Artistic Prowess

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Hello my fellow travellers!

Today Trudi dropped me off by the Museum of Islamic Arts which was pretty much all of my plan for the day until when me and Belal would meet in the evening for the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra at the QNCC. First I would visit the Museum of Islamic Arts and then the Souq Waqif and if I had enough time then walk along the cornice.

I can tell you right away that I didn't have neither the time nor the energy for that walk! The Museum of Islamic Arts is really big and really well organised! I spend a lot of hours in here, gawking at the many gorgeous artefacts! They are all very well presented and illuminated which makes this a photographers heaven! It's very easy to take photos of everything and the staff is very nice and non intrusive, and even better it's all free of charge! There is no reason at all not to go and visit this museum as it is both great and free!

Once I was done on the inside of the museum I walked along the small park that belongs to it which extends into the Gulf and which grants a really gorgeous view of the Doha skyline! That short walk back and forth however really drained the remnants of my energy due to the massive and oppressive heat!

I decided to just jump into the first restaurant I knew which had wifi and ac and that was the GymKhana, as I said yesterday it is a bit on the pricey side but it is good food so I sat down there and ate and regained my strength.

Once I felt sufficiently rested I set out to to explore the Souq Waqif which is truly a marvel, especially when nighttime rolls around, the best part of it, although perhaps also a bit sad, is the Falcon Souq where they sell trained falcons and all the necessary equipment. They are truly magnificent animals and it makes you feel as a little child when you watch them sitting in row after row before you.

Inside the Falcon Souq are also the Royal Stables which are open so you can walk around and pet the horses if you like. I was lucky enough to see some of them in action, ridden by the Horse Guards. However, the Horse Guards are put to shame by the Camel Guards whom I manage to catch riding in formation before the Amiri Diwan of Qatar, the place where the Sheikh works, and not only did they allow me to photograph them some of them even did funny poses as they rode past me!

Me and Belal had agree to meet by the I Love Qatar sign but due to traffic it was difficult for him to make it there so instead he picked me up by the Museum of Islamic Arts and we chatted while we drove to the QNCC and he is a really nice guy who works in construction. He is a Palestinian from Jordan who have also lived in Kuwait!

At the QNCC we met up with Trudi, dressed in her finest who gave us our tickets but since she was working she couldn't join us for the actual performance. We certainly felt under dressed though as this was a formal party but with us being Trudi's guests we were allowed entry despite the dress code. Before we went in though we took a couple of pictures together with this massive statue of a spider with eggs that stands in the lobby!

The performance was really good and everyone was really talented and the energy in the room was great as the music was splendid and the director did a good job. There was much applause and bravo shouts and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, as did Belal who asked immediately if he good buy tickets for their final performance which happens when he has another guest from France. Trudi said she'd try to arrange a couple of tickets to him for that show as well!

After the performance was finished me and Belal headed to the Gulf Mall where we grabbed some Balkan food and spent a couple of hours just talking about a bit of everything, he is indeed a really amazing guy and he treated me to the dinner before he drove me back to Kerry and Trudi's home where he had to hand in his id to enter the compound to drop me off. By the time we came back both Kerry and Trudi had already gone to bed so me and Belal just agree to meet again tomorrow and then I headed off to bed.

Tomorrow I will visit the Katara, an area still being developed that had a mixture of Roman and Islamic architecture, as well as the Pearl, a huge man made island area that is the home of all the wealthy people and that is said to be incredibly beautiful!

Until tomorrow I wish you all peace and happy travels!

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Comments

[RENanDREW]

Arty Doha
It's so interesting reading about a place I know so little about. I know what you mean about being drained of energy when you do any physical activity in such extreme hot weather - the AC is such a life saver in those countries! The photos from the Museum of Islamic Art are lovely, I love a well lit exhibition :)

[A Small Swede in the Big World]

Arty Doha
Thank you! I really enjoyed the Museum of Islamic Arts, it's easy to spend several hours there, especially with the murdering heat waiting for you outside. :p

[alex waring]

Fascinating Place
What an interesting read. I must admit I know little about Qatar and Doha, so it's very interesting to read your blog - the falcons, horses and camels in particular! I understand you about the heat, it must've been really oppressive. Yay for AC!

[A Small Swede in the Big World]

Fascinating Place
Thank you Alex, I really appreciate it! The heat was indeed a killer. :D