Tag: serendipity

Arty Farty in Isfahan

It was my last morning in Isfahan. My wonderful, chatty hotel owner, Sam, was surprised I didn’t see this wonderful palace, called Chetel Sofun.  So, as I had booked a half a day tour of the city, starting at midday, I raced out after breakfast, only to find that it didn’t open until nine o’ clock.

You wouldn’t believe it but next door was the contemporary art museum, where this kind and friendly man let me go in early, before they were officially open! There was a sculpture show on from Tony Cragg, an English man who happens to live in Germany. It was a magnificent building, rather small, but so intimate, it was just absolute magic!

These little gems keep coming up on a daily basis. Have I told you that I have fallen in love with this country? It is just amazing. After this magic show, I went to the palace, just before the tour buses came!  The palace  Kakh-e Chetel Sotun was  built as pleasure pavilion and reception hall. The name means the palace of the forty pillars! There are only twenty pillars, but normally, when there is water in the long pool, there are forty pillars reflected.  

It is richly decorated. And some amazing paintings! I was in awe, like I have been on a daily basis, over and over again!! I walked around the gardens, there was water at the back, which adds so much more to the beauty of the place. Most places are being cleaned up for NoRooz the up coming new year!

Before I knew it time was up! I had to rush back to the hotel, change and get ready for my last adventure in Isfahan! My half day tour, which was over eight hours long! And turned into the most amazing afternoon EVER!

Cold, tired and miserable

Ah, the delights of air travel! Not all enjoyable for sure! I had visited the doctor before I went, to pay an immense amount for sleeping pills, to be taken for the nearly fifteen hour flight! I was fortunate, only a little lady from Lebanon was sharing our three seats. It still didn’t make for comfortable sleeping! I have no problems on buses or trains, I fall asleep in seconds, but on planes I just can’t get comfortable.  So here I am in Abu Dabi, cold, miserable and still a full day to go!  I do this whinging for all the people who glorify air travel out there, unless of course you travel business or first class it is just a necessary evil! Mind you I saw the movie about the three bill boards, the darkest hour, and Jerry McGuire,  and one more I think which made no impact what so ever.

I had an interesting intermezzo in the coffee shop down from the Central Station in Sydney. I had some time so I went to order a coffee and something to eat , when this familiar looking man walked in. Immediately I dismissed the idea that it was somebody I knew! I only know my friend Libby in Sydney. Mind you the more I looked and listened the more sure I became. I HAD to know! So I went up to him and blatantly asked him if he used to work in Yuendumu, and Lo and behold it was a teacher I worked with in the Centre of Australia in 2003! It is a small world after all, needless to say he is also retired and was catching the bus to Queensland. An amazing little intermetzo  that could change lives, which it didn’t of course. But we caught up with all the people we knew and a pleasant time was had. May be it was the second cup of coffee that counter acted all the pills I took! Probably. Here is to Serendipity! Bring it on! ( p/s these are all practise entries until I find my blob Bing feet again!)m

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