USA 2015

Our trip back to the States was wonderful and full of smiles.  It was great to hug people, feel rain, and eat everything.

 

Happy birthday Michael.  We had a great time with you!

Visiting Soon

Cinco de Mayo did not pass unnoticed in this household.  We never miss an opportunity for chips and salsa.

We also did some fierce packing, because we are making our annual trip back to the States.  Here are five things you should know before I get to see you in person:

1. Don't ask when I'm moving home.  I already live at home.  My home is Doha.  I have worked extremely hard to create a support system and make Doha my home.

2. Don't you dare judge what I cram down my throat.  I have been dreaming of pulled pork sandwiches, mountain pizza, and margaritas.  It has been forever since I ate pork and anything you find in the cookie/chip aisle.  Let me eat it!  I need some running motivation anyway.

3. Don't be embarrassed if you don't know where the heck I'm talking about.  Let's look at a map.  I didn't know where these places were before I moved to this side of the globe.

4. Ask me questions.  I am happy to speak about my experiences and my every day life.  I'm not dodging bullets and worrying about my safety.  What you see on the news is rarely the whole story.

5. Don't be shocked when I'm pasty white.  I will not be tan.  Contrary to what this blog might lead you to believe, I actually have a job.  Most days I sit in an office hiding from the sun.

My inspiration for this post came from this awesome article:
http://theabudhabipta.com/2014/08/26/5-things-to-remember-when-your-expat-family-comes-home-for-the-summer/

Excited for hugs soon.  Happy mother's day to our awesome Moms and all the mama readers.  "Life doesn't come with an instruction manual, it comes with a mother."  Happy anniversary Shane and Sam.  Many this be the first of many amazing anniversaries.

Istanbul Finale

Our exploration continued and was equally enjoyable.

Taksim Square:

Preparing a new doner kebap:

Gulhane Park:
I never associated tulips with Istanbul, but they were everywhere and they were gorgeous.

And another gorgeous sight.  It brings tears to my eyes.  My favorite lady in Istanbul:


Galata Tower:

Views from the top of the tower:

We grabbed a yummy fish sandwich on/under the Galata Bridge:

Then hopped on this beauty for a boat tour (the bigger one in the back, thankfully not the little fishing boat):

The tour took us up toward the Black Sea:

Views from the water:

Dolmabahce Mosque:

Rumeli and Anatolian Fortresses with FSM bridge in the background:

Then we stopped on the Asian Side for a lunch of fresh fish:

And of course we had to climb to Yoros Castle:

Our reward was a view of the Black Sea in the distance:

Back on land, we relaxed with a Turkish bath (how cool is the gentleman carrying bread on his head?):

Happy birthday Sam and Laurie!  You guys are the bomb.com.

Istanbul

Our quick three day retreat to Istanbul was lovely and a much needed escape from the desert.  In just four hours our flight had reached Constantinople.

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Istanbul is a huge city surrounded by water.  The strait of Bosporus divides the European and Asian sides.

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When we first arrived we noticed lots of mosques and boats.  So, it was no surprise that the majority of the weekend involved these two things.

The public transportation is easy and inexpensive making exploring simple.  We fueled up before starting our expedition and guessed that we got the correct beverage.

Blue Mosque:

No shoes allowed inside a mosque.  Usually you leave your shoes outside, but this mosque had so many visitors that we keep our shoes with us.  (You should have guessed that we were wearing our walking shoes.  I didn't lie in the last post.)

Hagia Sophia which in the past has been both a church and mosque:

Basilica cistern:

Topkapi Palace:

Call to prayer:

And the Grand Bazar with ALL the other tourists:

This is just the first part of our trip, so I'll be back with more photos.  We really enjoyed ourselves and soaked up as much of the lovely weather as possible.

Europia (Europe + Asia ?)

When we first moved to Doha we planned to travel all around Asia.  I mean hello, we technically live in the continent.  Both Europe and Asia vacation destinations are just a six hour flight from Qatar, but we could visit Europe if we lived in the States.  We would never have visited Asia from the U.S.  Asia is half way around the globe from the States.  That means at least a 16 hour plane flight.  Trust me; you need a good reason to sit in the same uncomfortable chair for 16 hours.  Now is our opportunity to travel around Asia! 

We have had lots of good trips to Asia.  We just haven’t fallen in love with Asia like we adore Europe.  Everything in Asia is the right price and the people are extremely friendly.  We try to love Asia, but we just keep dreaming about Europe.  So why are we Europe people and not Asia people?

Our favorite mode of transportation are our own two feet.  We love racking up steps on our pedometers during vacation (I know, so cool.).  We fit the American stereotype and wear tennis shoes everywhere when traveling.  Europe is designed for walking.  In Asia it is impressive to find a sidewalk.   

Well, Asia has beautiful beaches but we just aren't beach people.  We get antsy after an hour lying on the beach.  We are adventure seekers and love to explore.

So, we are trying a comprise.  We are off to Turkey which you can argue is in Asia or Europe.  We are very excited to report back soon.

Purple Island

After my grumpy post on Thursday, we realized that we needed to count our blessings and appreciate our surroundings.  So we headed to the greenest place we could find in the desert.  We went to purple island which is neither purple nor an island, but we had a grand adventure in the mangroves.

 

FYI, That is a desert mutt that our friends are attempting to domesticate.  Wish them luck.