Some of the things I Liked in My Travels Around Iran Fresh olives sold in big jars - I didn't buy any jars but did have Zatoon Parvardeh (olives in walnut paste) at a restaurant The cool weather as we drove closer to Masoulah and how the terrain reminded me a bit of California These wonderful cinnamon treats (kolucheh) bought straight from the oven Watching guys cut hay by hand and glad it wasn't me out there Standing ankle deep in the beautiful green Caspian Sea The Vank Cathedral in Isfahan The architecture of many of the buildings and the fabulous [View Full Entry]

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In the morning, the bazaar faction won the day, so we visited the bazaar in Kermanshah, there we found Kurdish sparkling clothes galore as well as sweets and cakes. It was great seeing everyone with the bright hats and scarves that they had found in the bazaar all waiting on the pavement for the bus to start. Iranian bazaars are fantastic, proper working places, the large ones are cities within cities. We drove to Sanandaj, the capital of Iranian Kurdistan, where we had lunch. Unfortunately we had no time to see more of it, as I would have liked. The women [View Full Entry]

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August 2008 I arrived with my wife at Imam Khomeini Airport Tehran for a three week visit. We have some tenuous plans for trips outside of Tehran. Well, the first trip is planned with a long drive up north to see the Caspian Sea, then a visit to the mountain village of Masoulah. Tuesday morning, I awake at 7 a.m. for a leisurely preparation of our upcoming trip to the Caspian Sea, more specifically the port city of Bandar Anzali. We leave the house at 9 a.m. The city of Tehran is always busy with traffic. While Paria's father, Mahmoud, weaves [View Full Entry]

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We returned to Takht-e Soleiman the next morning, it was powerful seeing it again, in a different light, just after dawn. Like a person you felt you knew it better, seeing the place at a different time of day. I just sat by the circular lake and dreamed my dreams, while AS told the others the story of the site. In Persian, it was no good to me, and so I enjoyed the time sitting alone. More village life was seen from the bus, shepherds with their flocks and a couple of dogs, a boy riding on a donkey, and a [View Full Entry]

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We set off the next day after a wonderful breakfast of bread, cheese and homemade -jam to Jolfa on the border with Azerbaijan. I had just finished the book by Kurban Said called Ali and Nino, about the romance between a Muslim boy and Christian girl growing up in Baku at the beginning of the First World War. Apparently this is seen as the national book of Azerbaijan. Fantastic story, romance and history interwoven… After a long drive through Tabriz we arrived in Jolfa, where we had lunch in a great restaurant (sorry don’t know the name) we set off the [View Full Entry]

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We met at midnight in a car park in central Tehran and the night was full of the sounds of laugher and friends greeting. I felt alone and excited, as I knew no one except AS, and him only slightly, having met him the day before. He is a friend of F, my contact at the National Museum of Iran. He had invited me on a six day historical trip around north-west Iran. Travelling companions: 30 Iranian students. Interesting as I speak about 20 words of Farsi, but I felt up for the challenge! Travelling by private coach meant that I [View Full Entry]

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The next day we had been told to be at breakfast at 6.30, early for me! While most of the women were there, none of the men were! Great door knockings and retributions ensued, though all fairly good natured! So we got off a bit later than planned, first stop Takht-e Bostan/ Taq-e Bostan, just outside Kermanshah. This site has three well preserved Sassanian bas-reliefs showing the crowning ceremonies of the rulers. The first shows the kings Ardashir I and Shapur I , Khusroe II is shown on a charger, looking like a medieval European knight, the horse is his favourite [View Full Entry]

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Début du voyage Inch Allah II, la farik est de retour ! Ca y est c'est parti, équipés de nos deux petits sacs rouges de rando, une quinzaine de kgs d'équipement à nous 2, nous voilà partis pour affronter la longue route qui nous conduira à Jérusalem, destination mystique de tous les voyageurs depuis bien des millénaires. Notre point de départ : l'Iran, pays magique des mille et une nuits, fameuse contrée de Prince of Persia. Si nous avons choisi ce pays comme point de départ, c'est grâce à tout ce que nous avons entendu sur lui, et parce qu'il entrait [View Full Entry]

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Not many (I doubt you really want to see 100 photos of tilework. The carets are the ones I ended up buying. And now, just as I'd finally gotten the hang of [View Full Entry]

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After two days spent in Kashan on the way back to Tehran I was ready to face the big smoke again. But it was not to be for as long as I imagined.... Kashan is famous for its traditional 'houses', clustered together on a few streets just outside the city centre. Many of these 19th century Qajar style palaces built by Kashan's great and good, are now empty and echoing, lit by delicate stained glass windows, the light hitting the faceted mirror decoration. Once large extended families as well as their legions of servants would have lived here. I visited the [View Full Entry]

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