SHIRAZ

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SHIRAZ MARCH 5, 2017

We got into Shiraz last night. This is a beautiful hotel. Our room is very nice except the bathroom is the smallest I have ever seen. I always thought the old Marriotts had the smallest bathrooms, but this one is the size of a postage stamp.

This morning we first went to the Eram Botannical Garden a World Heritage Site.The garden was started about 900 years ago and is a beautiful example of the Persian garden with the central stream that runs through the garden and then radiates off. The old building at the end of the garden was built during the Qajar dynasty. On the way in we met a large groups of girls on a school trip. They were all 13 and 14 years old. They were very cute and giggly. They were extremely friendly and seemed anxious to meet us. They were taking our pictures with them in them

We then went to a madras which Dennis went into while I stayed outside and watched a pot maker. Right across the street from the madras was the Nomad Bazaar. In this bazaar they sell brightly colored materials that the nomadic Iranians like to wear. We crossed through this bazaar and arrived at the Shrine. This is one of the most religious sites in Iran. To go in though, all the women had to put on a chador. We looked ridiculous. The interior of the Shrine was a large courtyard with beautiful tiled building around its periphery. There were fountains etc. We were happy to get rid of the chadors. We walked back through the Nomad Bazaar and got on the bus and went to lunch. Lunch was excellent and plentiful.

We then went to the Naranjestan-e-Ghavam Museum. This is a large garden with many small buildings within the garden used to receive visitors and to house members outside of the immediate family. The architecture is typical of the Qajar period. The rooms were beautifully mirrored with stained glass windows and intricately tiled facades.

We then went to see Persian carpets and everyone bought one or two. They were really beautiful. It was a full day. Tonight we had a delicious dinner in the Italian restaurant at the hotel.

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