Blogs from Shiraz, South, Iran, Middle East - page 5

In Iran, there is a governmental firewall. Our blog was blocked in some places, but not in others. That's why we couldn't post this blog entry from Shiraz and we do it now from Yazd. Iran's South West As we began to tell you in our last blog entry, our first ten days in Iran were literally an immersion in Iranian culture and society. After Tabriz, we haven't seen any tourists until Shiraz, except one Spanish guy in Zanjan. This experience was both exciting and exhausting. Curious and interested in meeting people and discovering small places off the beaten tracks, we progressively realized that it also takes a lot of energy and that we could not go on like this for weeks! Language problems will be less of an issue in a few years however... (Very) ... read more

At the Shirazi bazaar, I saw a man carrying bundles of dyed red wool whose teeth were tinged in a shade of ginger red. From the Ronas plant or a mere cherry-flavor popsicle? I prayed it was the prior. Regarding natural dyes - did you know that the red colour of the finest carpets come from a plant called 'Madder'? If consumed, the plant slowly turns one's bones red. This was where I witnessed the teeth of a madder grower. His grin was red. Daily brushing, he claimed, never let it fade away. I've watched the Disney movie, Aladdin, several times. My favorite character will always be the flying carpet. But as a child, I always felt pity for the carpet who never had a proper name other than 'carpet'. But until recently, I actually ... read more

In 333 BCE, Alexander the Great (not Colin Farrell) and his Macedonian troops threw a classical-equivalent of a frat party in the Persian ceremonial city of Persepolis. After all, they had to celebrate their second victory over the mighty Persians! After one too many jolly drinks, an Attic gal by the name of Thais thought it a fantabulous idea to set fire to the city (revenge for the prior burning of Greek temples by the Persians). And so they did. But after the liquor snapped out of Alexander, he regretted it wholeheartedly. It was, after all such a splendid place. Setting off from Shiraz, we visited the ruins of Persepolis. It covers a large block of land, and there are even two royal tombs built into the cliff face looking over the site - smokers, ... read more

You have probably heard of the terms 'Shiraz' or 'Syrah' before - they're the same type of grape, which is extremely popular. Growing up in Australia, it was difficult to escape from the seductive bottles of Shiraz found in almost every liquor store or restaurant I went into. Hence, I personally prefer it to any other type of grape recently...ah, the notes of berries and pepper (occasionally one comes across 'chocolate', which is pleasant). Otherwise i'm no sommelier so please don't press me for details! Whoops! But if you do have an opportunity, I recommend any well-known Shiraz from the Yarra Valley in South Australia, for their full-bodied flavour. The name came about from the city of Shiraz in Iran. It is said that this is the very place where the wine process was invented ... read more

Hamid had offered to take me with him on a trip to Bushehr on the Red Sea coast but he slipped in the showerand injured his back, so instead I went and bought a new pair of pants and a couple of T-shirts, visited a traditional restaurant, the bazaar, a museum and a mosque. I moved from the apartment to a smaller cheaper hotel that evening and settled in to watch the world cup soccer matches with the guys in the hotel. Over the next few days I checked out the local restaurants found all the goodies at the bazaar I wished to buy and basically took it easy and got my ticket refunded. On the 11th it was time to pack up my bags and my new purchases and head to the airport, say farewell ... read more