Family Blog

Continued from: Yazd

In Meybod we visited a pottery in which I would have got out my wife probably not as fast. We were also allowed to visit the workshop - it was very very hot where the men had to work (one as sitting in the baking oven and brought out the ceramics).

Chak Chak is a small green spot in the dessert, middle in the mountain. After a myth one of the guardian of the fire had found refuge here when she fled from the Arabs. There is a Zoroastrian mountain shrine at this place where water drips from the rock (chak, chak, ...). Our guide thanked us for the journey (Hey, we had to thank him!!!) - it was the next to the last day of our Iran trip.

After Nā'in, as we were driving through the dessert, we saw a rare phenomenon: rain! Normally it never rains there (said our leader - but we already knew that from Tehran). But this time we had even a rainbow!

On the way to Abyaneh we saw an injured turtle on the roadside. We stopped, disinfected the wound and covered it with a band-aid. If you will see a turtle with a band-aid around Abyaneh - tell it a greeting from us.

We reached Abyaneh (a wonderful mountain village) and our hotel in the dark.

Next section: Abyaneh - Tehran

Continued from: Shiraz - Yazd

First goal today was the Tower of Silence, a burial place of the Zoroastrians. Until 50 years ago the dead bodies were laid down and eaten by the vultures. Many Iranians are (inofficially) Zoroastrians. Also Freddie Mercury (from Queen) was Zoroastrian.

After a little nap, we visited the old historic center of Yazd (a World Heritage Site). Unfortunately many houses were decayed. Not only the historic center but also old wonderful mansions are not repaired and get worser and worser. It seems that the relationship to the history is missing - what a pity.

As we visited the Jameh mosque of Yazd there was a sandstorm and we waited until it was over. Next we visited the fire temple Atash Behram of the Zoroastrians.

Diner we had in an old "Hamam" (bath in former times).

Next section: Yazd - Abyaneh

Continued from: Shiraz

From our driver we heard that there were disturbances in Teheran and Shiraz. A famous goalkeeper and trainer of the Iranian soccer team, who was popular with the population and critical to the government, died. We notices more police on the streat as ususal - these were the only impact for us.

In Abarkuh we did a stop for lunch and visited then the oldest living cypress, also called Sarv-e Abarqu. After that we went to the desert - flat as a pancake and hot.

The hotel in Yazd was in a side rad where you never would assume a hotel. It was a traditional hotel with a nice atrium with access to the hotel rooms.

In the evening we visited a traditional material arts training which took place in an old cistern. Next we visited one of the windcatchers where Yaszd is famous for.

After dinner we went back to hotel, drank some tea and smoked the water pipe. We had also some sherry we drank with our neighbours. They asked us if we needed some more to drink but we were a little bit tired from the last days.

Next section: Yazd

Continued from: Isfahan - Persepolis - Shiraz

Before breakfast I wanted to go into the internet but it had not been opened yet in our hotel (Shiraz Parsian Hotel). Also in other ways this hotel was special: we had a heated toilet. The flushing was connected to the hot water.

We visited Arg of Karim Khan, the bazaar and also the underground (historical water supply). All public museums we entered had a standard price of 5000 Rial (about 0,30€). It seems that from site of public the history is not worth that much.

After a short break and lunch at the roadside we went to the botanical garden which was attended by many young couples.

In the late afternoon we visited the mausoleums of the two most important poets of Iran, Hafez and Saadi (comparable to Goethe and Schiller in Germany). According our leader they embody the soul of Iran and I noticed that the visit of their graves had meant a lot to him. But not also to him but also to all classes of population.

In the evening we were invited in a garden a little bit outside and had the opportunity to try the famous wine of Shiraz.

Next section: Shiraz - Yazd

Continued from: Isfahan

On route 65 we went from Isfahan over Abadeh to Shiraz. The first station we stopped was Pasagardae where you can find the tomb of Cyrus the Great.

In Naqsh-e Rustam we found four giant tombs of Achaemenid kings which are carved into the rocks. These tombs were near to Persepolis, another highlight of our Iran trip. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is very impressive and gigantic. We were all buried from all the details you can discover on this huge area. But the current government wanted to blow up the whole system some years ago. They had brought the explosive already on-site but were prevented by the inhabitants of Shiraz - thank God.

Late in the evening we reached our hotel in Shiraz. I wanted to go into the internet but it was already closed.

Next section: Shiraz

Continued from: Hamadan - Isfahan

Space... the Final Frontier. We write the year 1390 A.H. These are the voyages of the starship Flying Carpet. Her ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life forms and new civilizations, to boldly go where no tourist has gone before. (free after Star Trek)

As I wrote this lines in my (paper) notebook we were sitting in a tea house right in the bazaar which is pretty smoky and is attended by all the locals (and in former times by our leader). The bazaar itself is several kilometers long and you can easily be lost in it. Before we had visited some sight seeings around the Naghsh-e-Jahan Square. The mosques around this place have a turbulent past and served as role models for other mosques. We stay three days at the Abbasi Hotel where you can can think you live in another world. Esfahan (and the hotel) was one of the highlights of our tour. We visited the Shaking Minaretts, some churches in the Armenian Quarter (e.g. the All Savior's Cathedral).

When we go in the late evening to the Naqsh-e Jahan Square (also known as "Shah Square" or "Imam Square") there was so much life on this place. Several times we were asked what we think about the Iran. Most of the people were students but also other peoples (e.g. one who works for the army) spoke to us.

Next section: Isfahan - Persepolis - Shiraz

continued from: Kermanshah - Hamadan

In Hamadan we visited two mauseoleums: Baba Taher and Mausoleum of Avicenna. On the way to it we met an Irani who asked us on German - he had worked over 10 years at Stuttgart and was also very happy that we visit the Iran. As he noticed our leader he meant we are good guided.

On the way to Isfahan we did a stop at Saveh were we eat our melon we bought two days before. Also here we were the attraction of the village.

There were many trucks on the road when we continued our journey. For us as German tourists the overtaking on a normal road with two lanes were very adventurous. Not only that trucks were overtaken regardless opposing traffic but also trucks opens a third lane to overtake two trucks if there is no opposing traffic.

At a radar control we had luck. The police exempted us the penalty because we were tourists. And he railed against the mullahs before us who drived without any ID cards ("They believe they have control of our country...").

The Abbasi Hotel in Isfahan was stunning and well attended. In general Isfahan is a lively and very clean city. After dinner (where we had first to wait because there was Mother's Day in Iran) we visited the famous bridges who unfortunately were standing in the dry.

Next section: Isfahan

Continued from: Kandovan - Merivan

Actually we wanted to go to the water lilies on the lake but we had to go by motor boats and you need a permit from the authorities (because of Environment) - so no water lilies for today. Yeah, not really, the inhabitants showed us a place where we could go by foot.

The first part of the trip to Kermanshah we used a road which never has seen a modern car like our little bus. It was more a bigger path as a road through the wild Kurdistan - also a smuggler area or, as our guide said, the duty-free area. The mountains are rugged but the scenery is wonderful. The men wears wide trousers and the women colorful clothes. We need 4 till 5 hour for this first part where the inhabitants needs only 2 (the fly over the rocks with their cars). At the end of this road our driver shouts suddenly "asphalt" when he saw the normal road - he was so happy to be on a normal road again.

Late in the night we arrived Kermanshah. The hotel there has internet access and was the first opportunity for me to come in contact with the rest of the world. But not all addresses were accessible, e.g. Twitter, Flickr, Facebook and also blogspot.com I can't access.

Next section: Kermanshah - Hamadan

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