Listen and you will be amazed.

I remember the day when my friend told me that he is moving to Iran. It did not take long when I also discovered myself thinking about travelling to Iran. Although, I was worrying about several things: how the visa would affect my future travel plans, how would I adapt to the culture, how would Iranian people take Europeans but mainly about being a woman in a strong Islamic country- the want to go was even greater than all the fears combined.
The plan was to fly to Istanbul and from there take a bus to Tehran, Esfahan, Shiraz and Persepolis and then come back up North to Tehran again. The universe had a slightly different plan for us.
When we started our trip, we never made it to Tehran. Instead there was a super sweet and friendly couple, who adopted us on the bus from Istanbul to Tehran. They took us to their home in Tabriz and took care of us for a few days. They showed us around and explained about life in Iran- what its really like. It gave us a good understanding on what we are up against and how the country changes while visiting different parts. We visited a lot of places in Iran and all of them were special in their own special ways but I remember the moment when we arrived from Tabriz to Esfahan. I remember standing in the centre of the Imam Square facing the Imam Mosque and thinking I have never seen anything that beautiful and amazing. The Iran blue Mosque with it’s carefully crafted architecture going around the scare making it as a whole- the most beautiful square I have ever seen.
The second amazing moment in Iran was when we had the chance to visit Persepolis. Walking towards the gates of Persepolis made me slightly sad. Sad in a sense that I was not able to live during that time and see Persepolis at it’s glory. On the other hand, walking around there, seeing the massive statues, massive ruins, graves, City of the dead- made me feel blessed that I am living and I am able to see the remains of one of the World Wonders.
Seeing and having local people explain the insights of the local life and staying with locals helped us a lot in understanding what Iran as a country actually is. There are so many emotions and stories to talk about but I also believe that everyone should take the time and go there. You would be amazed on what you will find. For me it was part of myself and a story about a misunderstood country and its people. The actual people of Iran and the country of Iran is so much more than what we hear in the news.