- The super-friendly, interesting and interested people;
- The in-depth knowledge of all the tour guides, and their obvious love for and pride in their country;
- Driving (or rather, being driven... I'm not sure I'd ever have the fortitude to take on Iranian traffic and the accepted practice of driving slap-bang in the middle of two lanes) through the beautiful landscapes, and even in the cities, watching how people live their lives. I particularly enjoyed this in Tehran with so much going on all around;
- Gaz (a chewy nougat, often flavoured with rose water and containing pistachios or other nuts), sohan (a crunchy, buttery, nutty brittle), halva and Iranian sweets in general... see here for more!;
- Doogh (a sour, yogurt-based drink) and mint tea with hard honey cubes for sweetening - I am not a herbal tea enthusiast but this converted me;
- ALL the tourist sites - there is so much to see and do and marvel at;
- The bazaars and the craftwork for sale in the country, with each region specializing in different types of crafts - the quality is really good and a testament to both the skill of the artists and how such skills are respected and preserved in Iranian culture (for example, I love this website!).
I hate to say this, because I've loved all of the places I've visited, but Iran is quite probably my favourite country now. I spent a week and a half there recently, touring around with my sister and aunt, and it completely blew me away. It's such a diverse country, with multiple distinct regions and terrains (mountains, desert, coast), and it has an amazingly rich cultural heritage and history. And the people are so lovely. And the food is wonderful. It's very easy to travel here; Iranians are incredibly welcoming and warm, and made us feel right at home - there's a strong sense of family and community and hospitality, and we were constantly taken aback by the kindness of strangers (for example, the woman who gave us some of her freshly baked bread to taste as we were staring in at a bakery one evening, agog at the goings-on inside). We had a busy itinerary and covered a lot of ground during our time there (Iran is massive) so I won't go into all the details of what we did; I have some (many) photos below and captions explaining where they're from, however! So, here is a list of my best things about Iran: A note: There has been increasing tension lately between Iran and the West, particularly the US, and it is apparent that this conflict is taking its toll on the country. I don't want to dwell too much on the politics of the situation here and the rights and the wrongs of the parties involved; all I can say is that I find it extremely sad and I hope that there will be a positive resolution soon. We were so well looked after during our trip; everyone was open and genuine and friendly, and we felt perfectly safe at all times. It's complicated - I suppose everything to do with the Middle East is complicated - but at the end of the day we're all just people, trying to get on with living our lives. I think it would be such a pity if Iran were to be closed down to the West again, and that we would all lose out in such a scenario - we shall see what happens, I guess, but I'm hopeful for a good outcome... Our itinerary: Photos: And here are the many photos of Iran! Tap or click to scroll through and read the captions...
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About my blog
Really, it contains a little bit of everything, from a celebration of science and the English language to the joys of travel and the Shipping Forecast. The title ('Meanderings') is a fairly accurate description of its content: I write about different things as the mood takes me, but hopefully there's something in here for everyone... Categories
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March 2021
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