Hike to a Zaroastrian Fire Temple

One of my favourite places in (or near) Isfahan was Âtašgâh, an ancient Zoroastrian fire temple on a hill which dates to before the 6th century. 

The path before us. 

We opted against a ride to the top on this guy even though he was so charming.

Almost up the steep slope!

 

Made it!

 

 Standing in the pit of the sacred fire.  Fire was revered by the Zoroastrians and still figures in present-day Iranian rituals, such as during Chahar Shanbeh Soori (the last Wednesday night of the Persian calendar), when people jump over bonfires.

The view from the top!

From Starbucks to Domino's Pizza...

Pizza is also becoming popular in Iran, luckily for me since pizza was one of the few vegetarian options when eating out.  Who knew Domino's delivered in Iran?!

Iranians do pizza a little differently than North Americans...

Ketchup and mayonnaise on your pizza is a must!

Toppings include shrimp, turkey and tongue:

Pizza party with the inlaws:

Iranian Starbucks!

Ok, not real Starbucks (but as usual Iranians don't mind pilfering the logo!).  Coffee shops are becoming popular meeting places for the young and hip.  The Christian area of Julfa has many coffee shops since the Armenian population is partial to coffee (unlike most Iranians, who prefer tea).  We stopped in to a coffee shop in this area and had delightful cappuccinos.  The cost was equivalent to an American Starbucks--about $5 per cup.  That would be like an American paying $15 a cup!

Even though I'm not a big coffee drinker, after many days of Iranian-style tea, I was craving a little variety.  Iranian coffee didn't disappoint!  My sister-in-law enjoying her cappuccino:

The giant coffee pot in the middle of the store (which otherwise looked like a hip, modern Western cafe):