Here are the barberries both in the dried form, or straight from the shrub. This was a popular item in all the markets we visited throughout Iran.

Most typical teahouses or authentic Iranian restaurants are "subterranean," or located off the street down a long flight of stairs.

Which one is not like the others? Coco, our fellow tour member from NYC goes over to join the young Iranian women who are eager to pose for our photos.

Fare served in a traditional tea house. Note, tea is served in small glasses, not cups, and is usually accompanied by a plate of sweets whether you order them or not! In this case, we wanted tea before our dinner, so we got dessert first!

Young girls enjoying a "Qaylan" or water pipe. Once banned due to "health reasons," they were reinstated due to pressure from the teahouse owners due to loss of business since the water pipe is one of the key attractions.

"Dizi" or traditional Iranian stew. This is eaten in two steps. First pour the juice over pieces of bread shredded in the bowl. Then, use the pestle to mash the remaining chickpeas, tomatoes, potatoes, and lamb into a mush, and eat with a spo

"Amstel Zero!" Even though alcohol is outlawed in Iran, there is still plenty of beer available, both imported and local, if you crave the taste.

These fancy recliners in the Mashhad airport came in handy after our cruel 3:30am wake-up call for our flight back to Tehran.

Sunrise over IranAir planes in Mashhad, Iran

The shrine of the Imam Khomeini, just outside of Tehran. A bit tacky for such a revered leader. The four towers are 91 meters high, symbolizing Khomeini's age when he died.

Iranians are known for picnicking, anywhere and everywhere, always reported to have a burner for boiling tea in the trunk of their cars.

A typical view of the countryside as we often drove long distances, up to nine hours from city to city. There wasn't much in between except miles and miles of brown.