Esfahan: Half the World

It is always a good idea to take it a bit easy once in a while, and Esfahan is one of the best places in Iran to do so. Just resting, lingering around and visiting the main tourist draws a few times at a relaxed pace is the right thing to do in a lovely city as Esfahan.

With about 1.5 million inhabitants, it's a rather large city, even by Iranian standards, and even though there is the typical noise of cars, buses and motorcycles that dominate the oral senses in this part of the world, it boasts some of the most splendid attractions and relaxed spots we have come across on our trip.

Imam square with the nearby bazaar and architecturally and aesthetically marvelous mosques is a great place to wander around, marvel at these "wonders of the Islamic world" and sit and drink some tea. The several parks in the center also provide a fine setting to walk around and meet some locals, but the riverside, with its parks and bridges are maybe what we found most rewarding. All day, locals walk and sit, sing and play, drink some tea or have a picnic near the waters, where graceful birds (different herons especially) hunt for fish. The old bridges provide a glimpse of the past, and before long, while walking along the river, you will be stopped by locals who seem to be always interested in foreigners. We have had our pictures taken by complete strangers on various occasions and we met a man (who was obviously sick and somehow aware of it), who upheld that he was the ex-president and that he, with the will of God, would overthrow "the American and European countries" and impose Islam on all nations. He promised however that he wouldn't use the Iranian army for this purpose, and he would save us because he loved us. A really interesting talk, in a way quite funny but also (even more so) very sad.

On one occasion, when we were walking near a war cemetery for the victims of the Iran-Iraq war, we found an extremely cute small kitten that was all alone, cold and shivering (it had been raining just before) and evidently had been abandoned there. It was clean and healthy however, and was very affectionate and playful. We decided to safeguard the poor little creature: Floris put it in the pocket of his jacket to keep it warm and Hanna found some meat for it. We of course realized that we couldn't keep it ourselves (too unpractical while traveling), so we ventured to find it a nice Iranian foster parent. Luckily, we quite soon ran into a kind young Iranian man (a student of philosophy) who would take care of it. We decided to meet up with him and his girlfriend the next day, and had a very nice time: Esfahan has been worth the relaxed pace, both because of the sights and because of its people!