climbers over a particularly steep cliff. I made it through without using the wire. I thank my yoga practice for my improved balance and flexibility.

It felt so good to finally make it to the top and ring the bell! Yes, some masochist did carry up an iron kettle bell you can seein the photo above. It makes for a great photo opportunity, holding the weight, while at the peak. We had a second lunch at the top and admired the incredible views of the mountains. You could see the snow-capped peaks of Krygstan in the distance. It is a huge, undeveloped area of mountains stretching for miles and it would be fun to keep going and explore the canyons and peaks.

Going back down for me was the hardest part. Because of the steepness of the trail and loose rock and gravel, it was very easy to slip and fall. Several of our party hit the ground. It was slow going for me as I didn’t want to incur and injury and slowly, we made it out of the rocky area and back to the tree line.

I would like to thank Katie for organizing the trip and my companions in the group who encouraged me to finish. We had a lot of laughs during our suffering and it made it more enjoyable. Would I do it again? Not anytime soon, but it would be good to try it in the spring or summer when it is a bit greener. It was a once in a lifetime experience and it was one of my big goals while I am living in Uzbekistan. Another of my goals is to circumnavigate the Charvak Reservoir by bicycle.

I had a nice time this week taking out Oliver, Ocean, and Oliver’s girlfriend Nicole. Nadia joined us earlier this week as we went to the Loft Cafe for burgers and fries. It was funny that we tried twice to have Indian food at the Curry House, and both times they were closed. Last night I took them shopping at Korzinka Supermarket. I always made a rule when they were little, that they get one “treat” each when we go grocery shopping. Even though they are 18 and 16, they still ask for that one treat still! Oliver and Ocean are masters at fudging the 1 treat rule and they sneak in a bit more.

It was the first day of school in Uzbekistan on Monday this week. They still follow the Russian traditions of bringing flowers to the teacher starting on the first Monday in September. Above you can see a mom with her daughter on the way to one of the local public schools. We live between two schools, one at each end of our block. The first-day tradition is to have the oldest and youngest students of the school “ring the bell” to kick off the school year.

I also had a nice plov lunch on Monday. We went to the Dunyo Restaurant. The business office staff invited me and our consultant, Jon. I love the camaraderie and good food and it is a fantastic cultural experience for people new to Uzbekistan. We had the Kashkadarya plov, which has horse sausage on top and brown oil. Delicious!

On Sunday I participated in the Yangi Nafas (New Breath) 10-kilometer race here in Tashkent. Yangi Nafas races were held in 16 cities around Uzbekistan to celebrate Independence Day. It is an appropriate name as Uzbekistan is a young country (32 years) and 60% of the population is under 20 years old. The Uzbek Athletics Federation used the slogan, “One country, one start, one distance, one goal – we run together”. I think mass races are a custom left over from the Soviet Union to celebrate anniversaries or big sporting events.

The race was well organized! It started on time (6:30 AM) and the course was well-marked with water stops along the way. It was a confetti start with an impressive Start/Finish arch. There were even cheerleaders at the halfway point and at the finish to lift the spirits of the runners. The course was a big L-shaped up and back through two of the widest boulevards in the city so it wasn’t the most exciting course, but it was flat, smooth with plenty of room.

I redeemed myself from my horrible run this summer in the Bass Festival by running a 50:51, cutting 9 minutes from my time. I know I can go under 50 minutes and my goal is to get to 45 minutes in a 10-kilometer. The next big race is in Samarkand in November, but not sure if I will go due to Oliver’s soccer.

Uzbekistan has a nice series of long-distance races throughout the year. Anchored by big races such as the Bukhara night race in August, Samarkand in November, Tashkent in March, and Zaamin in June , a runner can always have something to train for. There are also smaller runs like the Yangi Nafas, and there are also big races in Astana, Almaty, Bishkek, and neighboring Central Asian countries.

Nadia, Obi, and I celebrated Uzbekistan Independence Day (September 1) by enjoying the best of Uzbekistan, the mountains! Led by our friend Aaron, we did a 5-mile hike in the foothills between Gazelkent and Chirchiq. It was a cool and sunny day and an absolutely perfect way to spend a free Friday.

We drove to the village of Chekhchim which is located about 60 kilometers from Tashkent. It is next to the Aksakatasay River. There is a trail that leads up the hills and we did a loop around a valley. It looked a bit like southern California because of the long, hot summer has dried out all vegetation. It was a bit of a dusty walk, but the cool breeze and blue skies kept our spirits up. Nadia is still recovering from a very bad virus and struggled a bit on the long, steep incline to the ridge. Once we were at the top, we stopped for lunch and watched the cowboys guide their herds of sheep to different pastures. There is always lots of livestock in Central Asia.

It is just so nice to get out of the city and between the distance and elevation, it was a good workout. It is a sign of our stage of life that we couldn’t get Oliver and Ocean to come with us. Both of them preferred either soccer with their friends or going out in the city. It was a preview of us as empty nesters. 😦 I want to thank Aaron for guiding us and finding this beautiful spot.

I noticed if you drive further up the valley, you can possibly reach the huge valley behind the Amirsoy Ski Resort. We could see the gondolas in the far distance on the hike. I’ve looked over that valley while on the top of Amirsoy, and it looks remote and beautiful. Perhaps next time I am in the mountains, I’ll make it to that valley.

We finished the day by going out to the Afsona restaurant. The salads and shashlik (grilled, skewered meats) were delicious and it was a perfect way to end the day.