The experience in the fantastic Candy Cane Mountains has already faded somewhat. We leave our “oasis” among the cowsheds with mixed feelings. The accommodation really wasn’t what it promised on Booking.com.

It’s raining today, which means our options for activities are very limited. Very annoying. According to the weather forecast, it looks like it’s going to rain all over Azerbaijan today, so we have no chance of escaping into the sun.

We decide to drive to the city of Quba in the north. The city has a few sights to offer, and there’s a gorge nearby that’s supposed to be worth seeing. So we drive through the rain to Tengealti.

But the “gorge” turns out to be just two rocks forming a narrow passage. On the other hand, there are many very expensive restaurants here that charge four euros for an espresso. Crazy, where are we?

Not far from here, we find the Afurca waterfall on the map and decide to make it the highlight of the day. To get there, we have to continue along the valley and then drive up the slope to the village of the same name. I want to take the opportunity to do some hiking, so I park the car in the village. The path to the waterfall would normally have been a walk in the park, but the rain has turned the road into a muddy track.

It’s very slippery, and we have to fight for our footing. On the other hand, the mud sticks to our shoes like cement. It’s an unexpectedly tough path to the waterfall. But it’s more impressive than expected. It’s very high and forms the stage for a natural amphitheater. If it weren’t cloudy, we could see for miles from the path behind the waterfall.

We drive to Guba and see the beautiful, red Juma Mosque. However, it’s closed. It’s wet and cold outside, so we immediately get back in the car. We drive across the river to the Jewish quarter, which looks very chic. But there’s not much to do there either, and it’s disgustingly wet and cold.

So we decide to drive to our accommodation, a huge wooden villa by the river, and end the day with a bottle of wine.

In cold, wet weather, nothing beats a bottle of wine in the warmth!

We’re exploring the Jewish quarter. It’s nicer than the rest of the city, and there’s less traffic. The museum there is closed, as is the café, even though there are people inside. Strange.

We noticed the unusual rain gutters. Small turrets made of aluminum were constructed, which decorate the buildings all around.

The weather forecast for the next few days still looks bleak. It’s not much different in other parts of the country. We still have a few days for our trip, but we won’t be able to reach every corner of the country in that time.

The place with the best weather on the map is – Baku!

Like it or not, the only sensible decision seems to be to start our journey back now and enjoy the last warm hours in Azerbaijan. But on the way back, we also want to see a few things: the fortress ruins of Çıraqqala and Mount Beşbarmaq, also known as “Five Finger Mountain,” are said to be very impressive!