On Thursday we slept late after the long night of partying. Katie and Moe brought us Elevation Burgers again for lunch.
We decided to drive to the desert. (The real desert with lots of sand dunes) A lot has changed in Riyadh since Moe has lived there. New construction of buildings and roads kept us from getting to the desert. That will have to be a side trip for the next time we are here.
We did make it to Old Riyadh, the home area of the royal family. In Old Riyadh there is an actual oasis or "wadi". It was beautiful with lots of green and palm trees. People build summer homes in the wadi just like people in the states do at the beach. An oasis is where the water runs when it does rain and there is underground water there.
After seeing the oasis, we headed back to regular Riyadh. We had reservations at The Globe for appetizers just in time to see the sunset and the lights come on in Riyadh. The Globe is a landmark in Riyadh, which is one of the main, unique, tall buildings that you see. Below it is the Al Faisaliah Hotel. We went up to the 31st floor in the hotel. Then we got out of the elevator and got in another one to go up some more into The Globe. We had different appetizers and a pitcher of Saudi Champagne which we had had once before.
All alcohol is banned in Saudi Arabia. You can get a pina colada or marguerita etc at a restaurant but they are non alcoholic. Saudi champagne is sparkling water with lots of orange slices cut up in it. It is very refreshing. When we ordered our airline tickets to come here we had to read a warning and agree to it. It said that anyone caught smuggling alcohol or other illegal substances into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law--up to and including the death penalty.
When we left the Globe we headed back to Moe's parents' house and then straight over to the grandparents for dinner. Uncle Hisham was there and we got to talk to him some more. Also some more aunts and cousins who had come from Jeddah for the celebration. I think there were about 18 people for dinner. We had 2 salads, meat pies, hummice and pita bread, a good casserole that was made out of corn flakes, I think, and lamb. There was a whole lamb (bones and head and all) laying on a platter. It had been stuffed with grape leaves. For dessert there was a tray of fruit, pastries and this really good dessert which seemed to have shredded wheat that was sweet along with a filling. After eating we went back into the living room and enjoyed talking to everyone, and especially the grandfather. He has a lot of interesting stories to tell.
We left there about 12:00 or 1:00 am. I had blogging to get caught up on!
We decided to drive to the desert. (The real desert with lots of sand dunes) A lot has changed in Riyadh since Moe has lived there. New construction of buildings and roads kept us from getting to the desert. That will have to be a side trip for the next time we are here.
We did make it to Old Riyadh, the home area of the royal family. In Old Riyadh there is an actual oasis or "wadi". It was beautiful with lots of green and palm trees. People build summer homes in the wadi just like people in the states do at the beach. An oasis is where the water runs when it does rain and there is underground water there.
After seeing the oasis, we headed back to regular Riyadh. We had reservations at The Globe for appetizers just in time to see the sunset and the lights come on in Riyadh. The Globe is a landmark in Riyadh, which is one of the main, unique, tall buildings that you see. Below it is the Al Faisaliah Hotel. We went up to the 31st floor in the hotel. Then we got out of the elevator and got in another one to go up some more into The Globe. We had different appetizers and a pitcher of Saudi Champagne which we had had once before.
All alcohol is banned in Saudi Arabia. You can get a pina colada or marguerita etc at a restaurant but they are non alcoholic. Saudi champagne is sparkling water with lots of orange slices cut up in it. It is very refreshing. When we ordered our airline tickets to come here we had to read a warning and agree to it. It said that anyone caught smuggling alcohol or other illegal substances into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law--up to and including the death penalty.
When we left the Globe we headed back to Moe's parents' house and then straight over to the grandparents for dinner. Uncle Hisham was there and we got to talk to him some more. Also some more aunts and cousins who had come from Jeddah for the celebration. I think there were about 18 people for dinner. We had 2 salads, meat pies, hummice and pita bread, a good casserole that was made out of corn flakes, I think, and lamb. There was a whole lamb (bones and head and all) laying on a platter. It had been stuffed with grape leaves. For dessert there was a tray of fruit, pastries and this really good dessert which seemed to have shredded wheat that was sweet along with a filling. After eating we went back into the living room and enjoyed talking to everyone, and especially the grandfather. He has a lot of interesting stories to tell.
We left there about 12:00 or 1:00 am. I had blogging to get caught up on!
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