Aryo Barzan Hotel
Travel Blogs from Shiraz
Nightengales, Poets, Gardens and Love Part Deux!
... a magazine with a front page picture of Obama and Romney face to face … great … can't even escape it in Iran!
Next up was a trip across town to the Arg-e Karim Khan, which is the large fortress like structure built in the 18th century by the Karim Khan that was used as his royal court. The exterior looks like an ancient European fortress, but the interior is distinctly Persian with a large courtyard split by a long reflecting pond surrounded by citrus ...
The City of Nightengales, Poets, Gardens and Love!
... me in the next 5 years....) It was a wacky, strange and thoroughly entertaining way to start the day.
We wandered through the gardens for a bit, but before we left, Bahman insisted I buy Hafez's book of poetry. The book is actually quite gorgeous and for less than $5 bucks a bargain and a half.
We finally got back in the van and drove to the old town area and spent some time walking the streets near the Nomad's Bazaar. The aroma on the street was very exotic ...
The Road to Shiraz (and I don't mean wine)
... addition, we pass though many "welcome" arches along the road and passing through them is supposed to bring you good luck. (With the way some of these drivers move about the roads, you need it!)
So we continued on through the mountains. We had our usual tea and date stop at a rather interesting gas station (bathroom was a 2.5 star) with one driver rolling his window down and asking Bahman in Farsi where I was from. When Bahman told him, the driver looked at me ...
Shiraz
After another 10hour overnight bus trip we were totally wrecked. It seems the bus companies have some masochistic streak that requires them to stop and turn on every light in the bus just as the passengers are drifting off to sleep. Surely everyone wants a three course meal a 3 in the morning??????
At about 8am, we grabbed a cab to the hotel which unfortunately was totally full and we would have to wait for our room to be ready. They very kindly took our luggage and sent ...
52 Degrees and Rising
... and it took some time to find it. He got a big one. The important thing was helping Dasha to survive the next few days without shade. We left that umbrella a few days after at our friends house in Yazd for their next Couchsurfers.
Sasha hired a guide for an hour. It was worth paying someone to sneak him into a religious school producing Mullahs on graduation. That venue was officially closed to tourists. The guide knocked on the door; and ...