Hi all,
This is about my trip back home to Iran and to the Arabic countries in the Persian Gulf area, you can see all parts here:
Toronto to Frankfurt- Air Canada: http://flight-report.com/en/report-9253.html
Frankfurt to Tehran- Lufthansa- Tehran Pictures: http://flight-report.com/en/report-9322.html
Tehran- Shiraz- Tehran- Mahan Air: http://flight-report.com/en/report-9666.html
Tehran to Kuwait- Kuwait Airways: http://flight-report.com/en/report-9383.html
Kuwait to Dubai- Kuwait Airways: http://flight-report.com/en/report-9456.html
Dubai to Doha- Qatar Airways: http://flight-report.com/en/report-9501.html
Doha to Bahrain- British Airways: http://flight-report.com/en/report-9519.html
Bahrain to Kuwait- United Airlines: http://flight-report.com/en/report-9554.html
Kuwait to Dubai- Fly Dubai: http://flight-report.com/en/report-9600.html
Dubai to Vienna- Austrian Airlines: http://flight-report.com/en/report-9622.html
Vienna to Toronto- Austrian Airlines: http://flight-report.com/en/report-9629.html
This part covers the flight to Tehran with Lufthansa
FRA check in hall
Post passport control at the B gates international section
I love how close to the windows the planes are at FRA
The gate for Tehran
Our plane
Boarding
The leg room was fine but the width of the seat was so tight. When I sat down for a second I thought I can't seat in this tight seat for the next 5 hours. It was a very big dissapointment. The tightest seat I have ever been on in my life and I have a normal waist line.
The magazine
But the cabin feels very fresh and nice with a good ambiance
They had the security announcement in Farsi (Persian) too, which was a nice touch
After the take off a snack was served
Then the main dish, I chose Beef and it was really excellent. I really like the food on Lufthansa
It was the first time I saw that the restrooms in this A340-600 were located downstairs, which was really cool. There were about 5 restrooms downstairs
Landing
It was raining very hard in Tehran and I could not take any pix
Our plane
Towards the passport control with some nice pictures of some of Iran's touristic sights on walls
Tehran's Azadi square
Shiraz Eram Garden
A garden in Kerman
Passport contorl area
These are the Lufthansa crew going to the city. In Iran our stupid government has a dress code for people and all ladies are required to wear a short overcoat and a scarf in public.
Baggage Claim area downstairs
Pictures of Tehran
Tehran is a huge and vibrant metropolis, the biggest city in the middle east with more than 14 Million people in the metropolitan area. It's such a cool city with great people, very safe for people and tourists compared to its huge size and population. It is very modern with an amazing metro system, highways, shopping centers, coffee shops, restos and the list goes on. Although we have a crazy government and they put rules and restrictions on people, people still try to enjoy their life and our lives are separate and very much disconnected from the government there. Unfortunately we have a dress code imposed by the government that women have to wear a scarf and an overcoat in public and men can't wear shorts. Also alcohol is banned in Iran and most people smuggle them into the country.
I have the biggest collection of Tehran pictures on the net, More than 60,000 pictures spread over more than 550 pages at:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php't=351718
Some sample pix of Tehran below:
Central Tehran
It snows in Tehran in winter and Tehran has 3 awesome ski resorts in its mountains
Tehran's Metro Map
older map of Tehran with highways in orange it has 6 more highways added that are not shown here as they are always building new highways
Below are my pictures of Tehran from my trip. Tehran has so many places to see and many fun areas to hang out but I could only get to see between 1/5 of its attractions as I was there for a short time:
The metro card
An underground passage way under a busy intersection
Above the ground- This is Tehran's city theatre
Near Tehran University with students around
The entrance to the university
Tehran has so many nice apartments and some have nice statues outside of them
Tehran is a very hilly city in the northern part of it and has so many high hill and downhill streets, which are very nice
This mosque is a shrine called Imamzade Saleh Mosque
Here its close pic
This is the Tajrish bazar located at North of Tehran, the main big grand bazar of Tehran is located in central Tehran
Tehran has so many interesting looking buildings and this is a mall under contruction
A bowling, cinema and resto complex
Inside the complex
Tehran has so many shopping streets and this is one of them called Shariati
Tehran has so many nice statues and artworks around the city
This is Iran's Cinema Musuem, which is a very nice building
Tehran has so many shopping malls and this one is called Palladium
One of Tehran's main streets is lit up at night which is very nice but the trees were dry now as it was winter
On walls of a kindergarten- I love these penguins :D
Vali Asr Ave. the most famous Tehran shopping and entertainment streets, filled with shops, parks, coffee shops, restaurants etc.
