Family Blog

Continued from: Masuleh - Kandovan

I'm now sitting in a small office at the BabaTaher Hotel in Hamedan, which can be also used by the guests for the internet access. But let me continue with our trip.

From Kandovan we started later as expected because there was a Windows / Excel problem - our bill was much to high and it costs our guide some discussion to solve this problem. So we started over one hour later as planned.

Our first station was the Orumiyeh Lake to take pictures from it. This lake is a salt lake and has changed his color since two years from deep blue to red because of the algae. The people from there guess, that the lake will be dead in a few years.

In the Kurdish area we visit the Sahoolan Historical Water Cave, a big cave which were used about 2000 years ago. Before we reached it we drove through a big gate (see photo) - don't know for what it is but it remembers me at Stargate. Characteristic for this cave was a big transmission tower in the middle of the cave - there is no place in Iran where you get no signal for your mobile phone.

Later in the afternoon the number of police station increased because we were now driving through smugglers area. And we also were able to see how a normal road with two lanes could be expanded temporarily to three lanes for a passing maneuver.

Next section: Merivan - Kermanshah

Continued from Iran: Teheran - Masuleh

Today we will continue our journey to Hamadan and I have time to write some lines about our Iran trip. Last Wednesday we started from Masualeh to go to Kandovan along the coast of the Caspian Sea. Again we saw a lot of green and paddy fields. We even saw water buffaloes in Iran.

The Caspian Sea is at a level 20m below sea level. From this level we climbed up to height of 1600m where the color changed from green to brown. Also the weather was more sunny now. We did a side trip to a hot spring where we had a bath - first the women and later the men. Also here the Iranian people (most of them where nomadic people) where very friendly and happy, that we visited them. They even wanted to donate us the admission price.

In the evening we reached Kandovan, a small village build into the rocks. Also our hotel (www.irtdc.ir) was build into it - we feel like Fred Feuerstein, when we enter our room.

Next day we visited Tabriz, a city with about 2 million people. It was Friday and a lot of traffic and buses around the mosque so we decided to visit some old buildings (the East Azaberjan Cultural Heritage) first. At the exit we were received by an friendly man who wanted to invite us into his house. He was an IT specialist at the university. Also a school boy came to discuss about our impression from the Iran. At the end we changed our facebook and email contacts.

In the evening we visited Kandovan with one of the hotel boys as guide. He showed us his village and also his house (or should I write cave because the whole village is build into the rocks?). It has one "big" room with about 10-12 sqm where 6 or 7 people lives.

We will continue now to visit Kermanshan. Stay tuned...

Next section: Kandovan - Merivan

Continued from: Arriving at Tehran

On the third day we started with a bus our trip to the North of the Iran, to the Caspian Sea. On the way to it you saw a lot of green and paddy fields you wouldn't expect there. At Bandar Anzalī we wanted to see the water lilies but we were to early - only at summer you can see them.

In the evening we reached Masuleh, a mountain village which is build direct at the flank of the hill. The roof of the lower building is the fore court of the upper building.

On the next day we took a walk around Masouleh and visited the castle Rutchan where you have to go 1400 steps upstairs before you reach it. Unfortunately the weather was rainy and foggy.

Next section: Masuleh - Kandovan

At the moment of this writing I'm at Kermanshah, a city in the south of Iran with about 600,000 inhabitants. The hotel here (Grand Azedgan) has internet access but the Iranian keyboard is a little bit unusual for me.

One week ago we (a small group of 7 persons with me) arrived at the airport of Teheran. The local time here is 2.5 hours before ours and I need over an hour to adjust my watch. At the airport we were well received by the sister and niece of our tour guide and friend.

The first day we use the taxi to visit Teheran. The Iranian way to drive by car is much different from Germany because each centimeter of the road is used for driving. It is not unusual that for a road with two lanes three cars drives side by side. It is like driving in Italy but with more traffic on a smaller area. But my biggest care was that I loose our leader (who is born in Iran) because we must use two taxis. If that would had been happened I would be completely lost in Teheran and could not write this lines here now.

