Glimmering Palaces and Giant Squares of Esfahan
Today I saw the most glorious manmade buildings I’ve ever laid eyes on. The city of Esfahan is famous for gorgeous mosques, miles of parks, ornate bridges, grand palaces and the most impressive is Naghsh-e-Jahan Square the world’s second largest to Beijing’s Tieneman Square. It’s the heart of the city […]
At the Arashk Cafe, My Rials Are No Good
When I heard there was a place that sold lattes right down the street from the Armenian church in Esfahan, I hightailed it right over. And when Elham and his sister heard that I owned a cafe in the US, well that made it a day to celebrate! They refused […]
In Esfahan, Gorgeous Bridges Are a Main Attraction
I woke up very early this morning, hours before my early wake-up call, and walked through a garden behind our hotel in Shiraz. I wanted to see the street, and meet some people before our massive convoy of 130 travel agents and tourism officials left for the airport. I walked […]
You Are American? Ohh, That’s Great. Welcome!!
Where to begin? With the most important thing about Iran. It is this daily encounter, repeated endlessly. You meet someone’s eyes. They look at you, at your nametag. “You are American?”Yes you say. “Great, great, welcome, welcome to Iran!” This steadfast enthusiasm for American people is what makes this country […]
I’m In Iran, Visa in Hand, Ready to Report
It was a long, long night, as I arrived at Tehran’s Khomeini airport at about 3 am and spent a few hours wrestling with various levels of authority to try and finish the visa business that I started last week. In the end, after fumbling with a fingerprint machine, the […]
For the First Time in 40 Years, Electricity Use Drops
I read today in the WSJ that utilities in the US have been jolted by a drop in power use, and it has dire implications for the future of alternative energy. That’s on top of massive problems getting financing that has put many solar and wind projects on hold. The […]
She Wears a Special Tracksuit Each Time She Flies
I checked the weather, first outside on the thermometer here at Cindy’s house in Holyoke. Just barely 20 degrees…then I saw that in Tehran it’s a balmy 63. So I guess there’s no need to bring that silk long underwear that helped out so well during our trip to Northern […]
The Islamic Republic of Iran Welcomes Me
I’ve got a whopping 18 hours of so before I get back into an aluminum tube for an extended stay in the air tomorrow night. I never sleep well onboard, despite the piles of gadgets I get sent to try out. One blow up tubular pillow extends up the shoulder, […]