07-01-2010

Fuuuuck mang, I just wrote most of another entry on my train ride back from Heidelberg and through some magic when I stood up to get out I looked back onto my iPod and the notes was blank and I couldn't figure out how to get it back.

Things like this really bother me sometimes because I feel like I am wasting time rewritting this a bit but I am now showered and enjoying a beer back at my hostel so really there isn't much else I rather be doing.

Anywho, I had put before that there is this evolution of my blog it seems where I talk both about the present (when I am actually writing) and the past (when this entry happened). I personally really like it and will continue it. I enjoy the dichotomy in time it creates so if you are reading this, deal with it. Not that many people are actually reading this. Hah

Anywho, back to the little bit boring task of re-writting my day of July 1, 2010.

On this day we woke up and had breakfast at the hotel. It was bread, cheese, eggs, some cold-cuts, and fruits. Not too bad. 

After the breakfast we went back to the imam square and finished going through the bazar from the day before. After that we deided to check out the main mosque which is on one side of the square. It was really cool to see all the intriquete tile work that was done all over the dome of the mosque. The thousands, if not tens of thousands, of tiles were each hand-painted, fired, and then placed into their correct place. The amazing part of this in my oppinion is the idea that back then there was no computer that would allow them to visualize the inished product and know exactly where each tile went before any stroke of the brush. 

[This is where I stopped last night so I am now, 7-13-2010, restarting the rest of the story. However you must have a background of why I suddenly have time to write. It's 2:30pm and I have a flight to London at 5:40 leaving from Frankfurt HAN. Why do I capitalize that last part? Because I am sittig at Frrankfurth M, an hour thirty minute bus-ride away. The next bus comes at 3:15 which would put me t the airport at 4:45. It was suggested to be no less than two hours early. Yeah, gonna have to pull a miracle and may just miss the flight :/. But anywho you gotta stay tuned to hear about that.]

Back to our day in Esfehan. So as I sai it was really nice to see the tile-work of the mosque up-close. There was a small problem though. If you wanted to stand back an see the tile work from the opposite side of the mosque's courtyard and just take in the dome as a hole, you couldn't. You see, the couryard has recently been turned into a place for Friday prayers am this includes a canopy to block the sun from the seculist below. In a way, as I have beat this point to the ground, it is cool that this 400 year old structure is still providing it's initial purpouse. After-all it is possible that rugs and carpet were scattered everywhere an that a similar canopy covered the old elite religious sha an his company from the sun. However it just takes away from th visual beauty a bit is all.

There wa only about 8 people in the entire mosque, two of whom where a european couple. It was a bit surprising and also nice to see that foreigners know, appriciate, and still come to Iran with all the challenges such a trip poses in terms of logisics and ease of travel. Within the mosque these Europeans were approached kindly by a soft-spoken student mullah of that mosque who welcomed them there in pretty good English who after making small talk told them to feel free to ask him anything.  

Anywho, after that we went and saw the private house the shaw had built in this square to watch events that went on in the center. The house had a spectacular view of the entire square. 

[well I just tucked myself by getting on the wrong bus that was going to Frankfurt the city instead of Frankfurt Han the airport. The stops are like three inches apart and the buses come two minutes apart. There is a 99% chance I sill kiss the flight as the right bus will get there around 5:40 so unless my flight is delayed I am screwed. While I was waiting I checked the ticket price to London via train and it's $450. Hopefully last minute airplane price is less via Ryan air. I'm not very hopeful though as they definitely know this is the train ticket price and will not price it significantly less. But lesson learned. Double check all names so you know you ar going tothe righ place and um FUCKING ASK SOMEONE. usually expensive lessons are best learned so let's just say I will not forget this one.]

Anyway, back to my story of esfehan. It was our first day there and while waiting in line fo one of the museums around this square I was approached by an Iranian who spoke to me in English trying to sell me a tour. It was interesting that apparantly I didn't look Iranian enough to be spoken to in Farsi at first. 

Throughout the rest of the day we traveled through the city isiting other famous landmarks such as fourty pillars and 8-paradise garden. It was a typical day and by the end of it I was exhausted of siteseeing. 

For dinner we bought four personal pizzas and sat by one of the bridges like the rest of th people and enjoyed our dinner. Btw in Iran pizzas are a bit different as there is no pizza sauce on it so people eat pizza with ketchup. Yeah. Crazy stuff. Hah. 

After dinner we strolled home and bought some Persian ice-creak along the way. About halfway through the icecream mine fell and I ended that day sad and dissapointed in myself :(.
-NZ

BTW: I got on as they were closing the gate. They let me on!!!! What. A. Fucking. Experience. I am absolutely sweating a lot because of the running but I don't care, I'm here!!!!!