Goodbye Iran: Day 14 & 15

TEHRAN!  Today I got to explore the great city of Tehran.  Tehran is the capital of Iran and has a population of over 12 million people (about the same size of Los Angeles).  Large mountains line the north east of the city.  In Tehran I saw some of the craziest fashion and makeup styles that I have ever seen in my life.  Perhaps what surprised me the most about Tehran was the number of people walking around with tape on their noses... from nose jobs.  No, but really Iran is much different that I originally thought it would be.  I had this idea that women covered in black sheets (chadors) would be walking quickly through the streets with their head's down and that random bearded men would pop out of no where and tell girls to cover their hair and remove their make up.  Where were these oppressed women and oppressive men?  Certainly they were not roaming the streets of Tehran!  The driving in Tehran is a nightmare though!  It sometimes takes an hour to travel 10 miles, no joke!  There are some very beautiful places in Tehran. Some of my favorite were, Azadi Square, Burj-e-Milad, and Darband.  The streets are also decorated with flowers and flags.  The city looks kind of like a mix of N.Y.C. and San Francisco.

We stayed the night at our aunt and uncle's apartment and roamed the city with a city official friend of Baba's the next day.  Then we returned to the apartment and tried to get some rest.  It was hard to relaxing knowing in a few short hours I would be boarding a plane back to my husband!  By this point, I missed Mohammad sooo sooo much!  As much as I missed Mohammad, I also didn't want to leave my Irani family.  I wish we all lived closer...  Until next time my lovely Iran, I will miss you!

View from our apartment

They love their flag!

My amazingly talented and supremely smart husband's undergrad university gate (Sharif).
Unfortunately, non-students cannot pass through the gate.

My first view of Azadi square.  For many people Azadi square  is a symbol of  Iran.

It is much larger than I thought it would be.

my favorite view was from under the tower

Baba and me at Azadi square

Burj-e-milad from Azadi square

My last picture at Azadi square

Burj-e-Milad

Inside Burj-e-Milad 

View of Azadi square from the top of the tower.
Unfortunately, it is often very polluted in Tehran...

Did I mention they like their flags?

Me at the top!  So the elevator in Burj-e-Milad is actually the fastest in the world (according to the Milad representative).  I am not sure it is actually safe to travel that fast!
My ears popped maybe 5 times on the way up and everyone became dizzy!

They have clearly spent lots of $$$ making this tower!  It is so beautiful inside.

My favorite picture (even though I was holding the flag backward on accident).

Ancient tower replicas

Models of the tallest radio towers in the world (Burj-e-Milad claims to be the tallest radio tower to be built so far).

Traditional carpet making (of a carpet with the towers on it)

Ferdowsi overlooks the visitors as we leave 

The road to Darband...

Darband!

Iran: Day 13

12/11/2012

Today we journey to Tehran!  Along the way we made a few stops.  Our first stop was Abyaneh, an ancient Zoroastrian village.  Abyaneh is literally built out of the surrounding mountain so the homes look like extensions of the hills.  The people of Abyaneh are super friendly!  All of the little old ladies said that God has blessed me with beauty!  They were so sweet and wanted to take pictures.  There is a medium sized hotel in Abyaneh (that was almost completely empty) that we stopped at for lunch.  To my surprise, our waiter could speak some English!  The village is absolutely magnificent.  Many of the homes are still inhabited today by very old Zartushti that seem absolutely content with life.  Almost every street corner (by street I mean small walkway) has one or ten grandmas and grandpas, dressed in their traditional clothing, sitting and chatting or simply watching the sun.  This would be the perfect place to escape for a while.  The mountains a short distance from the village contained strange looking doors leading inside them as if they were inhabited by cave dwellers... however, after a few strange looks Baba explained to me that homes for sheep have been dug into the mountains to keep the heard warm during the winter months.  The next set of mountains are continually covered in snow and produce water for the village.  Unfortunately, like a vast majority of Persian historical sites, the village is in a bit of disrepair.

The picturesque Abyaneh

Us having a traditional lunch at the hotel.
BTW - Zam Zam Cola contains more sugar than you would think is possible to dissolve
in such a small bottle and is in no way related to the holy Zam Zam water.

Me at the hotel.  It may not look too bad in this picture, but there were about 100 steps to the main door.

One of the little old ladies and me

This was actually one of the doors to the main mosque (even Zartushti villages have mosques)

Parts of the village lay in rubble...

A view from the mosque

These ancient homes are still inhabited
(not my picture)

Just chillin'... and sewing

Traditional men's clothing
(Not my picture)

Yummy, fresh bread!
(Not my picture)

The homes for the sheep

Our next stop was Baq-e-Fin.  Baq-e-Fin is located in Kashan, just outside Tehran.  Baq-e-Fin is a historical garden originally created in 1590 and in the early 1850's served as the prison and later place of death for Amir Kabir.  Amir Kabir is a famous Iranian cheif minister who is credited for creating the first universities (women's universities?) in Iran.  Amir Kabir was a definite social changer in Iranian history.  He was eventually assassinated due to his progressive ideas.  Baq-e-Fin is definitely a place I wouldn't mind being imprisoned in. for a week or two...

This is what you see immediately upon entering the garden's gates

A reenactment inside the hamam of a scene with Amir Kabir
(on the left with the funny looking hat) 

Commemorating the place where Amir Kabir was unjustly murdered

There are many water ways, ponds, streams, and pools throughout the garden.

The central main house

the largest of the pools.

I'm on top of the world pose

All of the water flowing throughout the garden is fed by a natural steam flowing down from the mountains at such a high speed that no pumps are needed to flow the water throughout the garden.

Baba got in on the top of the world pose too!

Okay... we can both be on top of the world, I suppose.

Of course, no visit to an Iranian building is complete without the ever present most popular pictures in Iran.
We're watching you!