Doha (Chrismas Eve)

The 24th started out with a trip the the new Museum of Islamic Art for me and Mom. The building itself is quite the piece of art. It is build literally on the water, with a long stone ramp lined with palm trees. Inside were all sorts of beautiful pieces from all over the middle east and every century going back to the 6th and 7th. Not to mention copies and copies of different, decorative Qur'ans. Big ones, tiny ones (smaller then a deck of cards), and my favorite was the entire works written on a piece of silk the size of a towel! After we left the museum we walked down the shore, which was gorgeous and planted with all colors of flowers, and crossed the road into the Souq Waqif again. It was late in the afternoon and most of the stores close down during the afternoon due to the ridiculous summer heat, but it gave me a chance to take some photos of the architecture and buildings without interrupting too many people. Dad picked us up there on his way home from work and headed back, but we had to make a quick stop on the side of the road to watch a local man training a beautiful white Arabian horse. Dad and I then drove over the the Ritz-Carlton hotel, which is probably the most fancy hotel/resort I have ever steeped foot in, to pick up our 'home made' Christmas dinner. When we got home we unloaded all of the food and enjoyed a wonderful dinner. We had some company from two of the very sweet young ladiesthat work the front desk of the building Mom and Dad live in. Dinner having been put away, which was quite the chore with their very small fridge, we put on the tradition "A Christmas Story" and watched it while Dad played Red Alert on the computer. I even broke down and played a game, it had been years since I had played it! Games and movies put away, it was time for bed.