These are a few of my favourite things...

Tehran hotel elevator ceiling
Originally uploaded by rastapopolos

It's our last night here and we're tapping away on the hotel computer before getting a taxi to the airport. I want to write a final post about all the special memories that I have of Iran - almost all are positive. So here it goes; some will only make sense to me but this blog is also a diary to remind me of my time here...

• Fantastic warm Iranian people
• Flat-breads for breakfast with soft feta-like cheese, sliced tomatoes and cucumber, fried eggs, honey, cherry and carrot jam and chay.
• Juicy dates and walnut wheelbarrows
• Boxes of tissues
• 'Welcome to Iran' - 'How are you?' - 'What is your opinion of Iran?'
• Turquoise and yellow tiles
• Delight and appreciation of locals when Ben speaks in Farsi
• Traditional teahouses with open courtyards and takht
• Arched penciled eyebrows
• Clapped out taxis with entertaining swarthy drivers
• Pink papier-mache wall in Fuman
• Bus goodie-bags with tea cup and cake
• Neema listening to Ben's Farsi language lessons on his MP3 player
• Mirrored room for courting Muslim couples
• Male and female door knockers
• Salted cherries
• Total cosiness
• Women clasping their chadors between their teeth
• Our rug-filled room in Masuleh
• Domed vaulted ceilings
• Saffron and white rice served with a butter patty
• Beautiful Farsi script
• Dust and pollution
• Bride wearing an elaborate white gown with a black and gold decorated chador
• Dizi
• Forks and spoons and no knives
• Decorative wrought iron shutters
• Sheepskin dashboards
• Beer and Champagne listed on menus - 0.0% alcohol
• Jagged sugar lumps for tea
• Wads of dosh
• Twin rooms and lack of double beds
• Pomegranate and Pistachio trees
• Sickly looking child mannequins
• Having the place to ourselves - mostly tourist-free
• Disco-ball mirrored palace ballrooms
• Yogurt stew
• Stalactite mouldings
• and blue mosque façades against sky at dusk.

It has been a really enjoyable and memorable trip -Iran is great!