Tehran Travel Diaries | Moslem Restaurant

One of the best meals to have in Tehran is at Moslem Restaurant in the Tehran Grand Bazaar. Just from the lunch line you can tell this place is amazing! It was my first experience dining at Moslem and it was quite the learning experience. First you grab a ticket to get in line - the line moves pretty quickly. Then once you go upstairs and get inside the staff hands you a tray and you get your sides which include yogurt, olives, salad, drinks etc. Afterward you are asked how many people are in your group in order to be seated. Since we were a group of 11 people they sent us upstairs to the top level. Once upstairs one person goes in line to order for the group while another server finds you a table and seats your party. You place your order for the famous tahchin and pay the bill. Then you wait till they bring out your delicious meal. They have many delicious items on the menu, the tahchin being the most popular, and the portions are out of the world. One order could easily feed 2-3 people. 

As a foodie this was one of the best experiences I had in Tehran! 

Tehran Travel Diaries | Golestan Palace

Every time I travel to Tehran there are a few tourist sites I like to visit and check off my list. This time I was set on visiting Golestan Palace, a lavish place from the Qajar era which happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The palace is absolutely stunning! The site is a mix of European and Persian style. Walking through the inside of the palace I was reminded of Palace of Versailles. Photography was not really allowed inside - I was able to snap a few on my phone - but man was it over the top and gorgeous! The tiled walls within the garden were by far my favorite part. Each wall was comprised of a different scene of vibrant tiles. I could have spent hours taking photos in front of each wall!

I was happy to see many non-Persian tourists at the Palace while I was there. It's such a beautiful palace to visit and many Iranians living in Tehran don't visit it as often however I drag my reluctant family to these kinds of sites and they always end up loving it! 

On a logistics note, the easiest and quickest way to get to the Palace is by metro. The palace is right off the "Panzdah-e-Khordad" Line 1 metro stop. 

I highly recommend visiting Golestan Palace when you are in Tehran. 

Iran | Masuleh - Part 2

In the morning we left Masuleh to head to Rudkhan Castle.

Rudkhan Castle is in the province of Gilan. Visiting the castle involves a very steep hike up the mountain. We were told by our guide that there are about 1,000 steps each way of the hike. It definitely was not easy but the view made it worth the traitorous hike. We started the hike at 8am therefore we were able to beat the crowd and the sun. I definitely recommend an early start. 

On the way down we stopped by the local merchants that were selling delicious local tea and sweets.

It was definitely a major workout but totally worth it!

Iran | Masuleh - Part 1

While in Iran we had the chance to travel to Masuleh which is in the north of Iran. My mom found a tour company that offers a driver/tour guide for the trip. The driver picked us up in Tehran and we drove to Masuleh. Along the way we stopped at various spots such as Sefid-Rud (pictured above), Gilan Rural Museum, and finally spent the night in Masuleh. The trip was only 2 days and 1 night - short & sweet!

Gilan Rural Heritage Museum was one of the spots we stopped at. This place houses reassembled traditional Gilan cottages. A guide takes you through the area and shows you all the various cottages and a brief history of the homes. My sister and I fell in love with the turquoise porch homes! In general on Fridays the Heritage Museum is filled with locals dressed in traditional clothes making bread, food, selling goods. However since we were there on a Wednesday there was not much going on. 

In the evening we arrived in Masuleh which was absolutely breathtaking. It was site to take in! There are very simple homes pitched on the mountain side surrounded by lush greens and the sound of water and birds. It was very calm and peaceful. The first thing we did upon arrival was go to get photographs taken wearing the traditional clothes - it was a ton of fun and very tourist thing to do! 

Masuleh does not have hotels for you to reserve and stay in for the night. The way it works is that you basically knock on the doors of the locals and they generally rent out rooms to you. Our tour guide found an adorable old lady who was renting her top floor (pictured above) and we stayed there for a night. I did have a bit of a freak out moment because I was not mentally prepared for this and my mom and sister failed to mention this part to me (for good reason) but my sister told me to pull it together for just one night - obviously I did - but it wasn't easy.

In the evening we had some dinner at a local restaurant. My sister and I ordered the delicious Aash-e-dough! It was delicious! I could have easily had three bowls of it. After some tea and lovely conversation and walking the streets we called it a night. 

Iran | Kashan - Part 2

Our second day in Kashan began super early since Kashan was (and is) super hot in the summer we started the day off at 7am in order to beat the heat. I definitely recommend an early start to the day.

Breakfast at our hotel - Manouchehri House

Before heading to the waterfall we were able to visit with some locals that were in the process of making rose water and explained the entire process to us. The vile in the photo above is pure rose flower oil that used in perfumes. That small vile costs hundreds of dollars! It's extremely valuable.

Niasar Waterfall

Niasar Fire Temple

Nooshabad Underground City

Sialk Ancient Archeological Area

Fin Garden

Kashan Bazaar

Dinner at Manouchehri House

Floral Rose Kimono

Kimono: Nordstrom | Blouse: The Limited | Jeans: The Limited | Scarf: Haute Hijab | Shoes: Sperry | Sunnies: Ray-Ban | Watch: Michael Kors | Lips: M.A.C. Girl About Town