When I arrived in Azerbaijan, over 2 months ago, one of my first questions was "How's the 
winter?" I was assure by a number of sources that while the winter was cold and windy. There was rarely ever any snow. Or at the very least, it snowed a little, but melted nearly right away. I was greatly disappointed as it has been some while since I've lived in a country with a "proper" winter. But i accepted my fate and held no expectations. Sure enough since the winter season has set in, the skies have been overcast, and a strong, biting wind blows in off the Caspian Sea. With the New Years' holiday upon I had originally planned to head down to Iran. But with my visa denial, I moved on the Plan B which was see some of Azerbaijan. But just after Christmas it started to snow. Luckily, as predicted, it didn't stay around long. That is until New Years' Eve...New Years' Eve itself was rather uneventful for me. I went to a friends house and, rather
quietly, rang in the New Year. Around 2 we headed to a club to celebrate a little more. However, it was the weather that made it memorable. It snowed. Now I'm not talking catastrophic-blizzard-conditions-with-thousands-left-dead kid of snow, but it was substantial for Baku. New Years day was much the same. It snowed for the majority of the morning, and right into the evening. So i buckled down watching TV and playing video games. And even with cabin fever setting in, I remained optimistic. I was still hopeful that I would be able to leave town for a couple of days.
As i woke up in the morning, anticipating leaving for the Regions (what the call anything not
Baku), I was pleasantly surprised. The snowed had stayed. And not only had it stayed, but the sun was shining, the birds were singing and there was a happy joy-joy feeling. It was a winter wonderland. I came to the realization that these conditions were unlikely to present themselves again, so I put off the trip into the countryside and pick up my camera to head into town. Not only was I blessed with nearly perfect weather, but the locals were too afraid to head into town. I had the whole place to myself. As 
i live near the UNESCO listed "Old Town" it was my main area of focus. Some of the buildings there are nearly 1,000 years old. Although they have all been heavily restored recently. Still the sense of history still hangs heavily in the air and the freshly fallen snow made for an excellent contrast. Even as i wandered into the trendy, central Fountain Square, there was no one to be seen. I walk this square nearly everyday on my way to work. I had NEVER seen it so empty. Even the children rides smiled through the new coating of the white stuff. But as the afternoon sun started to hit the snow, it turned to slush. The people got brave enough to leave their homes, tramping whatever remained. The paradise was short lived, but a pleasant experience all the same. Sure enough, as the night fell, it froze whatever snow survived, turning Baku into a city-sized skating rink. I never did make it out of town. I figure the "regions" will always be there. The snow, on the other hand, has since all but disappeared, but the photos remain.
