Where else in the United States would nearly one thousand people attend a Tuesday night slideshow presentation about travelling in Iran, and give a standing ovation at the end? Just another reason why I love living in the Seattle area.

Kristin and I attended Rick Steves’ presentation about Iran last night. The idea behind his trip to Iran came from the members of the United Nations Association, Seattle Chapter who wanted to try and do something that would stick out amongst all the saber rattling that was going on this past spring. So Steves set about getting his film crew together to head to Iran for a 12-day trip with the goal being to peel back the layers of politics and stereotypes and reveal the human side of the Iranians. Or as he put it, “to at least try to get to know the people we might end up bombing.”

Those who think Ahmadinejad’s words and feelings about the US are echoed by the minds of the 70 million Iranians would be surprised to hear that Rick was received warmly by Iranians of all ages, and that the citizens of Iran don’t spend their time hating the US and Israel; they spend their time worrying about work, going to school, buying groceries, paying the rent, and everything else we all consume our days with. Yes, the theocratic government of Iran does have numerous anti-American/Israel murals on the sides of the buildings and does pay for much anti-western signage throughout the city of Tehran (home to 14 million). But the people of the country were not so different than you and I. They just want to fall in love, raise a family, and get a good job just like us. It would be impossible to talk about Iran without talking a bit of politics, but not to condemn or agree with opinions held by our leaders in Washington (certainly not to agree), but to offer what may be an explanation for some of the beliefs.

The crew didn’t spend the entire trip in Tehran (oddly enough, a city that Rick compared to Vancouver, BC in appearance and cosmopolitan traits). They traveled south to Esfahan, to Shiraz, and Persepolis as well. The photos were very impressive. The architecture, the mosques, and especially the faces in the crowd were all very beautiful. Persepolis was one of the main sites during the Persian Empire and was on the level of Athens, Cairo, or Rome in terms of ancient sites.

The presentation ended with a rousing standing ovation not only for the slideshow, but to also commend Rick Steves for the hour-long PBS special that will be aired in January in over 100 cities around the country. Activism through eductation. I had the fortune of sitting next to an Iranian-American couple who were overjoyed at seeing someone from this country finally set out to humanize the Iranian people and make an effort to show the people of the USA, basically, that there is no reason for these citizens to die. That bomb-bomb-bombing Iran does have consequences. Some of the Iranian-American couples stood up to comment on several things that Rick didn’t get to see, such as the people of Iran gathering to light candles and say prayers for the victims of 9/11. That he didn’t get to truly feel the hospitality and cooking skills of the people because of his whirlwind tour. And one also expanded on some of Rick’s comments about Iranian-American relations with regard to the Shaw and Khomeini.

Rick put together a 45-page journal designed to be a companion to his upcoming show on PBS. I’ll post a reminder about the show in January, when it’s set to air. In the meantime, Rick will be giving another presentation near Everett, Washington on November 8th.

You can watch a preview for the PBS show on Iran right here. There is also a lot of F.A.Q. style blurbs at that link that can offer up some answers to your Iranian curiosity.

By Doug Walsh

A lot of people laugh when I suggest they consider Iran as the destination for their next holiday. Many think I’m joking, or just plain crazy, but I tell them that I’m totally serious.The few people who have made the journey to Iran don’t laugh - they rank it among their favorite countries in the world to visit.After 10 trips to Iran during the past few years, there are clearly many things about this most misunderstood of countries that keep calling me back. If you are looking to get off the well-trodden trail, I say head for Iran.

Here’s why:

1. Iranian Hospitality

Iranians have a centuries old reputation for being a very hospitable people, especially when it comes to foreign guests. This dates back to a time when nomadic people roamed the Middle East and Central Asia.The hospitality tradition has only intensified in recent years, and with so few Western travelers coming to Iran these days, many who do go are overwhelmed by the warm welcome.For citizens of the United States who are wary of our government’s relationship with Iran, I can say that Iranians have a more favorable view of Americans than ANY of the other twenty nations I’ve visited since 9/11.

2. Amazing History
The Persian civilization is one of the oldest civilizations on earth and there are reminders of that great history scattered all over the country.Whether it’s archaic and abandoned ruins dotting the sides of highways, or the ubiquitous call to prayer, visitors will experience a very ancient land with a vibrant and vital society.UNESCO has granted World Heritage status to several locales in Iran, including the city of Esfhan, which many refer to as a “Middle Eastern Florence,” and the ruins of Persepolis, where Alexander the Great defeated the Persians in 334 BC.Iran is a very large country and is home to some of the most varied landscapes in the world. For adventure travelers, all that separates you from skiing and scuba diving on the same weekend is an hour-long flight.Iran boasts vast desert and forest areas. Several endangered animals roam Iran, including the Asiatic cheetah, and the country is one of the biggest fruit growers in the region.

4. Getting Around is Easy

With an airport in every decent sized city in Iran, and government subsidized airfare, getting around Iran is easy. Extensive railroad and bus routes are also available, making all parts of Iran truly accessible to travelers.

5. Iran is affordable

Inflation in Iran is soaring, but your dollar will still get you much further there than in most other top destinations. For the trip of a lifetime, it’s a bargain.There are so few tourists traveling to Iran that it could feel like a lonely place if not for the Iranians’ warmth and their inviting nature. This characteristic makes it possible to truly connect with the people of Iran and their history.

