By Navid Ganji
I’m tearing down a sun-drenched road in West Azerbaijan, the wind screaming through my cracked window, slamming me with the sweet sting of spring—blossoms and earth and something alive. Firuraq’s calling, a tiny city tucked near Khoy, and I’m chasing its blooming chaos, all those cherry and almond trees exploding in pink and white. It’s April, the air’s crisp, and I’m ready to dive headfirst into this garden-crazy wonderland. As
The Drop: Crashing Into Petal Paradise
I roll into Firuraq—locals call it Pereh—and the first thing that hits me is the color—a riot of pink and white splattered across every hillside. The streets are narrow, twisting through mud-brick houses with walls so old they look like they’re whispering secrets. Kids are chasing each other, giggling, while an old guy with a cane gives me a squinting nod, like I’m the day’s big news.
I ditch the car near a dirt path, boots crunching, and the smell grabs me—sweet cherry blossoms mixed with wet grass and a hint of roasting nuts from somewhere nearby. The town’s small, maybe 9,000 souls, but it feels huge, swollen with life. Garden walls spill over with branches, heavy with flowers, and I’m already lost in it—this isn’t a city; it’s a blooming fever dream.
The Orchards: Drowning in Blossoms
I head straight for the gardens—Firuraq’s famous cherry orchards—and it’s like stepping into a painting gone wild. Rows of trees stretch out, their branches sagging with pink and white clouds that hum with bees. I wander through, petals sticking to my shirt, and brush my fingers over the bark—rough, cool, alive. Every breath’s a hit of sugar and spring, and I’m grinning like an idiot, snapping pics that’ll never do this justice.
The ground’s carpeted with fallen blossoms, soft under my boots, and I spot a farmer in a cap, hauling baskets of early cherries. He tosses me one—tart, juicy, bursting in my mouth—and points to a hill where the orchards climb higher. I’m off, scrambling up, the air getting sharper, the view cracking open—**green valleys,
Navidganjii@gmail.com
