tehran (cough...)

Tehran was not a great place. Big cities rarely are. Air pollution is a big problem and the drivers are lunatics, albeit careful ones. Crossing the street, as in Ho Chi Minh, is a matter of fortitude and steady pace. As the guidebook says - Tehrani drivers will do their best to avoid knocking you down as the repercussions are so inconvenient to deal with.

I actually didn't mind the place.

We had three nights there which gave us about two and a half days sightseeing.

One of the main attractions was the Golestan Palace (begun in 1794), a wonderfully ornately tiled series of buildings set in tranquil gardens.

Golestan Palace:




















Another place I dearly wanted to see was the National Museum. With the history that Iran supported it was a place I was excited to spend an afternoon at.

Imagine my disappointment when I found it little more than a large room with a few meagre scattered artifacts. It barely took an hour to study at a slow pace!

When I asked the museum's director (yes...I AM that straightforward!) she explained that most of the best pieces have been taken over the years to large museums such as the British Museum and the Louvre. Sad indeed.









Caravanserai roof: