Baku's Crescent Hotel

When I first looked out over the city of Baku in Azerbaijan, I found it to have a delightful combination of classic old-world charm and exciting modern architecture. Waking around the city one sees hundreds of buildings that are in such wonderful shape, they look like they were designed 150 years ago, but built yesterday. Classic lines, wrought-iron balconies and French Provincial facades rise from the streets as if seeded by the imaginations of famous architects of yesterday. At the same time, Baku demonstrates that it isn't mired in the past with dozens of towering glass buildings, built mostly near the waterfront with visiting sightseers and business-people in mind. Three of these buildings can be found near Crescent Bay and are part of the visually stunning Crescent Bay Development Project. With facades of glass reflecting Baku's azure sky, one's eyes are irresistibly drawn to them. I walked there one morning while I was searching for a pastry shop where I could relax with a cup of cappuccino and enjoy the peaceful morning. As I looked up at the tallest of the three, I immediately noticed the crisp reflections of other older buildings across the street, which perfectly illustrated the city's juxtaposition of old and new. This was one of the rare instances when I was caught without my camera when I'm traveling, so with all thoughts of a peaceful breakfast cast aside, I fetched my camera from my hotel and returned. By the time I arrived, the light was all wrong. I took some shots anyway, knowing that I wouldn't be satisfied. Later that day, I returned and captured the same shot with the sun directly behind the building, fully illuminating the reflected buildings. Luck was with me, and the sky was dotted with individual puffy clouds that provided an interesting sky to an interesting building that had interesting reflections.ns.