[Day 60] December 28th, Wednesday, Doha Gives You Wings?
I am getting into serious vacation mode...time flies, I do very little but relax. I am cool with that. While waiting for the elevator, I spot something that I did not expect to see...a Red Bull car.
[Day 61] December 29th, Thursday, Katara Cultural Village
At breakfast, I was exposed to a new local dish...
Yes, that placard reads "Foul Madames. However, it appears the actual name is Ful Medames, or just Ful (pronounced more or less like "full"). It is a slow-cooked fava bean dish. I was told it was a regional delicacy, but my quickie research suggests it is Egyptian in origin.
You can add garlic, tomato, onion, and...something else I forgot. Finally, some lemon juice and oil.
It was interesting, but I won't be craving it any time in the near future.
Later that morning, I walked out to the Katara Cultural Village. It was a good 3+ mile walk, but the weather was so amazing that it was quite pleasant. After some wandering, I stopped at L'wzaar, a seafood restaurant/market (more restaurant than market). I was amazed at the stuff they brought to every table, it sure beat a bowl of chips and some salsa.
I opted for scallops and stir fried vegetables. They were OK, but somewhat bland. Oh well, can't win 'em all. Onward to the amphitheater!
I was really taken aback by the statue at the amphitheater, so here are a lot of pictures...
And there ya go. I left prematurely in response to a call from Ed Brothers. He and his family were back from Austria and it was time to catch up while he ran some errands.
Fortunately for me, this also included a tour of some parts of Education City, to include the super swanky student center and the well-appointed recreation center. Nice stuff, these kids have it pretty good.
From there, we went to get some Karak, a tea drink that is described as the closest thing to a national everage Qatar has. Basically, it's tea with a healthy amount of sugar cubes, evaporated milk, cardamom, and possibly some other spices. It was good stuff.
Good fortune continued to smile on me this day and I was invited to a dinner party with Ed and Nicole's friends and it was...TEX MEX! Made-from-scratch guacamole, salsa, enchiladas, etc. It was great food and great company. Thanks to Raymond and Anna for graciously allowing me into their home and to crash their party.
[Day 62] December 30th, Friday, Chillin' and Rowin'
One nice feature of the new hotel is that they have a pair of Concept 2 rowing machines. I had tried them out once last weekend, so this was my second workout on them. Here's a post-workout picture. Notice in the background the expansiveness of the gym and that's only about 50% of the gym; there is also a section with dumb bells, a section with bar bells, and a section with weight machines.
Aside from that, I did very much of nothing today.
[Day 63] December 31st, Saturday, More Chillin'
More of nothing today.
[Day 64] January 1st, Sunday, More Than a Full Night's Sleep?
By some miracle, I was able to sleep more than 6-7 hours last night; I think it has been well over a year since I was able to do that. I think my body has finally accepted that I am on vacation. Aside from some sunbathing...a whole lot of nothing today.
[Day 65] January 2nd, Monday, More Than a Full Night's Sleep?
And again, I was able to sleep in. Of course, tomorrow I return to work. I am actually ready for that. Sleeping in is nice, as is the state of relaxation I have reached, but I really want to get back to work and tackle the work I need to do.
I am getting into serious vacation mode...time flies, I do very little but relax. I am cool with that. While waiting for the elevator, I spot something that I did not expect to see...a Red Bull car.
[Day 61] December 29th, Thursday, Katara Cultural Village
At breakfast, I was exposed to a new local dish...
Yes, that placard reads "Foul Madames. However, it appears the actual name is Ful Medames, or just Ful (pronounced more or less like "full"). It is a slow-cooked fava bean dish. I was told it was a regional delicacy, but my quickie research suggests it is Egyptian in origin.
You can add garlic, tomato, onion, and...something else I forgot. Finally, some lemon juice and oil.
It was interesting, but I won't be craving it any time in the near future.
Later that morning, I walked out to the Katara Cultural Village. It was a good 3+ mile walk, but the weather was so amazing that it was quite pleasant. After some wandering, I stopped at L'wzaar, a seafood restaurant/market (more restaurant than market). I was amazed at the stuff they brought to every table, it sure beat a bowl of chips and some salsa.
I opted for scallops and stir fried vegetables. They were OK, but somewhat bland. Oh well, can't win 'em all. Onward to the amphitheater!
I was really taken aback by the statue at the amphitheater, so here are a lot of pictures...
And there ya go. I left prematurely in response to a call from Ed Brothers. He and his family were back from Austria and it was time to catch up while he ran some errands.
Fortunately for me, this also included a tour of some parts of Education City, to include the super swanky student center and the well-appointed recreation center. Nice stuff, these kids have it pretty good.
From there, we went to get some Karak, a tea drink that is described as the closest thing to a national everage Qatar has. Basically, it's tea with a healthy amount of sugar cubes, evaporated milk, cardamom, and possibly some other spices. It was good stuff.
Good fortune continued to smile on me this day and I was invited to a dinner party with Ed and Nicole's friends and it was...TEX MEX! Made-from-scratch guacamole, salsa, enchiladas, etc. It was great food and great company. Thanks to Raymond and Anna for graciously allowing me into their home and to crash their party.
[Day 62] December 30th, Friday, Chillin' and Rowin'
One nice feature of the new hotel is that they have a pair of Concept 2 rowing machines. I had tried them out once last weekend, so this was my second workout on them. Here's a post-workout picture. Notice in the background the expansiveness of the gym and that's only about 50% of the gym; there is also a section with dumb bells, a section with bar bells, and a section with weight machines.
Aside from that, I did very much of nothing today.
[Day 63] December 31st, Saturday, More Chillin'
More of nothing today.
[Day 64] January 1st, Sunday, More Than a Full Night's Sleep?
By some miracle, I was able to sleep more than 6-7 hours last night; I think it has been well over a year since I was able to do that. I think my body has finally accepted that I am on vacation. Aside from some sunbathing...a whole lot of nothing today.
[Day 65] January 2nd, Monday, More Than a Full Night's Sleep?
And again, I was able to sleep in. Of course, tomorrow I return to work. I am actually ready for that. Sleeping in is nice, as is the state of relaxation I have reached, but I really want to get back to work and tackle the work I need to do.
Nice rowing pace, amigo!
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