I know Spring is still trying to burst forth in Alberta, but in Qatar the heat came quickly and with a vengeance. After a cold (by Qatar standards) winter, we had a week of slow warming and then BAM! it became bloody HOT! My daughter, Ayn, came for a visit in mid-April and was here during the week of slow warming. She enjoyed being somewhere warmer than Alberta was at the time, and was so happy to see where I am living and to meet the people I talk about.
While Ayn was here a TEDx Summit was held in Doha. (For those not familiar with Ted talks, go to ted.com and check out some of the talks.) We attended the opening night of the summit and listened to several speakers. It was a lovely evening and we sat outside in the huge amphitheatre at Katara - a new cultural centre in Doha which is right on the ocean so there was a nice breeze. The topics ran the gamut from population and religion to restoration of ancient books to a comedian poking fun at the Arab world to an artist who makes a 200-year plan.
After touring Ayn all around Qatar - she got to see camels in pajamas - we headed to Spain for 10 days. Starting in Madrid we stayed right near all the tourist action and walked our feet off. We especially enjoy the Prado museum, tapas and rioja, Retiro Park, tapas and rioja, the Royal Palace, more tapas and rioja, all the amazing buildings, squares, people, more tapas and rioja! After 3 days we moved on to Seville. The train ride was easy, on-time and gave a views of the beautiful Spanish country-side. It's a 2 1/2 hour trip and we passed through quite a variety of geography - a beautiful country to be sure.
Seville was so beautiful - clear, blue skies and temperatures of about 25 degrees celsius every day. It as perfect - made more so by our hotel. The Hotel Amadeus is down a street so narrow that we had to walk in from a wider street that the taxi could navigate. The hotel, as you might guess, had a musical theme - our room was the Wagner room - and it was decorated with all sorts of musical instruments, had lovely classical music playing all the time, and was old and quaint. There was a rooftop terrace where we had a beautiful breakfast every day. There were lounge chairs and a hot tub, so we spent our mornings walking and visiting all the tourist sites; then came back to the hotel for a rooftop siesta. At about 7 or 8 we would head out again for dinner - usually tapas and rioja. The tourist sites we enjoyed were the cathedral - which is the 3rd largest in the world after the Vatican and St. Paul's in London; walking the Bario Santa Cruz (the Jewish Quarter), Alcazar, the Plaza de Espana, the Plaza de toros (bull ring) and just walking and soaking in the atmosphere.
Then on to Barcelona where we spent 3 days exploring the Pedrera, Sagrada Familia, the National Museum, La Rambla, Barri Gothic, the Barcelona Cathedral, Placa de Catalonia, the Montjuic area where the Olympics were held and the National Museum of Art and the beautiful fountains. A P.E.O. sister, Claire Morrow, her husband and 3-month-old daughter, Cerie, met us for some tapas one afternoon too. It was so good to see a familiar face from Canada on our travels. Ayn left to fly back to Calgary after 16 days of being away from her family. I think she had a great time - I knowI did - and I am so grateful to her family for letting me have her for so long.
Tragedy struck in Doha earlier this week. My friend, Jackie and I were on our way to lunch when we noticed heavy black smoke coming out of the Villagio Mall - a huge shopping mall very close to UCQ. We carried on to Subway for lunch and were very frustrated that it then took us almost an hour to get back to the university due to traffic being re-routed to permit emergency vehicles through to the mall. I was certain all would be under control and the fire would be contained quickly. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Nineteen people lost their lives in that fire - 13 of them children who were in a play centre where parents leave their children while they shop; 2 firefighters, and 4 of the teachers from the play centre. An investigation is underway, and all business/institutions are under scrutiny now to ensure safety precautions are in place. UCQ is not immune - we haven't had a fire drill since I've been here. We'll be remedying that this coming week.
So we're on the home stretch to the end of the school year. Faculty, staff and students are tired and ready for a break. Just about everyone will be back next year. Most had signed 2 or 3 years contracts, but nearly everyone has renewed for at least another year. That's a good thing as it will give more stability to UCQ, and I'm awfully glad that all my friends will be returning in the fall.
Then on to Barcelona where we spent 3 days exploring the Pedrera, Sagrada Familia, the National Museum, La Rambla, Barri Gothic, the Barcelona Cathedral, Placa de Catalonia, the Montjuic area where the Olympics were held and the National Museum of Art and the beautiful fountains. A P.E.O. sister, Claire Morrow, her husband and 3-month-old daughter, Cerie, met us for some tapas one afternoon too. It was so good to see a familiar face from Canada on our travels. Ayn left to fly back to Calgary after 16 days of being away from her family. I think she had a great time - I knowI did - and I am so grateful to her family for letting me have her for so long.
Tragedy struck in Doha earlier this week. My friend, Jackie and I were on our way to lunch when we noticed heavy black smoke coming out of the Villagio Mall - a huge shopping mall very close to UCQ. We carried on to Subway for lunch and were very frustrated that it then took us almost an hour to get back to the university due to traffic being re-routed to permit emergency vehicles through to the mall. I was certain all would be under control and the fire would be contained quickly. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Nineteen people lost their lives in that fire - 13 of them children who were in a play centre where parents leave their children while they shop; 2 firefighters, and 4 of the teachers from the play centre. An investigation is underway, and all business/institutions are under scrutiny now to ensure safety precautions are in place. UCQ is not immune - we haven't had a fire drill since I've been here. We'll be remedying that this coming week.
So we're on the home stretch to the end of the school year. Faculty, staff and students are tired and ready for a break. Just about everyone will be back next year. Most had signed 2 or 3 years contracts, but nearly everyone has renewed for at least another year. That's a good thing as it will give more stability to UCQ, and I'm awfully glad that all my friends will be returning in the fall.
