Tea at Liyana Café; visit to a 500 year old oil pressing workshop with a tourist school group - Isfahan, Iran -The 2nd of November 2018

We got up rather late, so as to let Klara recover from the previous day's sickness and when we did headed towards the Hasht Behesht Liyana Café, which had since the first day become our most popularly attended Café and Tea house.

 

 

Ther's something special and exquisite about this place, whether it is the unique decoration or just the way one of the owners prepares what we have asked for. As we sat I kept on looking at the decorative details, even if when it came to the visitors' opinions I'd never know what had been written. What subtlety ... artistry and good taste ...

Hamid had invited us to join his tourist class, so we were supposed to meet him outside the old Mosque in the ancient quarter. As we were waiting a few young kids approached us in both a shy and bold way.

 

 

 

Hamid's tourist course colleagues were fairly numerous. Each was supposedly going to become an expert touristic guide in a different foreign language, so I ended up having to express myself in French, English and German (as well as a few words in Mandarin) as we listened to the teacher's explanations, which were very precious. This 500 year old oil pressing workshop is one the very few remaining ones in Isfahan. It played an important role in the past and as far as historic importance is concerned still does. We were impressed by the machinery and the exquisite pressing procedures we came across.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was particularly happy we accepted Hamid's invitation. The only thing I felt was missing was a good understanding of the Parsi language, because it would have made an inevitably big difference. I decided there and then that that should be one of my 2019 challenges, as I stood for the group pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

Across the Armenian quarter heading towards Mirdamad - Isfahan, Iran - The 1st of November 2018

Following our visit to the Flower Garden and once we were picked up by Mr. Tavakoli and left close to the Jolfa square where we had tea at a marvellous open patio Café and spent some time doing some shopping both in the area and along Hasht Behesht avenue, as night was falling, we headed back home so as to have a take away meal and rest.

Bearing in mind Klara's sickness it was nevertheless a fairly reasonable day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meeting my former host; on the way to the Flower garden; the Flower Garden - Isfahan, Iran - The 1st of November 2018

 

Klara and I had arranged to meet my former host, Saba whose house stands on an alley from Nesgat street, that morning. We had to once make our way via the Imam square so as to reach it. An unexpected rainbow gave Ali Qapu Palace and the square itself an entirely different touch of colourful light ... and if I already considered it to have an exquisitely beautiful overview the more I looked the nicest it felt.

I felt rather emotional when I walked into the house I spent too many a days in the past. We shared a few news and presents, having spent some time before we were back on the road.

As we were getting ready to eat Klara felt sick and it  took quite a while to understand why she had unexpectedly start throwing up and unable to firmly walk. She had had almost two glasses of pomegranate juice at Saba's without having been told she shoul ingest some sugar or anything sweet. It wasn't until I met a taxidriver I knew, Mr. Tavakoli and we had her sit at a dry cleaning shop of a friend of his that she slowly regained her well being.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Klara with Mr. Tavakoli (on the left) and her unexpected "saviours". 

 

 

 

She felt this rather diminishing episode shouldn't interfere in what we had planned to do in the afternoon, once she was feeling better. We then asked Mr. Tavokoli to drive us to the Flower garden and pick us up one hour and a half later. 

 

 

I have never been to this garden around Spring time and seen flowers in their full blooming period but must confess that nevertheless is a very agreable place to stroll on and spend some quiet time at, which is what we did.