A stopover in Kamyaran - Kurdistan, Iran

Two of our friends posed with the local Kurdish men

A beautiful scenery on our way to Kamyaran

Vegetables on sale by the side walk

We made a brief stop in the town of Kamyaran on the way to Palangan. Kamyaran is a remote Kurdish town, 65km south of Sanandaj. It is a small town but lively with daily activities going on like any other towns. The southern part of Kamyaran is connected to Kermanshah, while the eastern and northern parts are mountainous with beautiful valleys.  It was  early morning when we arrived in Kamyaran and the air was fresh. 

We had to stop as some people wanted to go to the toilet and others needed a stretch.  Anyway, it was a good opportunity to browse through the town and to have a glimpse of the daily lives of the people. The main street was busy with locals shopping for their grocery. Most of the men were clad in their traditional huge Kurdish pants. Fresh fruits and vegetables were just laid by the sidewalk for sale. Our Persian friends took time to communicate with the locals selling their goods on the side walk. 

Although, I understand nothing  out of their conversation, their warmth and friendliness are obvious.  In another occasion we went to a madrasah (religious school) and ask a person there if we could use their toilet but surprisingly, we got invited for lunch! It was such a short stop in Kamyaran and we had to decline the invitation politely.  Despite the strict body check, detailed camera screening and serious luggage inspection at the airports, I still cannot imagine how the locals are such a contrast to the authority!  

Nuts and dates on sale

Fruits and vegetables vendor on the side walks

The madrasah, where we got invited for lunch at one of the local's house

The street in Kamyaran

The local man dressed in his ethnic attire

In big baggy pants

The friendly vegetables seller

The streets were busy in the early morning

 

The Home of Rumi - Konya, Turkey

"We heal ourselves with Your remembrance, and should we forget, we are in relapse" - 

Jalaluddin Ar Rumi

We took Suha bus service from Goreme downtown to Konya. It was a comfortable 3 hours journey and that was the best option since there was no direct flight from Kayseri or Nevsehir to Konya.  Flying from Goreme to Konya would require us to fly to Istanbul and then fly to Konya. But it was not a hassle traveling by bus as the service was excellent.

The sculpture of Dervish perfoming 'sema'

Konya is known to be one of the oldest conservative city in the world dating back to 5,000 years. In fact archaeologists in their excavation have shown that the region was inhabited as far back as the late Stone age of BC 7,000 and that includes the settlers of the Bronze Age civilizations like the Hittites, Persians, Romans and Byzantines. Around 50 AD, St Paul and St Barnabas came to the city in one of their journeys in Asia Minor. Konya first exposure to Islam was during the time of Caliph Muawiya but their adoption to Islam was after the victory of the Seljuks in 1071. I imagined Konya to be an old conservative city but indeed I was wrong.

As the bus approached Konya, I was surprise to discover that the city was huge, modern and clean. What brought me to this city was purely the fact that the renowned Sufi, Jalaluddin Ar- Rumi once lived here. We wanted to visit his tomb and some historical sites. We booked a hotel not far from Aladdin Mosque and pretty close to the shopping streets in Konya, so everything was in a walking distance.

The people we met on the streets were very friendly and some were exchanging smiles with us as a gesture of welcoming I suppose. Konya is very different from Istanbul, most of the women on the streets are wearing scarfs or hijab and as result there are many shops selling huge collection of beautiful scarfs. The scarfs are much cheaper than those in the Grand Bazaar in Istambul.

The bus from Goreme to Konya is very comfortable

The spicy and greasy meal that brought my stomach upset 

Busy streets of Konya

The bustling bazaar

Gold shops lined the street in Konya

A Touch of Greece - Kos, Greece

The hydrofoil that swifts us to Kos

Greece is known to be a beautiful country and to write on Kos alone of course would not be a representative view. But I took the advantage of my presence in Bodrum to extend my trip to Kos, the nearest Dodacanese Islands of Greece. The hydrofoil from the Bodrum harbour transported us to Kos in just 15-20 minutes. We left Bodrum at 9am, arrived in about 20 minutes and leisurely returned to Bodrum by 5pm. While we read about the unrest in Athens, nothing seemed to bother this peaceful small Greek island.

The port in Bodrum in the early morning

Kos is said to be the birth place of the ancient physician, Hippocrates and right in the center of the town is the Plane Tree of Hippocrates and the Hippocratic Museum was built as a dedication to him. The town of Kos is situated at the eastern coast of the Island and populated by approximately 18,000 permanent residents. Modern constructions stand side by side with the restored historic buildings. It was reported that the town was established in 366 BC and it flourished during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. There are 2 mosques in the center of the town which reminds us of the Ottoman rule that lasted for 4 centuries, from 1523 to 1912, Although, the mosques (built in the 18th century) in the center is now not functioning, it remains as historical and architectural landmarks of the past. There is another mosque, Hajji Hasan Mosque with a huge and impressive minaret but we were not able to locate this mosque. Built in 1786, this mosque is located in Lotzia square, behind the plane tree of Hippocrates, and it has two floors. 

