Arriving in Isfahan

At the Totia Hotel in Isfahan

February 21, 2015

At 6 am we were in Isfahan, but at the highway, not in the town centre. So we had to pay 170,000 Ril more (about 4 euro) to get to town. Plus 300,000 for the early check-in. But it was nice to have the room straight away: I slept for one hour and half, had a shower and breakfast, and now I am feeling much better, even though I am still a bit sleepy. The good thing is that the room is only 900,000 Ril per night (about 22 euro, it’s the first time they don’t take euro at the hotel since we got to Iran). I was happy because in Isfahan the station for the long-distance coaches is not far from the town centre, and it’s well connected by local buses to the town, I already knew how to get to the hotel. But surprisingly our bus left us at the highway, half-dumb for the rush awakening, because it was heading to Tehran and didn’t come into town. In Shiraz I should have asked for a coach that ends in Isfahan.

The Totia is a modern hotel, like the one we had in Tehran. Probably there are no traditional houses here, or maybe they are too expensive for us. 

Ok, let’s go to discover one of the most visited sights in Iran! 

Imam Square

Imam Square is amazing. The second largest square in the world, after Tien-An-Men in Beijing. It’s so big that there are horse-carts that take you around the square. With a nice pool, trees, two sparkling mosques, a bazaar and a palace with a terrace from where you can have a beautiful view of the square, if it wasn’t closed due to restoration works. 

There are some guys walking around the square to attract the tourists to their shops where they sell carpets or printed cloths. I enjoyed listening to their explanations on the bright red and green colors used by the tribes of the North-West, the darker colors of the nomads of the desert in the East, or the city carpets, much finer. And I kept thinking how my cats would enjoy scratching their nails on these carpets that might cost between 200 and 1000 euro. But you don’t have the feeling you are forced to buy and they don’t insist too much. 

The square is a great place for people-watching. There are a lot tourists here, many Iranians, students on school trips, locals that take a stroll. A true agorà.