A Great Day in Doha
Yesterday, I had a great day.
Most of my boxes are packed. Many addresses are changed. I know what I will take in my suitcases. The Qatteri Cat has a reservation. All the little details, by the grace of God, are falling into place.
So I could relax for a day.
I hit the pool with my long-time (I did not say OLD!) exercise buddy, and oh, that felt good! We swam, we exercised, but mostly we talked and laughed.
Joined up with another friend for coffee. Took a few minutes to shower and fix up, then treated ourselves to a Doha delight, where photos are forbidden:
Normally, and astonishingly, in the Doha Museum of Islamic Art, photos are not only allowed, they are graciously encouraged, so I was surprised and embarrassed to be told I was not allowed to take photos in the magnificent Pearl exhibit. It truly is a fabulous display. My favorite part was not the pearls, but a very very beautiful old pearling box, complete with inlay, and compartments, and a set of pearl size sifters. I know, I am weird. I would rather have that than the pearl of great price. I would worry about the pearl being stolen. The box would give me pleasure every single day, for it’s beauty and its usefulness. I have one, a plain one, and I am delighted to have it, but seeing this glorious pearl box also gave me joy.
On Mondays the special exhibit is free, but we still had most of it to ourselves, and could peruse the treasures at a leisurely pace.
I really love this place; I love the building, the spaciousness, the graciousness and serenity of it. I love that it attracts people, and that huge numbers can be in the building and you never know it.
This is what I call a phone call with a view:
Tourists can’t resist snapping:
It’s a great place for photographs:
One of these guys told me that he could see when I was younger, I must have been very beautiful. I am guessing he thought I would take it as a compliment, LLLOOOLLLL.
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I understand completely – I was once asked if there were any beautiful women in Australia……
Love those pearls!
LLOOLLL! You DO understand! It totally cracked me up, mostly because it was so sincerely – and respectfully – delivered. π
What a NICE compliment 8rofl* π
The view is indeed gorgeous.
Pearls are not so my type of jewelry, but the box sounds intriguing π
Nicole, you would love this expo. They show pearls made from conch, and mussels as well as traditional oyster pearls. They have a breathtaking collection of baroque pearls . . . some of the less perfect pearls make some beautiful and unusual jewelry. . .
Maybe we get to Doha one of these days π
Bone structure, my friend. Maybe it would have been too personal to directly say you are beautiful so that was a way of getting the point across. Bet he loved your red hair!
Nicole – Rich in photo ops. Think you might enjoy yourself here. π
Momcat – LLOOLL, good bones. Thank you, dear heart. π
Wow, I like this post! You are so joyful! The scenery is beautiful and the box story is so interesting. I did use “old old” friend on my facebook and they pointed out immediately, so I will change it to long-time friend in the future…These Arabic men are very handsome, to be honest! I like their comment, but I heard that Arabβs best respect towards a woman is not to look at them and say nothing to them. That is not true then!
You heard right. They say things like that to western women because they think we are easy. They expect their own women not to talk to strange men. On the other hand, there are some very sophisticated and gracious – mostly older – Arab men who are courteous and kind without being sexually aggressive, but you always have to maintain the boundary.