Mosque (converted into cafe)  in Elftherias Square

 Many boats and yachts are berthing in the Marina and it has a capacity of accommodating about 250 vessels. Hence, there are stores in the island which sells marine equipment and they provide repairing services for the vessels. We saw a number of booths selling island hopping packages since from Kos we can actually do islands hopping but we need at least to put up a night in Kos. There are many other Dodacanese Islands around Kos but we just don't have the time to do it. Getting around the island is fairly easy. There is a bus in the town that can get you to other parts of the island. First, we walked all over the town center and then we took the open train bus for €2.90 to tour the town thoroughly.

The Marina of Kos

Nice to sleep on a cold autumn afternoon

It was late Autumn and the weather was pretty cold. Kos was a bit quiet, the beach was empty unlike Summer when the British holiday makers would flood the island. In fact the cheap airlines Easyjet has a direct flight from London Gatwick to this island. The only exciting part that could kill our time is to ramble through the bazaar full of souvenirs shops and cafe. Things are quite expensive but this is expected in any island.

The interior of the hydrofoil

Elftherias Square

 

 

Alook at Bodrum castle before we left

Shopping Bazaar

Souvenirs 

Colorful bracelets

Rental apartments lined the streets of Kos

Flowers contrasting the white wash buildings

Beautiful cafe

Men busy repairing their net

Quiet road side cafe

Je t'aime Paris - Paris, France

Gare du Nord in May 2012

By the time I arrived in Paris, my interest on the city has waned. Not that it has lost its charm but my feet were soaring. It had been a long journey...from London to Geneva - Interlaken, then to Luzern and then to Zagreb, rode to Ljubljana, hiked in Plitvice, rambled in Venice, roamed in Rome, explored Sorrento, Pompeii, Amalfi, Positano and   shopped in Florence, Pisa and Paris was the last leg before we got back to London. All in all we have been traveling for 16 days.  

                                                

A tour to Eiffel Tower is a must

Surprisingly, some of us were still charmed by LV store in Galaries La Fayette and never gave up on the shopping spree in La Valee. Apart from the shopping, Paris has a reputation of being a romantic city of love and I think to appreciate it, you need to spend time and not rush it through. I felt lucky to have spent so much time in this vibrant city in the past...had taken ample time browsing through the museums and gardens. So at this point of time, my legs were the major concern!

I sat by the window of New Hotel, a very simple and basic hotel. For the last 12 years, New Hotel, just opposite Gare du Nord has been my favorite hotel...it is probably only a three star hotel but I just love the convenience of the location. Since Gare du Nord is the Eurostar terminal, that makes it real easy to take the train to London even in the early morning hours. But what is more interesting about this little hotel is the staff who are very chatty and never fail to extend help when needed. 

Early morning at Gare du Nord in 2009

Many parts of Paris have changed over the last few years. Gare du Nord the main train station has had quiet an impressive 'face-lift' since my last visit in 2009. From the window of the hotel i looked out...and I still remember on the same spot, few years ago....on a cold Winter day, I used to watch the homeless folks rolling in their nap sack trying to catch some sleep. Life must have been hard for many in Paris....although this high fashion city continues to catch the attention of the rich, glamorous and famous. For tourists, Paris is a wonderful hub to begin your exploration in Europe. The comprehensive rail network with several cheap airlines flying in and out of Paris and the availability of many buses to all parts of Europe...all these make Paris a perfect place to begin with. I love Paris!

Sacre Coeur

A view of Paris from the top of Sacre Coeur

A view of Paris

The view from Galaries Lafayette roof top

Shopping stores beneath Louvre

The Grande Mosquée de Paris - Paris, France

The tile work on the walls of Paris Mosque

Grand Mosque of Paris is the largest mosque in France. The minaret of the mosque is 33 meters high and the architecture imitates the Moorish of Andalusian (Mudejar). Founded in 1926, the first communal prayer was led by the Algerian Sufi (Shadilliya), Sheikh Ahmad al-Alawi on July 15, 1926. When France was occupied by the Germans in the World War II, the mosque was a secret refuge for the Jews, providing shelter and fake Muslim birth certificates to escape the holocaust (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Mosque). 

A major renovation on the interior of the mosque was completed in 1992 and the decoration used mosaics, wood carvings and wrought iron imported from Morocco. What is more interesting is the central courtyard of the mosque which reminds me of the typical patios in the Andalusian homes and palaces. The ground paved with turquoise tiles and decorated with small trees, shrubs, flowers,  ponds and fountains makes the place so delightful with its refreshing look.  

One of the entrance of the mosque

Today the mosque is the center of attraction for most people especially Muslims who come to Paris and a busy place on Fridays, Ramadan and holy days. There is a Muslim Restaurant adjoining the courtyard of the mosque which opens daily from noon to 3 pm and from 7 to 10:30pm

It is located in 5th arrondissement and if you are from the Eiffel Tower, take the metro from Bir Hakim Metro station. Take line Nation to Place D'Italie and transfer to Metro line 7 with direction towards La Courneuve.  Get off at Place Monge station and you're in the precinct of the mosque. 

Information:
http://www.mosquee-de-paris.org/
Address: 2 bis Place du Puits de l'Ermite, 75005 Paris, France
Telephone: 01 45 35 97 33

The tile work on the walls

The columns and the center fountain imitates Al-Hambra of Granada

The corridors to the prayer hall

Wood carving on the door

Inscription on the walls

The central courtyard of the mosque

Moroccan style minaret

Taking a rest after the prayer