Iran by www.born2travel.it

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08 September Tehran (IRAN)

Iran intimidates you... Khomeini's hard gaze on the posters scattered around the city seems to warn you and remind you to "behave yourself" in this nation that will host us. "Behaving" is a relative concept in a country where the military controls women's veils, where sweethearts can't walk hand in hand but where getting a nose or lip job is considered sensual! We are struck by the free courtesy of Iranians, their bending over backwards to try to give you a hand when they see you struggling with a map in your hands on the street, their wanting to "strike up a chat" with the foreigner to listen to stories from another world, a world far away and often almost forbidden by bureaucracy but above all to tell... explain their own story to break down ancient prejudices that still "hold back" Western tourism. Their spontaneous sociability and courtesy is disarming.

You can see that the girls are tired of this veil, you can see it from the way they wear it, leaving almost their whole head uncovered... there's a feeling of change in the air, of modernisation! We fly with the flag carrier Iran Air, an excellent choice both for the comfort of the direct flight and for the organisation in general, and on this note I feel I must mention the "Adineh" agency, based in Milan, for its professionalism in handling flights and visas. Tehran is immense! It has around twelve million inhabitants who actively contribute to making city traffic hellish! It's truly mind-boggling, without rules, all these old banged-up cars circulating, brushing past you, suffocating you with their poisonous gases.

Hosting us are Meysam, his wife Tina and their daughter Parmisa; they welcome us with a typical Iranian dinner, seated on the floor, on various Persian carpets, and among local specialities we spend a lovely evening in friendship.

09 September Tehran (IRAN)

We immerse ourselves in the tentacular alleys of the Grand Bazaar, the largest market in the Nation; it's like a city within the city, it covers 10 sq km of covered shops, it's the Wall Street of the city, the place where the prices of basic goods are set, it includes various mosques, boarding houses and even a church. Golestan Palace. A World Heritage Site, this monument to the glories of the Qajar dynasty is located in what was once the heart of Tehran. The Palace is embellished with sophisticated decorations, paintings, mirrors in European style that testify to the obsession of the rulers of the time with Europe and France. [Stefy]: "Iran is surprising, when you walk down the street everyone smiles at you, greets you, many stop to play with Nora, give her sweets, bread and caresses, whispering: "welcome to Iran".

And to think that back home everyone told us "be careful, don't get too friendly"... Here it's practically impossible not to, at E-Shahr Park some girls invite us to their picnic, offering us tea and fruit. Their kindness leaves you speechless."

10 September Tehran (IRAN)

Museum of Persian carpets. I had never considered the immense work that goes into creating these works of art. The difficulty of the details is incredible, the great number of fabric knots per cm or millimetre. I saw some carpets that counted 70-80 knots in 7 cm, and we're talking about carpets of even 5 metres. Some carpets are truly elegant and only now do I understand the reason for their value! With a taxi taken thanks to "Snapp", we reach the Tajrish Bazaar. "Snapp" is an extremely useful app in Iran, you request a ride from one point of the metropolis to another; when accepted, the driver's details and the price appear, very cheap... we'll use it practically every day in the larger cities. Tajrish Bazaar is a very colourful market where everything is sold.

Its extremely narrow alleys swarm with people, the smells of freshly ground coriander mingle with those of the various incenses. It's thrilling to stroll without a goal, losing yourself without too many thoughts.

11 September Yazd (IRAN)

Today we fly toward the south of Iran, to the desert area; we just hope it's not too hot. With its winding, narrow alleys, genuine labyrinths of mud and straw, the wind towers and the low houses of the old town, Yazd welcomes us on a hot September afternoon! The tall bagdir (wind towers) built to capture even the tiniest movement of hot air which, passing through a basin of cold water, cools it and spreads it, giving a slight relief! Set between the northern desert of Dasht-e Kavir and the southern one of Dasht-e Lut, Yazd is a little jewel in the south. We stay at the Silk Road Hotel, an ancient traditional house, in front of the Jameh Mosque. A magical and picturesque place. The inner courtyard is very well tended, elegant in its folklore; there's a small pool of water in the centre and many sofas all around.

The little restaurant inside is excellent too, giving you the chance to taste many specialities of the place; the camel meat is unmissable! Thanks Ali for the warm welcome.

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