Travelog for: Henrik

wow - how exciting!! today my host ipue.. had a group of 4o for sightseeing in tabriz!! we picked them up from their hotel and went by their bus to the first step of our sightseeing: THE CONSTITUTION HOUSE!! this is a tradional house from qajar era, dedicated to the leaders of the AZ revolutioneers in the early 2oth century.

after we passed the main mosque in front and from there we entered the bazar! tabriz bazar in july 2o1o was registered as a world cultural heritage as the world largest covered bazar!

from there we went by foot along the pedestrian zone ahead to the famous new restaurant shahriyar in the former  well restored HAMAME NOBAR, an ancient public bath. there we had a break.

after we entered again our bus and went to BUSTANE KHAGANI, a nice small park in honour to the tabrizian famous poet KHAGANI. his monument is there and a beautiful view with the BLUE MOSQUE behind it!

one of the highlights of tabriz is the BLUE MOSQUE! built in 15th century, completely destroyed by an earthquake in the 18th century. about 2oo years it rested without any restauration, but in the seventies of last century they started the restauration of the building, finished about 1977, and then started the painting inside, which took about 3o years, done by 1 man. only last time there was finally a group to finish inside, and now there are serveral years, the BLUE MOSQUE is re-opened and used as a museum!

beside the blue mosque is an excavation site from iron era, explored while constructing the shopping malls around. even they had to renew the history of tabriz. before there was written, tab is about 1ooo y/o. but some years ago they found these graves and they understood in the tab area ppl was settling 2.6oo and 3.4oo years ago!!!!!!!!!!

finally ppl needed a break and went to their hotel and in the evening they entered el goli for dinner. the whole day like every day dear isagv was with us!!!

today we had a trip together with the same group from yesterday to another unesco-site: QARA KELISA - ST. THADDAEUS MONASTERY - part of *ARMENIAN MONASTIC ENSEMBLE IN IRAN* registered as a world heritage site in 2oo8.

this monastery is situated in another county and so we entered during these 3 days 3 different counties:

- tabriz, east-azerbaijan county
- qara kelisa, west-azerbaijan county
- ardabil, ardabil county

we had a beautiful weather and after sightseeing we had our lunch in front of the monastery with a great view!

the 3rd day with the same group had another goal  in North-EAST of IR - the city of ARDABIL with its Unesco-site, registered in july 2o1o, too: SHEIKH SAFI mausoleum, an ancient dervish monastery.

when we had been still on the road it was nearly half an hour or more we had the SABALAN mountain beside us, and what a chance, not that foggy weather like usual... you reach hard to get a photo!!!

the sabalan is the third highest mountain of IR - 4.811 m high!
ipue's son2 climbed on in 2oo2 and it was a great adventure for him!
but two times after he tried again, but not successfull because of the foggy weather....

SHEIKH SAFI was a very beautiful place and everybody enjoyed it.
the new museum beside is finished and even a great monument in the yard of shah esmail, the founder of the safawid dynasty. so they were ready to get the honour being registered as a unesco-site!!

inside of the mausoleum there had been a famous carpet with its pic on the floor like in a mirror. this carpet got lost in olden times and belonged later to the victoria- & albert-museum in london. ipue.. had seen it there. it's the highlight of this famous museum, presented just in front of the main entrance!!!!

so IR ppl decided to remake their own carpet and it took years and years.. everytime when ipue came to visit there was only a tiny progress...... what a pity.. but at last there were working some carpetmakers at the same time and the could finished this great and large carpet with 64 squaremeters!!!!!!! which is presented now in the porcelain hall.

all these days for sure DEAR ISAGV was with us!!!!!!
and at this day we returned to tabriz as she would have her home flight in the night!!!!!!!!!!!
:-((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

and as ipue.. regrets a lot.. both these days she was so busy with the group and FORGOT to take pics from me................ :-(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
- except one on the road to ardabil.. 

and so I can offer you only the UNESCO-hp to have a look at the mentioned sites...

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list

and bad news... during this night ISAGV left tabriz back home again! thank you, dear isagv, bringing me to ipuenktchen - it was so nice to stay here with you!!!!!!!

apple harvest :-)))))))))
yes, we went to another garden today.. and it was so great - new direction, new area, new landscape..
I was so thrilled about the beautiful mountains everywhere around us. it was about 45 km far from tabriz when we reached the garden, very far from the main road, passing two small villages.

goshhhhh - so many apples on the trees..
ipue.. helped me jumping on the apple trees and took photos as usual!!! and then everybody started to pick up the apples. we filled some boxes for ourselves.

today they took me with them going to the house of son2 and his wife in another part of tabriz, just beside the mountains!!!!!!! the end of the street is a close because of the mountains!!

here you may see some pics of baghmisheh town, part of tabriz,
and also a pic while working with yashila_81 as well as a glance in yashila_81's furniture production!!!!! isn't it beautiful??

as our dear little guest from FI is from a country without any mountains one of his life mission his mom requested for him is TO SEE MOUNTAINS..

well - as we are living on an altitude of 1.4oo m there is no prob to see mountains - we are living on mountains.. on an elevated plain!!! EVERYWHERE when we are going out he can see mountains and hills.. even el goli, where we are living, is situated on a hill!

