On the Caspian coast of Iran, through Ardabil, Gilan, and Mazandaran

 Our last story had taken us to Kandovan and then, through the outskirts of Tabriz, the rain, and the cold (the unusual cold!) to Ardabil in the Province of ARDABIL. Marcel and I were stopped for speeding and got a fine but we couldn’t understand the police officer or the text on the fine. Ah, well… Our plan was to cover the Caspian coast all the way to Bandar Torkaman. First, however, a UNESCO site that I had been dreaming to see: Sheikh Safi al-Din Khānegāh and Shrine Ensemble: 500-year-old Sufi mysticism. In a burst of luck, the rain stopped and the sun came out. We were able to wander around the complex, wonder at the delicate turquoise tiles, representative of Central Asia, and witness one of the most beautiful sunsets of our lives.

  

When we couldn’t get hold of our host in Ardabil – apart from Tabriz, our homestay.com experience was disastrous! –, we remembered that Ramin [our host and friend from Tabriz] had told us about the hot spring resort of Sarein. We didn’t go to the spa, in the end – it would have been separate, anyway –, but we found a nice hotel, had a good night’s sleep and savoured a good coffee and the glorious view while getting back to the road. As a side note, I will never forget our chef Darius or the wonderful mirza ghasemi that he cooked for me. As I was using a translation app to communicate the fact that I was vegetarian to our waiter, I wrote down ‘Please tell the chef that…’ ‘I am the chef’ he replied and we all started laughing. 

  

My friend Mehria – whom I had met in Tehran while renting the car – had told me not to miss the Astara Bazaar. I remembered her big green eyes while we were shopping for clothes in this place! I bought so many pairs of shalwars in various colours… that my smile was already wide. With another town called ‘Astara’ just across the border, it was a bit difficult to find the beach that I was searching for, as the GPS kept taking me to Azerbaijan. In the end, we reached Sadaf Beach and found many cars parked there and many people enjoying the warm water… albeit all dressed up. J       

 

Our first stop in GILAN was Talesh; the heavy traffic did not prevent us from buying strawberries [tutfarangi], so delicious in Iran in May!

 

Approaching Bandar Anzali, I believe that the fatigue had defeated me. Seeing a white doggy trying to cross the street limping made my mood drop completely while feeling inspired by his strength [one of the travel memories that will always stay in my heart]. When Marcel returned to the car, we went after the little dog and tried to feed him but he seemed too scared and traumatised. Sadness won that afternoon. We did reach Anzali Lagoon, sat on a bench and watched the water – I couldn’t believe how much it resembled the Danube Delta and how water was again taking away all my bad energies. We found a restaurant that prepared a fabulous dinner for us and the lady owner felt that I was still tense, so she handed over some bread: ‘Go and feed the birds’ I think she said in Persian. And she was right – our smiles came running back… because it’s a strange but wonderful thing: at the end of the day, you never go sad to sleep while you’re a guest in Iran. This family restaurant, with such a Romanian name – Dorna –, was where Marcel got hooked on fava beans.

  

I had heard so many good things about Gilan Rural Heritage Museum. Unfortunately, by the time we passed Rasht, it had closed. I knew it in my heart that we’d return, so I didn’t worry much.

 

Quite late, after a long drive along rice fields, we returned to Ramsar and MAZANDARAN, where we had enjoyed our accommodation so much a few days earlier. I didn’t particularly like the vibe of the city, but I loved the view and the sun.

 

We needed time to recharge because the trip was tougher than I thought it would be. I was curious whether our difficult days would pass… or not.