Not far from the hotel is a large square named after the man whose statue is in the centre, Amir Temur, a fourteenth century politician and military figure who made an outstanding contribution to the national state system, education and culture. The statue has been changed, previous statues were of  Stalin and Karl Marx. On the left is a large, concrete seventies style hot, and on the right the Forums Palace which can seat 6000 and is used for conventions and other meetings.

On the side of the square are the famous Tashkent chimes, built in 1947, and a focal point in the city. Although the architecture is very plain, Soviet utilitarian, there is an great feeling of space due to the wide roads, often seven or eight lanes wide (and tricky to cross!)

 

and an abundance of parks and gardens

 

Walking back to the hotel past Westminster University, I spotted this wonderful "Book Café" the perfect place to enjoy a coffee. Even though the books were all in Russian it had a lovely atmosphere
and I could imagine spending many enjoyable hours there.

 

My birthday ended with dinner at a local restaurant, a really happy birthday!

 

 

 

 Sunday 28th September

 

I have never seen so many different cakes and pastries on a breakfast table! Sadly I was still too full from last night to eat more than fruit but it looked amazing! Some of us then visited the Museum of Art, which, as well as pictures, contained some wonderful examples of carved wooden doors,

 

silk hangings

and other fabrics.

After this we were met by our guide who took us to the monument to the earthquake of 1966 which destroyed most of the city (and explains why so much of it is modern).

 

 

 Our guide was very informative and obviously very proud of his country and pleased to show us some of the highlights of the city. We went to a huge park, which he called a square, right in the centre of Tashkent but very tranquil and calm; indeed we had all remarked on the lack of crowds throughout our time in the city.

 

 

                                                                                                      

 

The attentive group (minus the photographer!)

 

The next stop was the Opera House                                                                     

 

 

                      

 

Followed by a late lunch at an authentic Uzbek restaurant serving local food (delicious) then just enough time to visit the museum of applied art before going to the airport for the flight to Urgench.
At the museum we had a fascinating talk about the methods and customs of silk weaving,including the fact that prospective husbands could read the character of their future wives from the designs and working of the  pieces. Reaching Urgench there were a few moments of hilarity as the luggage was dumped on the tarmac by a truck and a huge bun fight ensued as 200+ people tried to reclaim their bags. Safely at the hotel, bags intact, we are looking forward to exploring the World Heritage site of Khiva tomorrow.