7. Breaking Stereotypes

By visiting Iran, you are making two statements: “I am my own person,” and “I will inform myself about the world.”Iran has been demonized for decades, but nearly all people who travel there come home with their stereotypes shattered, replaced by fond memories of gracious hosts and unforgettable landscapes.

Yes, I’m still over here in Iran.

After leaving Shiraz, I then wandered off to Pasargad, which used to be Cyrus the Great’s ceremonial home. At one time this place was truly impressive but there’s not much left at Pasargad now. It looked like it had gotten foreclosed upon too.

From there I went on to Esfahan, famous for its awe-inspiring and spiritually overwhelming architecture. Esfahan boasts churches, mosques and synagogues that are so awe-inspiring they would move even a rock to tears. I cried a lot in Esfahan.

When the Armenians were persecuted in Turkey during the 17th century, the Shah of Iran at that time invited them to settle in Esfahan and they did. And then the new immigrants built a magnificent church — which I just visited. OMG, it was breathtaking. Marble floors, paintings, murals, chandeliers, domed ceilings, sacred music, incense, vaulted alcoves, the whole nine yards. I would have been brought to my knees by the overwhelming majesty of it all — except of course that I gots bad knees.

I could have stayed in that church for hours — like I did at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. It was both spiritually and architecturally magnificent. I wish that the inside of my brain looked like this.

But then I looked closer at some of the paintings nearest to eye-level — and they were all paintings of tortured martyrs! Yuck. They depicted scenes of lead being poured on saints’ heads, saints being boiled in oil, hung outside down from trees, having their eyes gouged out, intestines ripped out, heads squished in stocks, heads covered in sacks containing something obviously horrible (Snakes? Deadly insects? Wasps?), having boiling water poured on their genitals, saints’ chests being cut with scythes — and then of course there were the ten stations of the cross.

These Armenians must have led really hard lives.

Then I went off to the Armenian museum where I learned that on April 24, 1915, one-and-a-half million Armenians were systematically massacred by the Turkish military in a troop exercise as precisely planned and executed as a slaughterhouse producing beef.

Some of the remaining Armenians escaped to America but most of the survivors fled to Iran.

After visiting the Armenian church (and eating pomegranate and walnut stew, chicken kabobs and saffron ice cream for lunch), I then went off to visit a Jewish synagogue.

“In biblical times when the Jews were dragged off to Babylon,” I was told, “they were freed by Cyrus the Great, King of Persia — and many of the unshackled Jews then followed him back to Iran, where there is still a large Jewish community in Esfahan even today,” umpteen centuries later.

At the synagogue, the rabbi and his wife and daughter gave me a tour of the temple and a soccot tent out in its garden. That part was nice, sure, but the most moving moment was when the rabbi’s daughter held up both of her hands, palms outward, and blessed me. The traditional symbology of the Jewish Hamsa Hand came to life in the rabbi’s daughter’s palm. The gesture was so powerful and moving that I don’t even wanna talk about it.

After that, I went off to tour the mosques of Esfahan. Stunning. Before you die, you really should try to go there — or at least let me send you a post card of any one of those mosques. They are as humbling and inspiring as any cathedral in France.

So. While I’m on the subject of churches, mosques and synagogues, now might be a good time to talk about religion. “When religion turns into politics, something vital is lost,” someone once told me — I forget who.

When the so-called leaders of our countries prey upon all our human yearning for spirituality and convert it into hatred and anger, something terribly precious is lost — it is as if all the glory and honor and awe of the churches, mosques and synagogues of Esfahan (and the world) have been burned to the ground.

The greatest triumph of the world’s religions has been their ability to help mankind become better, to rise above itself, to become more evolved. And here in Iran, I’ve seen both sides of the religious coin — from the humility and piety of the true Christian, Muslim and Jew to the obsessive control freaks who have nothing better to do than to give ME grief about whether or not I’m wearing a headscarf. (The good news is that the headscarf is on its way out here in Iran. And also I hear that Iranians are rather pissed off that their oil money is being spent to fix the streets of Lebanon instead of to fix the streets of Iran. Sound familiar?)

And in America, our current so-called leaders — who always go about bragging that they are all so religious and spend all their time getting instructions from God — are too busy making war on foreigners to fix bridges in Minneapolis or levees in New Orleans or Iowa.

And in Israel, the so-called religious leaders there are too busy spending American taxpayers’ money on bombing Palestine, Lebanon and Syria to spend any more than the bare minimum on building schools in Tel Aviv and are currently spending no money at all on building schools in Gaza.

It’s time for our religious leaders to get out of politics, get their game on and start raising the spiritual bar — by example — instead. And it’s time for our political leaders to stop playing God.

Anyway, I’m currently writing this diatribe from an internet cafe in Esfahan — and have been here for HOURS. “I love the internet world,” I told the clerk there, “and hate the real world.” He just smiled — because he knew exactly what I was talking about. He was an Iranian nerd and an Iranian nerd is just like an American nerd And then it hit me. I’m a nerd too!

It took me all of 66 years and roaming all over the world for a decade to finally discover my true self-identity here In Iran!