- 1.875 m - AINALI beside tabriz (pls look at pic baghmisheh)
- 2.85o m - MISHO in the direction to marand (pls look at the pic on the road to the garden!)
- 3.7o7 m - SAHAND beside kandovan (pls look at the pic!)
- 4.811 m - SABALAN beside ardabil (third highest mt in IR, no pic with henrik, sorry)

so we can be sure about this life mission is completed!

first of all today we had a call to tehran.. as it's the wedding anniversary of ipue's son1 today!!

than we had a look around in ipue's yard making some typical fall-pics... I hope you'll enjoy them. the weather is nice!

son2 is still busy with his new home, picking up some useful things from his dad's workshop and I was jumping on the car to go with him... :-

another day in baghmisheh town, part of tabriz, where yy & lili are living now! her mom was coming to tab to help them a bit and today the *two old grannies* were cleaning the windows of the whole house!!!
(sorry - only ipue is an *old granny*, lilis mom for sure is a *young granny*!!!!)



but what a weather... very stormy and dusty but sunny...

however Ipue made some pics in their quarter. so you can see where they are living!! :-)))))))))))

A WALK DOWNTOWN....

yesterday we had our breakfast quite early and went
downtown for some shopping and having a look around..
a lot of shops were still closed although it was
around 1o AM.. boah, freelanced ppl are lucky ppl here,
as they start to work so late!!!!

smth we learned from dear ISAGV, founded in tehran,
for her first time ipue, completely astonished, saw this
in tabriz, too!!! the special pflaster on the pedestrian
way for blind people to understand where they can cross
the street and so on... - also we had some sightseeing,
the ancient citadel *ARK* for instance and some beautiful
old wooden doors!! and a parking was very interesting for me,
when I saw the bikes on the roof!!!!! have you ever seen
motorbikes on the roof of a house???? also we passed by the
main post office!!

but finally ipue could find everything written on
her shopping list - but meeee, gosh, I got REALLY THRILLED,
when we saw *MYYY SHOP*!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you cannot imagine,
I met a lot of my friends and cousins and so on..
but the shop was still closed, too, and I was so sad as I
could only kiss them from outside even I pressed my noose
so much on the window!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-(((((((((

btw - the weather was beautiful again!

yummyyyyyyyyyy - breakfast in EL GOLY!!!

last time we had an advertising in our mailbox for breakfast in the traditional el goly restaurant in the middle of the bassin and today we would try it.. yummyyyyy!!!!!!!  and why today?? perhaps you didn't heard about in islamic countries the weekly holiday isn't sunday but FRIDAY!!!!!!!! everybody enjoyed the breakfast! nice idea!! and as usual I had a photo-session there!! ;-))))))))))))))

if you don't get bored I'll tell you about another great trip to the same garden like a few days ago..
the apple harvest.. still on stage!! ;-)
and we were happy to have another extraordinary day in the open air with a lovely weather and nice ppl and lotssssssss of apples!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

a kind of JETLAG.... LOOOOOOOOL.........

after some boring days yesterday we had a great joy - ipue's son1 with sweet little ANITA_2004 - the by far youngest active postcrosser in IR - were coming to tabriz!!!! yeaaaaah!!!!!!!

the road was so crowded because of public holidays.. and so they arrived only at midnight!! and as sweet little anita was sleeping nearly the whole way to tab she didn't agree to sleep again when everybody was going to sleep......

what should we do?? finally we were into postcrossing as she got as hooked to postcards as ipue... *smile* and she was writing and painting and so on UNTIL 4 AM when she finally allowed going to sleep........ - well, is this a kind of JETLAG?????????????????? 

anita made a lot of x-mas cards for postcrossing as well as for their friends an family, and pssssssssssst - don't tell it to my mom, I made a great x-mas card for her, too, hoping it will arrive in time!!!! :-)))))))))))))) You have to know - it will be my 2nd x-mas far from her..... :-((((((((((((((((((

after a couple of days with much joy & fun (and for sure a LOT of POSTCROSSING!!!) in the very early morning they arrived back home again in tehran - it was a good decision to go on the road during the night with low traffic after these public holidays with such an awful traffic during the day...

after some trouble with a good end during the other days ipue had an interpreter job for two days and I was allowed to come with her..

POSSY AND CROSSY, her playmob-traveltoys, were a bit sad, but as I'm not all the time in tab but only for vacation, she took ME with her... and next time will be again P&C's TURN she promised!!!!! :-)))))))

we had some sightseeing again, and it was such a beautiful weather, and in one of the museums in a yard it was full of beautiful white roses!!! at the END OF NOVEMBER, imagine!!!!!!!!!

Ipue told me she's looking for another host, specially in germany, as she will have  the opportunity to send me next month to DE!!! I'm so curious WHO WILL BE MY NEXT HOST!!!!?!?!? pls get in touch with ipue!!!!!!!

- entrance of measurement museum
- part of university of art, both in trad. ancient houses
- roses in tabriz at the end of november!!

yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh - jippieeeeeeeeeeeeeehhh!!!!!

as I was a bit homesick since a couple of days - as well as I didn't told it to anybody - LUCKY HENRIK!!!
I was sooooo *H*A*P*P*Y* today when a postcard from my mom was in ipue's mailboxxxxx!!!!

it shows one of my siblings :-))))))))) a maxicard with a special cancellation!! LUCKY IPUENKTCHEN, too!!!!!!!!!! she enjoyed the card also too much!! it was a meeting card from *red nose meeting part2* !!!!!!?!??!??! signatures of Huppu68 with manu, duffeli, delenna, yomyohas & sahrami - very kind of you ♥

I cannot explain you how excited I was, when ipue shows me this postcard and read it for me!!!!?!?!?!!!!!!!?!?!

THANK YOU, DEAR MOM ♥huppu68♥!!!!!!!!!