Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - work trip with a little play

I always thought I'd like to go to see Saudi Arabia but never imagined I would actually go. I don’t know much about the country but I understand it’s politically and culturally conservative and quite different from other Middle Eastern counties I’ve visited. 

When I was asked if I wanted to take a job lasting just over two weeks in July, I embraced the opportunity. I was at least going to get a taste a snippet of this mysterious land on my allocated two days off!

Being the height of summer, the average daytime temperatures are in the mid forties Celsius so some activities were just not possible given the time that we had available. 

We did manage however to get to see a few sights which I have listed below. When we weren't being transported back and forth to work, we used Ubers to get around which were quite cheap and readily available.

• The Sky Bridge at Kingdom Tower where you can see a panoramic view of the whole city from the 99th floor. Ticket price was 69 SR approx £14. 

• Al Masmak Palace - constructed in the hijri 14th century. It was used as a fort against enemies but now stands as a museum. 

We went in the late afternoon to escape the intense heat of the day, but it was still stiflingly hot. It is air conditioned inside and was free to get in.

Deera Square

• Deera Square or Justice Square - a former site of public executions and just around the corner from the fort. 

• Historical Dir’iyah - is the birthplace of rule of the first Saudi state. 

We went during the day but nothing was open until 5pm because local people just don’t go out in the heat. It was nice though to wander around with no one there. 

At-Turaif 

• At-Turaif District - part of the Dir’iyah site. It is one of 5 Saudi Sites included in the UNESCO world heritage list. 

We returned to the Heritage park in the evening at sundown to discover a buzzing area of restaurants filled with local people out with their families. The old town has been and continues to be restored and it really gives a flavour of what life was like. 

BLVD RUH CITY

• Riyadh Park Mall - one of the larger malls with shops and restaurants.  

• Kingdom Mall - part of the Kingdom tower. High end stores and a few high street brands and fast food on the lower floor.

• Boulevard Riyadh City - a massive area of activities, restaurants, events and outlet stores. 

DIR'IYAH

If you are considering visiting Riyadh I would recommend going in their winter as there is so much more to see and do. It is a really interesting country and a lot of changes happening to attract more tourism. 

Riyadh is hosting Expo in 2030 and is expecting 40 million visitors. 

Dress code - it is not mandatory for women to wear an abaya or head covering. Local laws require modest attire covering shoulders and knees. If you want to visit a mosque though, a head covering is necessary. 

I personally found it more comfortable to wear loose clothing covering my body as it stopped the sun's intense rays hitting my skin. SPF50 absolutely necessary.

I'm now looking forward to a late summer holiday so check out my next post in a few weeks time.

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City Break Porto, Portugal

São Bento Railway Station

In the absence of a winter sun vacation to a far flung exotic destination this year, a close second was a city break somewhere a bit brighter and warmer than the UK.

City of choice this time was historical Porto, the second largest in Portugal after Lisbon. I've heard so much about it and it has become quite a popular place to visit.

We flew with EasyJet and booked a delightful studio apartment through booking.com. Our location was perfect for us, right in the UNESCO historic centre. 

Straight out of the arrivals terminal the Metro station is right there. For a cost of €2.70 and within 40 mins we were at our nearest stop São Bento, sitting with a coffee working out where we were and where we wanted to go. The apartment was less than 5 minutes walk away so we dropped our bags, put on our walking shoes and set off. 

Navigating your way around Porto is relatively easy once you get your bearings and be prepared for lots of walking on hilly, cobbled streets. This unfortunately is not an easy place to get around for anyone with mobility issues.

Highlights of Day 1 included .. 

Café Majestic

- the beautiful 19th century beaux art Railway Station with it's intricate azulejo tiled murals of important historic events on the walls.

 

- the Café Majestic, restored in the '90s art nouveau takes you back to the Belle Epoque era. We had a late lunch of tapas and a glass of Portuguese fizz.

- just down the street from the cafe on Rua de Santa Catarina is Capela das Almas, Chapel of Souls, adorned with blue and white tiled panels depicting the saints St. Frances and St. Catherine.

Capela das Almas

It started to rain so we ducked in and out of shops until it stopped and continued our self-styled walking tour, taking in the Sé Cathedral, which looks much more like a cross between a fort and a church and from the square outside there are impressive views of the city and river Douro.

We meandered our way back to our apartment to rest for an hour or so before dinner at our local restaurant Caldeireiros which served delicious traditional dishes.

Day 2 - We started our day exploring the streets and made our way to the gothic Gold Church - Igreja de São Francisco. For an entrance fee of €7.50 you get access to the church, catacombs and museum. The interiors are absolutely spectacular with wooden carvings coated in gold dust.

Igreja de São Francisco

Time for a coffee and a pastel de nata, we decided it was a good idea to get on one of the hop-on hop-off buses to get to some of the sights that were a little way out of the centre. 

A two day ticket for the blue/orange line was €22. 

We took the blue route to .. 

- the Palácio de Cristal, where we wandered around the beautiful gardens and watched a peacock try to impress a peahen with his tail feathers. She wasn't remotely interested.

Casa de Serralves

- the amazing Serralves Museu de Arte Comtemporánea and Casa de Serralves where we saw an exhibition by Joan Miró.

