Today is Thursday, the afternoon of which is the beginning of the weekend. The weekend is essentially half of Thursday and all day Friday. Nick’s youngest brother (Farshad), his wife (Mariam)and son (Hooman) all came to mom and dad’s tonight. Before they got here, Nick and I took a walk to Behrooz’s business to check our e-mail. Along the way, we passed a rug store where I found some handmade “poshtis”, small carpets with a backing that allows them to be stuffed into large pillows. Traditionally, they were used as backrests before sofas and chairs became more common. They are not very popular anymore, and handmade ones are harder and harder to find, so I was very excited about finding a couple of them.
Along our way, we also passed a brand new kiosk that provides bicycles for residents to borrow. We had seen something similar in Rome (and in other major cities), but those were usually for a fee. These are absolutely free to people living in Tehran. All of the bicycles are painted green and there are special green bike lanes on the wide sidewalks now as well in many locations.
We also took a walk to the park close to mom and dad’s house. We were surprised and pleased to find outdoor workout equipment along one side of the park – machines for sit-ups, stretching, weightlifting (using one’s own body weight) and even an elliptical machine. What a great idea – and people use them. We saw men in suit jackets and women chadors getting their exercise. They have been installed in several of the parks across Tehran – another effort by the government to focus on a greener, healthier lifestyle, I guess.
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