Time in Nova Scotia

Lisa had the joy of travelling from Qatar to Nova Scotia to spend 12 days with family and friends.  The purpose of the trip was to surprise her brother, Todd, on the occasion of his 40th birthday.  The funny thing is that Todd found out about her arrival and came to the airport to meet Lisa.  Now who was surprised?

The temperatures in Nova Scotia were unseasonably warm for November.  This made for several outdoor activities and field trips.  The first day Lisa spent picking cranberries with her Mom and Dad.  It was a beautiful day and the cranberries, that had not been hit by frost, were very red and delicious.  Due to jet lag (seven hour time change) Lisa spent some of the time laying on the ground amid the cranberries with the sun on her face.

Of course, there was lots of family time squeezed into the 12 days.  First was Mom's birthday and the whole family gathered for supper and cake -- Joanne made and decorated Mickey Mouse and Lisa made a cranberry coffee cake.

Todd's birthday party was a day at the cabin.  It was glorious although a bit windy.  We prepared a turkey dinner on the wood stove and Todd opened presents, including an Arab dress.  Papa Smurf also came to the event.

The next surprise was when a Christmas Tree, complete with lights and special ornaments appeared!! There were small presents for all and Lisa was able to take the ornaments back to Qatar to share with Tim, Max, and Simon at Christmas.

Thanks to everyone for a marvelous time!!

Desert Safari

One of the most popular things to do in Qatar is to head out into the desert.  In fact, many Qataris have temporary camp sites set up in the desert during the winter months where they spend their weekends, similar to Canadians who have a summer cottage.

Last week Tim and the boys experienced a desert safari.  This is a popular and unusual attraction that provides spectacular landscape views.  There are only two countries in the world where the sand dunes meet the ocean:  Qatar and Namibia.  .

A desert safari is an exciting opportunity for "dune bashing". Driving down giant sand dunes (50 - 70 feet high) provides a thrill you will never forget.  Similar to a roller coaster, expert drivers guide the Land Cruiser up steep dunes and then drop on the other side

The boys had a lot of fun! Once again, Lisa was very happy to miss this excitement. 

November 2011 Break

Max, Simon and Tim had a week off school in celebration of the Muslim holiday called Eid al-Adha .  It was a good chance for a rest after the first busy months of school.  They spent lots of time hanging out at the Clubhouse swimming pool: playing in the water, reading, and drinking iced-coffee, iced-tea, and frozen lemon mint drinks.

Lisa returned to Canada this week to celebrate her brother Todd's 40th birthday.  Of course, Tim took advantage of being the chef for a week and visited several new restaurants in order to keep the boys well-fed.

One of the highlights of the week was going to Sealine Resort (30 minutes south of Doha) where the boys rented three ATVs and played in the sand.  Max managed to get his stuck once.  It was tons of boy-fun and mom appreciated not being there.

Tim in Athens, Greece

 In October, Tim got to travel to Athens, Greece for the Near East South Asia (NESA) Fall Leadership Conference.  Tim enjoyed meeting new people and the workshops he attended but he was also able to visit many of the sites he had learned about from his undergraduate degree in Classics while at Acadia University.

 Tim got to tour the Acropolis where the Parthenon still remains from when it was first completed in 438 BC.
Tim did a lot of walking while in Athens and saw many historical sites including Hadrian's Arch and the site of the 1896 summer olympics.

A special day trip was organized for the conference delegates to visit Delphi and the Ossios Loukas Monastery which is only 1000 years old.

Greece is a very beautiful country and it was great to see the olive and almond orchards.

Souk Waqif

We finally made a trip to the Souk Waqif and we were not disappointed.  This is where Doha began.  For a hundred years this "standing market" has been the centre of the city.  The original market stalls were replaced a few years ago with better walls, wiring and plumbing but has retained its old market feel.

The vendors in the individual stalls sell traditional garments, spices, handcrafts, souvenirs --even pets and fishing equipment. There are actually many different Souks in the city each with its own specialty (The Gold Souk, the Animal Souk).  Souk Waqif is the largest collection of vendors.

There are also many restaurants within the area of the Souk that offer a range of international foods.