http://www.iranveller.com Sun, 23 Nov 2008 13:02:34 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en 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. ... http://www.iranveller.com/2008/11/23/travels-in-iran/ 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 ... http://www.iranveller.com/2008/11/17/travel-to-iran-here-is-why/ 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 ... http://www.iranveller.com/2008/11/16/to-discover-my-true-self-identity-here-in-iran/ I want to try to give you readers back home a sense of what it's like here in Iran. Strangers come up to you on the street all the time, give you a big hug and say, "We love Americans." People in Iran consider driving to be a sport -- ... http://www.iranveller.com/2008/11/16/a-road-trip-through-the-caspian-irans-english-countryside/ Travel by Germans to the Islamic Republic of Iran is soaring. Travel agencies, tour operators, and travel wholesalers are booking Iran for droves of tourists in Germany. 'There has been an enormous increase in the number of German tourists travelling to Iran in 2008, the Managing Director of Dr. Tigges/Gebeco travel agency, ... http://www.iranveller.com/2008/11/16/iran-emerging-as-top-tourist-destination-in-germany/ "Beyond our ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing, there is a field. I'll meet you there."— Rumi, 13th-century Persian poet Bob Augustine's last encounter with Iran was on a Pan Am plane, a few days before Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini took control as architect of the country's fundamentalist Islamic revolution. He remembers the ... http://www.iranveller.com/2008/11/16/in-iran-open-arms-rich-history-await-intrepid-westerners/ "In the name of God, the compassionate and the merciful, welcome to this Iran Air flight to Esfahan." To say that I am a nervous flyer would be an understatement. So imagine my terror at being strapped inside a 30-year old Boeing 747 about to take off on a 40-minute ... http://www.iranveller.com/2008/08/29/a-persian-paradox-an-accidental-tourist-in-iran/ I arrived with my wife at Imam Khomeini Airport Tehran for a three week visit. We have some tenuous plans for trips outside of Tehran. Well, the first trip is planned with a long drive up north to see the Caspian Sea, then a visit to the mountain village of Masoulah. Tuesday ... http://www.iranveller.com/2008/08/19/caspian-sea-trip/ National Geographic magazine has just published a great article on Iran. To read this article click here or you can download the whole magazine and read the article from page 33 to 63. To download the magazine click here. Persia: Ancient Soul of Iran A glorious past inspires a conflicted nation. By Marguerite ... http://www.iranveller.com/2008/08/14/persia-ancient-soul-of-iran/ Two Christian pastors have returned to Martinsville after a year and a half of study in Iran, where they set out to learn and build trust and love between the people of both nations. Husband and wife David Wolfe and Linda Kusse-Wolfe, both Quaker ministers, studied Islam and Iranian culture at ... http://www.iranveller.com/2008/08/06/sharing-faith-opened-doors-on-iran-trip/ Visit Eram Garden in Shiraz! I take a walk just before daybreak, in the quiet before traffic has swelled to the point of making the streets almost impassable (you have to walk with faith, my friend, into oncoming cars, and hope they will have enough humanity to break for you.  Not always, ... http://www.iranveller.com/2008/08/03/the-rock-stars-of-shiraz/ Visit Xerexes Gate in Persepolis! At dusk in the ancient city of Shiraz, Iranians place flowers on the grave of the 14th-century Persian poet Háfiz, then reverently recite his poetry. This was my introduction to the love Iranians have for their rich, ancient culture. Iran embraced many civilizations over the millennium and ... http://www.iranveller.com/2008/07/31/iran-in-a-new-light/ Try Iranian food! A foodie noshes his way around modern Iran. You think you’ll find tuna on a bagel in Iran?” my assistant Kathy asked as I shut down my computer for the next three weeks. I laughed. Finding my favorite lunch was the least of my concerns. I was, after all, ... http://www.iranveller.com/2008/07/30/a-culinary-tour-of-iran/ Visit the Armenian Churches! I never said too much of this for fear of attracting all the wrong attentions but I once travelled to Iran. Now that Obama is president, it’s time to tell travel stories. Iran, is a fascinating country. When I exchanged my US dollars, i got money back in plastic bags, ... http://www.iranveller.com/2008/07/30/on-iran/ Travel to Yazd When I first was planning this trip I was a little wary on whether I was going to include Iran in my itinerary or not. I had always been curious about this rogue nation of sorts. After giving it a lot of thought I decided that I was ... http://www.iranveller.com/2008/07/28/eye-opening-iran/ Meet Sufis and Dervishes! Working my new Dervish connections ; ) I was able to attend a male Sufi-Dervish ceremony while in Kurdistan. The Sufis are a mystical side of Islam, which, in a nutshell, focus on Love and God as One. Several great poets were Sufis/Dervishes, and in general, there is more interest ... http://www.iranveller.com/2008/07/18/male-only-dervish-ceremony/ travel to Kurdistan After spending a small amount of time in Kurdistan, I’m left with a few impressions of the region. Although I am by no means any sort of expert, I found the negative stereotypes I heard about Kurds while in Tehran to be anything but true. Iranians are extremely hospitable, ... http://www.iranveller.com/2008/07/18/reflections-on-kurdistan/ Fortified Armenian monasteries in Iran were added to the new sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List on 6 July. The Armenian Monastic Ensembles in Iran, in the north-east of the country, consists of three monastic ensembles of the Armenian Christian faith: St Thaddeus and St Stepanos and the ... http://www.iranveller.com/2008/07/17/armenian-monasteries-in-iran-added-to-world-heritage-list/ Persian carpet A magnificent Isfahan carpet, circa 1600, from the Doris Duke collection at the Newport Restoration Foundation, Newport, Rhode Island, came under the hammer at Christie's in Rockefeller Center, New York City, on Tuesday, June 3. It sold for $4,450,500 (including buyer's premium), the highest price ever paid for a ... http://www.iranveller.com/2008/07/16/isfahan-carpet-sets-record-at-445-million/ The Polish Postal Service has commemorated the role Isfahan played during World War 2 in caring for Polish orphans. The new stamp, "Isfahan - the City of Polish Children", went on sale earlier this month. It depicts a pupil at School No. 15 near Isfahan (Stanislaw Stojakowski), standing in front of ... http://www.iranveller.com/2008/07/16/isfahan-city-of-polish-children/