Moving

October 12th would have been my three year Doha-versary, but we didn't making it that long because we moved.  We have had may adventures and Doha has become our home.  We are excited and sad have moved.  Of course we partied to mark the occasion.

We sported our highly attractive Doha shirts one last time and invited our friends over to empty our liquor cabinet.

Our farewell bash included takeaways for the guests:

And then it was time for the next life chapter:

Next stop: Houston

Valencia, Spain

Greeting friends!  I did not mean to be absent for so long.  We have been busy roaming around the Catalonia region of Spain.  Our first stop was in Valencia.

 

 

 

 

Happy birthday Luke!

"Be careful"

Hi friends.  Sorry it has been so long.  Since we are busy here, I'm going to steal things from around the internet.  This is from a blogger who lives in Abu Dhabi, she just says it better than I can.

http://theabudhabipta.com/2014/09/07/be-careful-over-there-what-i-live-in-the-uae/

Be careful over there! my American friends said to me. As if the Middle East is simply one big mosh pit of danger, mayhem and debris.
...

They must be thinking about Iraq or Iran and they are as close to the UAE as New York is to West Virginia; although, you must agree, there is a huge difference between them. If you lumped New Yorkers and West Virginians together, any American would tell you they have nothing in common. They may be the same religion and in the same country but there is a world of difference between them. We live in a bubble, a very expensive bubble it may be; that separates us from the rest of the Middle East. Life here is grand we have no complaints. We live in a world of over-the-top excess. Free from the badness many nations face.

There’s no danger here. We are a very happy bunch. We shop and we explore and we eat fancy brunches. Tell the media how happy we are and to stop lumping Muslims together. There’s nothing threatening about being here. Get out your maps and look into it. Get on a plane and come visit us.

We are here of our own choosing we like our little Utopia. Please save your be careful over there for someone who needs it. We are living the dream. Please come and see it!

Happy birthday Nathan and Jackson!  Hope your birthdays are a blast!  Sending lots of love and cheer.

Return to Bahrain

Our friend recently got married and to celebrate we took the 20 minute flight to Bahrain.  Why Bahrain?  Because we can eat pork and drink alcohol in that country.  This was not a classy or healthy weekend.  Here are the semi-appropriate photos that I can display on the internet.  (Our trip to Bahrain in March included more learning and cultural activities.)

  

Happy anniversary Jay and Meghan!  Remember to shine bright like a diamond!

Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro

Our expedition across the former Yugoslavian countries also included crossing the borders into Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.

We visited Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina:  (See the bridge diver in the below photo?)

This area was a war zone from 1992 to 1995.  This war was more complex and destructive because it was between three ethically based parties.  Many buildings have not been rebuilt or still have bullet holes.




War was more apparent here than the other cities we visited.  Tombstones showing deaths in 1993 were scattered throughout the city.


The beautiful town bridge was destroyed during the war and reconstructed in 2004.


Mostar also had more buildings which I thought looked 'communist'.

Reminders of the past are everywhere in Mostar, which makes it alluring.


Our fourth and final country of this trip was Montenegro.  By vote (so more peacefully), Montenegro became a country in 2006.  We drove along the coast and stopped in the city of Kotor.

Kotor is an old port and fort protected by mountains and water.  And in our true fashion, we decided to climb to the best view.

View down on the Bay of Kotor and our cruise ship friends:

We couldn't pass by the Cats Museum without stopping.

We enjoyed our two weeks through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro.  It was a good mix of nature, history, and beach time.

Happy birthday Megan.  Happy birthday Mom.  You are both amazing people and I will happily celebrate you!

Croatia: Primosten and Dubrovnik

Our final week in Croatia was hot and sweaty.  We were on the coast so we tried to be in the ocean as much as possible.  Follow the pink stars to see where all these photos were taken. (same map, different post)

Our Croatian journey continued with stops in a quiet town, Primosten, where we met some friends and relaxed on the beach.  

We got more greenery at Krka National Park near Primosten:

In Southern Croatian, we visited Dubrovnik.  Old Town is the main tourist attraction.  Old Town is surrounded by huge walls and stepping inside these walls feels like going back in time.  FYI: Game of Thrones films the King's Landing scenes here.

Old Town:

We walked around the city on top on the walls:

Of course we had to check out these bars built on the outside of the walls:

Walking through Old Town:

We enjoyed a kayaking trip and got to see the city walls from the water.

The braver of the Holmes bunch partook in some cliff jumps.  The other member certified to perform risk assessments did not.

We really enjoyed our time in Croatia.