I got up to meet Nasser for a traditional Iranian Breakfast of bread, yoghurt and honey washed down with tea at the tourist information office. Despite intending to then disappear off into the Bazaar I spent the next couple of hours in his office chatting away as various Iranian friends dropped by. The topic of the conversation seemd to be Iran's nuclear programme, and although I did my best to avoid the topic it kept coming back. The worry was of American military strikes on Iran and of how the West perceievd Iran. Interestingly the Iranians feel that Bush is about as unpredictable as he thinks Iran is. The majority of Iranians also seem to think that the country should pursue non-nuclear forms of energy and that the government is focusing too heavily on nuclear power as the way forward rather than listening to the people's ideas.

Tomorrow is ultimatum day for Iran to stop their uranium enrichment programme which the government insists it will not do. The tension can be felt around the city and as I walked through the bazaar many locals were pouring their money into gold nuggets - a sign that its price may go up with the news tomorrow and safer than leaving it in the bank. This is a tradition here and the gold merchants were busy trading.

I walked around the narrow alleyways brimming at every point with shops selling carpets, jewellery, clothes, stationery, meats, spice and pretty mcuh anything you could want. The wonderful architecture, smells and noises providing ample interest. People seemed bemused to find a lost Tourist wandering alone and were immediately inquisitive even though the language barrier was high. I was led here and there, offered tea and coffee, introduced to almost everyone and all without the expectation taht I should buy anything. One guy, Mehdi, spoke excellent English and we sat in his shop for over an hour chatting with his neighbours who seemed more interested in me than in their cutomers.

The bazaar is as old as the city itself and although rebuilt in the 15th century has been in existence for over a thousand years. Marco Polo visited it on his travels and, as Tabriz was located en route for the trade caravans arriving from the east and west along the Silk Road, it was the focal point for the exchange of Asian and European goods. At one point up to 22 caravanserais surrounded the bazaar equipped to recieve and provide for arriving merchants.

Finally exiting the labyrynth with most of my wallet in tact (bar a traditional wool hat I had purchased) and no carpet, I headed for the Blue Mosque which during its heyday was one of the most beautiful mosques in Iran. Sadly an earthquake reduced most of it to rubble and though it has been reconstructed, is nowhere near finished. On the way a couple of English students wanted to practice their English and so I obliged and we sat outside for a while in deep conversation.

It feels at though all I have done today is chat to people! Indeed in the evening I brought Nasser some cakes to thank him and we sat drinking yet more tea and watched a replay of the Chelsea vs Man City match. Of course most of it was spent chatting! But I havent tired yet of the wonderfully hospitable way I have been treated so far!

At the tabriz Bazar