This is the section near the Mellat Park, the sidewalk part of it
Many nice and cool statues around this section of the street
Golestan Palace in Central Tehran
Around Tehran's Grand Bazar in Central area but I did not have time to go inside, this is outside of it- very cool and crowded area
Kourosh Shopping Mall
These coloruful floors are cinemas only, there were around 12 huge cinema halls on 3 floors
There was some filimg going on outside, I'm not sure what it was for
A square in Central Tehran
Iran's National Museum
The Abgineh- Ceramics Museum
Around Tehran's city theater
A very cool park called Abo Atash
The newly built bridge connecting this side of the park to the other side
Great views from the bridge over the city and highway
Tehran's Planetarium
Hope you enjoyed the FR :)
Merci for the report! I visited Iran a couple of years ago on LH's A330, the flight experience was similar to yours. I recall at the passport control, one of LH's FAs was about to hand in her passport to the border control guy without putting the headscarf on, she was reminded by one of her colleagues at the very last moment and I recall everyone burst out laughing at her :D
That is very cool Redadeco. Thanks for sharing. Hahaha, that was funny about the crew and the scarf :D
Thank for for your report.
Iran is definitely a beautiful country and i wish to go there soon.
Teheran seem beautiful, if only people there could get peaceful life after 35 years made of political crisis.
Thanks very much Benoit. Yes, I certainly hope that things get better as politics hurt people not the leaders in charge. They keep on doing all their corruption and regular people have to pay the price. Best wishes for the people of Iran :)
Thank you very much for sharing this great report along with this magnificent bonus. Your pics are outstanding as usual.
It is a shame that politics can sometimes cloud our perception of a culture and its people, particularly in the U.S. where some people cannot disassociate one thing from the other. Lately though I have seen encouraging signs with travel programs that explore this region of the world with more objectivity which I find refreshing.
Iran has been one of those places that has fascinated me and I am fortunate that where I live there are a couple of great Persian restaurants where I can indulge in the gastronomy. This range from a humble market with a grill where the owner cooks kebab koobideh in front of me to more upscale establishments where the food is served in all its refinement.
I don't find it surprising that Tehran is a modern metropolis. As a matter of fact, this modernity attests to the resilience of people to move forward despite huge obstacles. It's surprising that reading some other reports about IR, one finds that their 747 SP's have been immaculately maintained, despite the embargo that this country has suffered.
LH seems to be a solid choice and it's too bad that the seats were narrow. Unfortunately I think the trend nowadays is to pack people like sardines. Personally I am a big fan of TK, especially in Y because in my opinion they offer the most value for your money.
Thanks Jetsetpanda. I'm glad you liked the pictures. Wow, that's so cool that you have tried the Koobideh and other Persian foods. I like Koobideh alot too :)
Yes, I have hear that TK is very good, I have tried many airlines in economy but LH had the tightest seats. Thanks for your comment :)
Thanks for sharing this FR
Then the main dish, I chose Beef and it was really excellent. I really like the food on Lufthansa
Ha Ha you should be the One lol
But I have to say that the beef doesn't look too bad
Anyway the poor salad and the bit of cake are a shame
Great bonus with a lot of beautiful pictures
Teheran looks like a modern city even if I don't like all these malls and I prefer the old town and old buildings.
The malls are all the same worldwide and can never have the charm of an old bazar
Thanks a lot, yes, it's very easy to please me food wise I guess. It just has to taste good :)
Yes, I agree bazars have their own culture and ambiance, which is very nice and unique and takes you back a thousand years. They are like a time tunnel for me when I enter one. I imagine how the life was many many years ago. They are so cozy and nice :)
Thank for sharing but I can't think to be in Iran, It hears very dangerous country for woman
I'm very surprised by your comment. Iran is not dangerous for women at all, apparently you are still listening to media and all the politics. As you can see in pictures, Iran is very safe for women, Persian women are very powerful in the society and very assertive, there are more girls in universities in Iran than boys, a lot of women hold high rank jobs and are very active in the society and respected. We even have women bus drivers, they can have any job they want and when you are in Iran you see women active in the society and working. The only limitation comes from the government with dress code and some other stupid regulations that they have other than that Iranians are very respectful people and respect women.
Thanks you for nice report your travel in tehran
All the best
Thank you :)
Thanks for this FR to a special destination. Good pictures for this looooooong bonus ;)
Thanks very much :)
Your reports are always a pleasure to read! The cabin looks nice from behind, but from the front, the bright yellow headrests look weird and out of place. But I get that it's LH's corporate colors. Great cabin shots. Sorry to hear the seat was tight, that's surprising for an airbus widebody--I wonder if you had a misaligned window that made the wall curve in on you? I've had that happen to be and it definitely makes it feel tighter.
Amazing bonus pics of Iran. It's fascinating to get this rare and detailed glimpse into a country to which those of us in the US have very little exposure. Based on your pics showing that Tehran is a vibrant modern and wealthy city, I can only imagine how it could be without the oppressive government. Under the current regime, I would not consider visiting Iran, which is a shame because it really does look beautiful. Hopefully one day if things change! Thanks again for sharing this report and photos!
Thanks so much Kevin. truly appreciate t. I did not know that some seats may become tighter due to the window,I'll for sure check that next time. I'm glad you liked Tehran pictures, yes, I agree that the city is doing really well under such a stupid government. Hoping for the better future :)