The Art Deco Villa was originally conceived and used
as a private residence but was reclassified as a 'Building of public interest' and purchased by the state as a site for a future museum of art.

Back on the bus we headed north to the Matosinhos Sul and then south along the Atlantic coast and along the estuary until we were back in town again. 

White port and dessert

King Prawn

We didn't realise it was Shrove Tuesday and found it hard to get into a restaurant as they were fully booked and some were closed but we did manage to discover that we had another great place to eat a minute from our apartment - and they had a spare table. From the facade of the building it looked like a bar but on entering we discovered a gorgeous back room with a terrace. 

We had fresh seafood and bubbly, followed by a wonderful dessert and complimentary glass of white port, served cold.

Day 3 and our last, we made good use of our bus pass and took the Orange line south of the river. We stayed on the bus for the duration of the tour past the World of Wine, El Corte Inglés, the Cathedral and Casa de Musica. 

We got off the bus at São Francisco and walked down to the Ribeira (riverside) where we browsed some artisan shops and sat in the spring sunshine with a Porto tonic. Thank goodness for the bus rides as all that walking up and down steep
cobbled streets, stairs and pavements gave our legs a workout on muscles we didn't know we had!

Our last dinner was at a lovely seafood restaurant, which we did reserve - Ostras e Coisas. We had the fried sardines to start and the most delicious melt in the mouth baked sea bass between us. There's nothing quite like freshly caught fish.

Porto, I've always loved pastel de nata and yours were divine!

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The Museum of the Future - Dubai

You may or may not know that I have family living in Dubai and it is one of the reasons I visit there often. 

I planned a quick pre Christmas visit in mid December which is an ideal time to go as its 'winter' there and the temperatures are very pleasant averaging around 25C with minimums of 18C, a welcome respite from the cold for those of us living in the northern hemisphere!

This post though, is primarily about a place where you can immerse yourself in the year 2070 as seen by talented designers and visionary artists.

I have visited most (but certainly not all) of the touristy sites on previous trips but as is the way with Dubai, there is always something new to see and the city is constantly expanding at a rate of knots.

This trip I visited the newly opened Museum of the Future. I had previously seen the impressive glass and steel clad sculptural exterior from the highway but it had not yet been completed. 

Designed by architect and long time veteran Shaun Killa, his aim was to represent Dubai's vision of the future, and he has done an incredible job.

The circular building represents humanity; the green mound it sits atop represents the earth; the void represents the unknown future.

It's a very popular attraction and as you can imagine there is always a high demand for tickets so if you know you are going to be in Dubai and want to go, it is best to plan and book in advance to avoid being disappointed. 

The cost of a timed entry is AED 149 (£34), free for children under 4, and free of charge for people of determination and their care giver. Hours of opening are 10.00am - 9.30pm every day.

Fun fact - The National Geographic has recognised the Museum of the Future as one of 14 of the most beautiful museums in the world.

I don't want to give away all that's inside as I'd love for you to discover that for yourself. 

This really is somewhere I highly recommend visiting - a great place for kids to explore too as the future is really about them.

I'll be back in Dubai in April '23. 

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City Break - Malaga, Spain

I'm three months late posting about my trip to Malaga in Spain - time just ran away from me towards the end of last year and another trip (up next) and work took over. I just didn't make the time to do it. Better late than never!

I jetted off in early November last year to meet up with my pal who will be permanently living there in the not too distant future. It was a good time to go as its off season and the weather is still warmer than it is in the UK. Traveling during the week instead of the weekend also guarantees less crowds too. I can imagine that its quite a different story during the summer months.

I didn't have the best start to my outbound journey as there was a train strike which meant that I couldn't rely on the two trains that may have been running to get me to the airport. I booked a parking slot and set off super early so I could get there, relax and have a leisurely breakfast before the flight. 

Things did not go to plan as the M25 ended up being gridlocked by a protester and subsequently I missed my flight. Not the end of the world thankfully and I was able to rebook a later flight a mere 8 hours later. I got to know the North Terminal at Gatwick quite well!

Instead of arriving at lunchtime, I arrived at 10pm and consequently lost half a day. The next two full days were ample to get a sense of the city and have a good look around. 

I know I will be back there often to visit my friend and explore the city and surrounding areas more. 

Malaga is so close to other towns on the Costa del Sol so its a good starting place for exploring more of the the country. Its also easy to get the train to visit other nearby cities like Seville, Valencia or Alicante.

If you love art, the Picasso Museum is a must see. Picasso was born in Malaga and the museum proudly exhibits some of the artist's incredible works. There was a long line on the first day so we went early the next day to avoid waiting. Probably the best option is to book tickets online as you can jump the queue.

Malaga is full of many things to see and do with the food mercados, local beaches, parks and rooftop bars where you can sit with a cocktail and take in the view. 

Its easy to get around and the city is great for shopping and of course eating and there are cafés and restaurants on every street serving delicious local cuisine.

It feels safe there and the people are very friendly. I definitely need to go back soon so I can put my limited Spanish into practice. Since visiting Seville in September, I've been learning religiously every day. 

I'll be happy if I can string a sentence together when I go.

Gracias por los recuerdos Málaga. Volveré pronto está bien.

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