Blogs from Esfahan, West, Iran, Middle East - page 2

Keskiviikko 10.6. Isfahan L pysyi hereillä koneeseen asti, vaikka lento lähti vasta klo 23. Nousussa kyllä tipahti ja nukkui koko matkan. J diilasi meille kaks penkkiriviä, joten lapset sai hyvin nukkumaan. Me ei silti nukuttu oikeastaan ollenkaan. Herätettiin huomiota koneessa ja portilla, ihmettelivät, että ollaan tulossa Iraniin. Yks iranilainen, Jenkeissä asuva tyttö antoi numeronsa ja sanoi, että voidaan soittaa, jos halutaan jotain apua. Juuri kellään ei ollut huivia portilla, ainoastaan joillakin vanhemmilla naisilla, vaan laittoivat ne koneen laskeuduttua. Passintarkastuksessa meitä, kuten kaikkia muitakin koneessa ollutta noin viittä länkkäriä, pyydettiin istumaan odottamaan ja meidän passit lähti jonnekin yläkertaan. Eri miehet niitä kävi heiluttelemassa ja pohdittiin, näkyykö mulla jotain liikaa tai mistä kiikastaa. Väsy painoi. Lopulta saatiin passit ja päästi... read more

You meet some very interesting people on your travels. Travel creates a level playing field for these encounters. This morning I had breakfast with the Austrian Ambassador to Doha and her partner. We sat out in the courtyard and swapped stories; a potted history over coffee, flat bread and Persian feta in a blue courtyard. It's kind of like speed dating (well, I think it would be like speed dating); you tell a story, listen to a story and maybe spend more time with them if the inclination and opportunity arises, or if not it's still a part of the overall travel experience. They are here for a few more nights, I think we'll spend some more time together. So, the day begins with a plan to visit the Masjed-e Shah and the Masjed-e Lotfollah during ... read more

David from Spain snores. David from Spain snores loudly. David from Spain snores loudly, nearly all night long. Chilly night and a cloudy sky this morning without a fully visible sunrise. I do like contrasts though... Serenity v Snoring, Sleep v No Sleep, Orange Sunrise v Grey Sky... So today after a final campfire breaky and a farewell to Hashem and David from Spain I am picked up by Ali in his super fast jeep. He has his constant companion, his little boy, with him who loves tearing around the sand dunes as much as his he does. I would bet he will be driving like his Dad in a few years. Arrive back at Barandaz where I get picked up by a taxi driver to go back to Garmeh. If I'd thought this through it ... read more

Shiraz is a centre of Persian culture and literature, we visited two poets tombs, very impressive gardens and buildings for both, Saadi is major Persian poet from middle ages, his writtings still relavent today 700 years later. Persoplolis is archeological site some 2500 years old in time of Persian empire of Darius, I, II & III. They built a huge terrace, with 3..4 palaces much of which remains. How much manpower to fetch stone from many miles away, then erect it into a100 coloumns for a big reception room, murials depict parties bearing gifts from 28 nations in Persian empire. Cuneiform is text engravings on stones lasts 2500years to this day, any of my program code written into machines has a working life of maybe 20 years. Drive from Shiraz to Eshafan 380km, fill up with ... read more

Esfahani rulers had too much money. That's my conclusion. How many palaces and fancy mosques do you really need. And how many gardens is too many. To the Safavid dynasty who ruled in the 1600s, it seems enough was never enough. We started our morning at Chehel Sotoun, which is easy to confuse with Vidal Sassoon but has nothing to do with hair products. This was the palace used by Shah Abbas II for entertaining his guests and thus was designed to impress the pants off guests when they first arrived. However, its not opulence alone that impresses an Iranian dignitary, but rather careful and intellectual design. Chehel Sotoun means forty pillars literally, and when you walk in you see a long Taj-Mahal-esque pool terminated by a large pavillion with twenty pillars. Twenty, not forty. So ... read more