Boulder Teahouse

by Paula King, Boulder Real Estate Specialist

Boulder has a lifestyle of its own. There are some very wonderful things to see and do on lazy Saturday or just about any time.

One of my absolutely favorite ideas for the perfect weekend outing in Boulder is hitting the Saturday Farmer’s Market. Fresh and organic produce and items grown by small farmers in and around Boulder are displayed in a very fun and appealing way. It’s healthy and the people alone are worth the watching.

Then, we like to follow that up by sitting on the patio of the picturesque Dushanbe Teahouse.

We savor a fabulous lunch and listen to the rushing sounds of Boulder Creek on a sun dappled afternoon. If you are planning a Boulder visit, don’t miss the Teahouse.

It was a gift to the city of Boulder from its sister city in Tajikistan, formerly of the Soviet Union and opened for business in 1998. The ceilings and pillars consist of blue accented mosaic tiles. It was constructed in Tajikistan and then disassembled and moved in crates weighing 30 tons in 1990. These crates sat is storage until the site for the teahouse was acquired and final plans had been made. You can see photos and a history at www.dailycamera.com/dushanbe.

It is a remarkable building. There is a tranquility not found in most restaurants – and the food is eclectic and outstanding. Imagine a real  Teahouse from Asia right in the middle of Colorado. It’s incredible.

So now it’s time for Bolder to return the favor to our sister city in Tajikistan. After many years of planning, Boulder’s reciprocation is in the form of the Dushanbe Cybercafe, set to open in the next couple of months, even though the official opening is on Tuesday, when a delegation from Boulder will present the city’s return gift to Dushanbe. The building will contain solar panels and a “rooftop solar water-heating system, plus insulation and passive solar design to keep it cool in the summer and warm in the winter,” per the Boulder Daily Camera. Tajikistan suffers frigid winters and this building will be a great example of what we can do with alternative energy.

This is the most ambitious sister-city project ever accomplished. Many Boulder citizens have worked long and hard and we are all very proud of the results.

Boulder is an eclectic mix. Maybe that’s why I love it so much. An authentic teahouse, our organic produce, people watching and sharing our cultural values back to our sister city in Tajikistan. Maybe you should try our our lifestyle if you can dig it. I’d be delighted to show you around!

Photos courtesy: http://www.boulder-dushanbe.org/teahouse.html