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There was no way around it. I was never going to find an Irish bar in Iran. In fact, I was never going to find an Iranian bar in Iran. With alcohol strictly off the menu, I was having serious doubts about the capacity for 'having fun' in Iran.
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Frustrations and Friendliness in Persia

Conor_purcell
2005-11-18 13:56:53

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were giving all Iranians a bad name. Eventually, we agreed on 5,000, but this wasn't to be the end.

We arrived in Rasht 2 hours late, got our hotel, and went for dinner. Now it would be unfair on my new friends, Stefan and Roman, to say they were stereotypically German (not to mention unfair on the Germans). In my experience, Germans do not deserve their reputation for coldness and being boring. And after all, these guys had come to Iran! However, at the dinner table, we were immediately befriended (as happens everywhere in Iran), by about 6 youths, all keen to practise their English. No problem, within five minutes I had another 6 gathered around me, telling them all about GAA and Croke Park, while Stefan and Roman looked on in bemusement. Then came the moment I suppose every person who's hanging out with Germans dreads.

"So, what is your idea about Hitler?" asked one of our party.

If the Germans had been quiet and awkward before, you should have seen them curl up like a hedge-hog now.

Our new friend continued. "I think Hitler was a great man, he did great things for the German people, and he protected Iran against the British and Americans. You know I've read the first two pages of 'My Struggle'?"

My mind was racing - change subject, change subject, change subject.......

"Eh, so who's heard of Bobby Sands?"

"Ah yes, Bobby Sands, Bobby Sands!"

And that was that. On the way back to the
hotel that night, I learned my German pals were Jahovah's Witnesses. I was gob-smacked, then very happy. I'd never met a Jahovah's Witness before (I don't think), and unlike what I'd heard, these guys didn't try and convert me, or any Iranians (although with the death penalty being the punishment for conversion from Islam, I can't imagine that's why they came here). That night at the hotel, we made ...