First time in Middle Eastern Country: Qatar

For those who don’t know I am currently in Qatar visiting a friend who is graciously putting me up while we hang out during her spring break and I explore my 1st middle eastern country. Thanks to David Lindahl for letting me take a reconnaissance mission on my own.

This is the view from her apartment in The Pearl zone my 1st morning here.

Annnd the view at night. Pretty spectacular, no?

So, The Breakfast Club was recommended by D so being a little nostalgic I thought, absolutely yes!

I tried a middle eastern dish (Balaleet) instead of some more familiar options. It was quite good!

The restaurant is located in their Venetian neighborhood where there are eateries, shopping and residences.

I loved that in this spot you could identify something different just a little further beyond.

I think someone told me that there is a little taxi that runs through here as well.

Yes!! There is a Plaza Andalucia and of course, I thought of home.

The center court at Mall of Qatar which is one of the many malls here.

This is the most prominent entrance to Villagio mall. They might be a little obsessed with the idea of Venice. Yes, there is a boat ride available.

Of course, I was going to stop and have a coffee here.

This is the entrance to a section of very high end shops (Luis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin, etc) here and there weren’t nearly as many people and I only saw Qataris. This mall also has an ice skating rink, a decent sized themed park as well as a food court that has many U.S. based eateries, such as Krispy Kreme, Coldstone Creamery and The Cheesecake Factory.

It’s hard not to pass a stadium that will be used for the Men’s World Cup later this year. This is Khalifa International Stadium.

This is Aspire tower, aka, The Torch, which is right across from the stadium and next to Villagio mall. It’s 300 meters high.

The resident camels at our camp. So calm unless you scare them.

The Inland Sea.

Kicking up the sand bc I can while taking in the view.

Believe it or not but this is our 2nd stop at the Inland Sea beach facing Saudi Arabia. In person you could see it through the haze, but not here in the photo. There are sections that are a lot closer too.