We visited Jordan for a week, viewing many of the tourist sites, such at Petra, the Dead Sea, the Read Sea.. We arrived back on Monday.
Category Archives: Country
Tehran Monday
Monday was our last day in Tehran. Again another glorious sunny day, I could get used to this warm weather. We were again in the office by 8.00 am and worked through to 10 pm. Before lunch we were driven to a shopping centre where a ouhjt a few things to take home with me. I bought some pistachios and several mixed bags of nuts, biscuits and saffron. I think they were all a pretty reasonable price.
Back at the office lunch was kebab and rice.
After we finished work we went to a fast food restaurant and had deep fried chicken with salad. I have to admin the Iranian women are very pretty, the young ones were very fashionably dressed and made up with mascara etc and had well made up hair. I even saw one who had braided hair. They though still wore headscarves and the requisite coat. Except that the headscarves were very light and transparent, very pretty colours and worn very far back on the head. The coats were made to compliment their trousers or jeans and were not the dark colours of the more traditional women.
After supper, which we ate with are Iranian colleagues, we made off to the airport in the taxi, for the 2.45 am flight back. Reminds me of the days of cheap package tour flights. The airport was mobbed with people; we went to the wrong terminal to start with. I decided there was something wrong, the place was seething with people, most of the women in fully covered in black. Then checking the departure times noticed all the planes were destined for Medina, Jeddah, Kabul etc. We were definitely the only Europeans there and someone suggested we were in the wrong terminal building. The other terminal was next door and a very different and quite place. Rather bizarre, we were not allowed into the main part of the terminal until 12.00, where we had to do the usual long queuing and long check in times.
Flight back was uneventful, arriving early in Schipol, were I transferred to Heathrow, with my luggage catching the same plane.
Tehran Sunday
Saturday evening we ate in the top floor of the hotel. Menu was fairly basic for a 5* hotel, with several of my choices off. I wanted grilled Sturgeon, but ended up eating Sturgeon kebab.
Morning I was up early for breakfast. Ate plenty of fruit, yoghurt and cheese. We were into work by 8 on another glorious sunny day. Worked though to 9.30 in the evening, taking a break for lunch in the canteen. Lunch was another soup and chicken and rice again.
Supper was downstairs in the bar area at about 10.30, today had a salad and a kebab for supper.
Tehran Saturday
Friday I set out for Heathrow early to catch a flight to Tehran, thats in Iran, who according to George W Bush is the axis of all evil. Early to give me some time to get through the rush hour traffic. I envisaged there would be a lot more traffic as the result of the previous days London bombings. Seemed to be a real lack of traffic, arriving very early. Well the next bit made be swear I would never fly KLM again. One hour and forty minutes queuing for check in. The queue was not exceptional in anyway. I have seen Easyjet queues twice as long being processed in minutes.
Arrived at Schipol in Amsterdam on time, where I met up with Mark Berry, to make our connection to Tehran. At least this bit of the trip worked, had some OK chicken, several glasses of wine and a very large brandy. Watched Miss Congeniality 2 on the inflight.
Arrived at Tehran on time at midnight, picked up are visa, taxi from hotel was waiting for us. Arrived and in bed by 2.00 am in the morning. Even at that time the roads appeared to be really very hectic, cars everywhere, people milling through the streets. Quite a nice warm evening and people out enjoying themselves.
On the flight there appeared to be quite a few Iranian women, who just before we landed, put on their headscarves and a uniform short coat over their clothes.
Saturday up late, and out of the hotel by 9ish. I had rather a poor sleep, waking every half hour or so. Breakfast was a buffet, containing usual non pork fried breakfast, cold meats and fruit.
Into work where we met the e5 team. Rather ominous start of day, lift stopped between the second and third floor. We were released quite quickly, so probably a regular occurrence. We worked until lunchtime, where upon the power went off and never came on again. Lunch was chicken and rice with a vegetable stew. Afterwards we walked up the street and had some massive cocktail type ice creams. Still no power back in the office. We were told that this was rather unusual. Just as we were leaving, the power came back on. One more problem to beset us, Mark’s PC won’t work, something failed on the way over here. So now back into the hotel writing up my blog.
The people we were working with were helpful, and were mainly women. I was asked if I was interested in politics, and how was the change of leadership viewed. I think they were a little worried as what the their new leader would do, it had been assume the pro Western, reformist leader was going to get in. The city is a bit of a concrete sprawl, with lots of traffic driving fast and very close together, lots of lane changing and the creation of additional lanes between the official lanes.
Faroe Holiday
We arrived back from the holiday on Sunday. The weather was very mixed. Rain, wind, fog and sunshine, all in one day. The last few days were quite warm.
I was able to take some close up pictures od the puffins, and also ate my first puffin, it was quite a gamey bird.
We participated in quite a few walks, which generally meant going up steep slopes and down again. After the walk a few Black Sheep beers were always consumed.
Last afternoon at Vågar
Took the bus to an old house which had been inhabited until the 1956. It had been built in the 18th century, was grass roofed, dirt floored and build of wood and stones. It was three rooms, one for the cows in winter, one room for cooking, and the final room the best room with a couple of beds.
We walked back over the hill, couple of hours walk. A few beers before supper. For supper had a started of dried meats. These were dried lamp, dried fish (probably plaice) , dried whale meat and some blubber. Was interesting and not too bad.
Tomorrow we are off to another location. A grass roofed hostel, and to see some cliffs with lots of birds.
The vist to the puffins
The night never actually got dark, it though rained pretty hard. Had a good sleep, Good breakast of meats, cheeses and bread. Then walked down to the boat. Looked quite promising, not too much wind, and the rain had stopped. But the boat was not running because it was too rough out at sea. So walk around the village. I took a few pictures of the village, the school and church. Now we are back at the hotel waiting for a bus to take us to a local museum in a near by village.
The island of Vågar
Up early in the morning for breakfast and then to the airport for the two hour flight to the island of Vågar. Excellent service on the plane. Arrived at the airport, and walked across a field to the hotel. Hotel two story modern hotel. Had a quick lunch of a thick soup and then went for a quick walk to the coast. The walk took us alongside a lake. The lake reached the sea where it ended in a water fall. Lots of birds on the walk, which were identified for us by the birders in the party. They managed 25 birds on the walk.
The short walk ended five hours later back at the hotel after 10 miles. Quick shower and then some beers and supper. Big surprise was a new member of the party turned up at 6.pm. He is Ian who was on the Georgian and Armenian trip the prvious year.
Supper was OK, we all thought there would be loads of fish on the menu. In fact there was only Atlantic Salmon.
The weather, it rained a little but not alot. Just low cloud at 200 to 300 feet spoilt the look of the place. Best described as soft.
The tour guide is Norwegian, who has lived in Ireland for a a couple of years and has an Irish accent. She has just graduated from Edinburgh Uni with an Artificial Inteligence degree.
Tomorrow we are off to an island called Mykinos (sound like that but not spelt that way. ) This is a high light of the trip with puffins. But may not happend because the sea must not be rough and today the boat had been canncelled. Looking forward to eating some Puffin, its a national dish as is whale meat.
Well that is for now. It is 10.30 in the evening and it is still rather light.
Holiday to the Faroe Islands
Set off early in the morning to Gatwick airport and took a flight to Copenhagen. Arrived Copenhagen and went straight to the hotel in the middle of the red light district. Went straight out and walked around the centre, had a beer for lunch, visited the Guiness museum and had an evening meal sitting out side the restaurant. It was quite a warm night.
Watched an open air jazz concert in one of the squares and then went on back to the hotel for bed. Woken by fire works and rather a noisy street.