The first evening the sister of our leader organized a party for us where we had the opportunity to get some Iranian people to know. They are very interested to know what we think about them and are open-minded about other cultures. And they know how to party.

Teheran has about 15 million inhabitants and normally there is smog over the city. But we are lucky and got some rain here also it does not rain in Teheran (Jahan said). So the air was clearer than normal and we had a good view on Teheran when we go uphill on the surrounding mountains.

These were the first two days in Teheran. More will follow at the next internet access point...

Next section: Teheran - Masuleh

In a few hour my flight to Iran will start at Stuttgart Airport. For nearly 3 weeks I will go with friends to Iran. Our trip will start in Teheran before we go to the North to Masuleh. It is the first time that I go in this area and I'm very excited.

Next section: Arriving at Teheran

Yesterday we went to the cabaret "Die Galgenstricke". This cabaret in my home town Esslingen was a wine-cellar in former times and it was over 20 years ago that I was there with my wife. Reiner Kröhnert was on the program where we also haven't seen since 20 years. In some respects the event yesterday was a journey back to the past and it was a funny and thoughtful evening.

While Philip goes to college now (see his blog) Manuel has successful finished his first semester in politics. Last week he moved inside Freiburg to his new apartement-sharing community. His new apartement is more central and nearer to the university. Now there is semester break and he is at home in Gerlingen again.

What will bring us 2011? Manuel will continue his study in Freiburg, Carmen will finish school. And before Philip will come back from New Jersey we will visit him and do a trip through the USA. The flights and motorhome are booked now. I guess this will be the last vacation with the whole family.

America, we will come...

On the 24th it began to snow for two days and now we have really much snow. I don't remember whenever we had such much snow.

Yesterday Manuel and Carmen needed two attempts to get out of the garage with our family car (which is a Smart for the moment) before they decided to get in the car of my father-in-law and to drive with us to my parents.

This evening Manuel will sing together with the Hymnus Choir the Christmas Oratorio from Johann Sebastian Bach.

Since last weekend Manuel is back from Freiburg to celebrate Christmas at home. So only Philip is missing now - he is in New Jersey and waiting for snow, as you can read on his blog.

Here in Germany we had the last days a lot of snow. But since yesterday it rains and the snow began to smelt down. But for tomorrow the weather forecast promises us a white Christmas.

For next year we all plan to visit Philip in the USA to do with him a trip through the states (New York - Niagara Falls - Chicago - Whitefish Bay - San Francisco - Lincoln and some national parks).

There once was a man made of snow,
Who grew happy and bigger whene'er the wind would blow.
But some kids playing a trick
Gave him a candle and a wick
And soon he was only H₂O.

Merry Christmas

Some of my school buddies I haven't heard anything (or not so much) about 30 years. But today I read an article about Eckhard Hauser (one of these "lost" school buddies) in the Stuttgarter newspaper. After school he was pilot for different airlines and flew rescue operations e.g. in Iraq or Congo. Now he is test pilot at Airbus and was one of the first who flew the new Airbus A-380.

Since October Manuel has a room in Freiburg for studying political science at the university. At the beginning he had no internet and no TV but in the meantime he feels very well in Freiburg. One thing he learned in the first week was how to cook potatoes. And during the first week at the university he got to know a lot of other students.

Last Friday there was an introduction day for parents and students at the Albert-Ludwigs-University. It was quite interesting to see the campus which is placed in the heart of Freiburg.

At 4:30 AM we went to the airport Stuttgart in the morning, where Philip started
his journey to New Jersey. For one year he will stay there as an au pair. Now he is gone.

We will miss you, Philip!

Last weekend we had heavy rains in Gerlingen as you can see on the video. We had also a little swimming pool in our vaulted cellar. But in the city hall the whole basement and ground floor was under water.

Last Thursday a choir from the university of Pretoria, South Africa give a concert here in Gerlingen. It was a really great concert (as my wife told me).

When I come back from a conference (Java Forum Stuttgart) that Thursday I found two very polite and communicative teenager in the kitchen. On Friday they leave us. They give us a impressive book about South Africa (I don't know that South Africa has such beautiful mountains and areas) and two little dolls, which are typical for South Africa.