Day 2 - 10th November
Slept well and woke to an amazing breakfast burrito, made for me by the fabulous, Cousin Dan! Along with some coffee and advice on what to do for the day and how to get around. Suggestions for hitting the city were either: attempt to get to the huge mosque nearby before 10am for a guided tour, OR head across town and jump on one the double decker city tour bus. Since I kinda messed around on the internet a little bit after Dan left, I decided that the best option was to head for the bus.
Got a taxi and hit the city. The temps have cooled off to a marvelous mid 80’s range and there was a little bit of cloud cover. Sunscreen still a necessity here though. I got on the bus around 11 am and rode almost the entire tour around the city before taking a brief break and strolled down a walkway near the water. The city is amazing and the architecture is stunning. I’m in love with all the skyscrapers, the detail that is put into each building is incredible. You certainly can tell that they spare no expense to made them unique and inspirational. Construction is everywhere.
Afterwards, I finished the tour and had lunch in the mall, where the bus tours start and finish. Lunch was a Turkey wrap, in Arabian bread, gorgeous red tomatoes, crisp lettuce, sweet little pickles and delicious white cheese, yumm. But, after checking out the mall a tiny bit, I decided it was time to head back to the house. But not before I made one last ride on the tour bus and got off at the mosque. Since Dan and Lisa live close to the mosque, I determined it would cost less to get a taxi from there or I would call and ask if one of them could pick me up. I had about an hour before Lisa would be home from work and it would give me an opportunity to take some pictures before I went back to the mosque for the tour tomorrow. Much to my surprise, upon arrival at the mosque, I found out there was a guided tour at 5pm! I walked around for about an hour and a half, snapping pictures of the incredible detail inside the building, almost overwhelming. The tour was rushed, due to the timing of the 4th prayer of the day, but the information was still interesting and I enjoyed it. It is the 3rd largest mosque in the world and the largest outside of Saudi Arabia. The architecture was inspired by the Taj Mahal, in India, some other buildings in Morocco and by the word Heaven. The Arabic word for heaven, literal translation is garden, hence, the interior of the mosque is draped in floral motifs, made from many different types and colors of marble and precious stones. It truly is breathtaking. Also on the floor, is the largest Persian rug in the world; took 1200 Iranian women 2 years to hand stitch it, it’s unbelievable. There are no pictures of statues inside the mosque, this is their belief that God is the creator and we are not to attempt to create our version or idea of what God may look like. The main wall inside is covered in flowers with 5 pedals, standing for the 5 pillars of prayer in the Muslim culture. Also the reason for 5 prayers each day. While in the courtyard, I heard the call to prayer quiet loudly, it was beautiful. It plays out twice, once to announce that prayer will begin soon and second to announce prayer has begun. All over the city are loud speakers atop buildings and poles to announce the “call to prayer”. This has been the most moving cultural experience I think I have ever had. The tour ended at dusk and all the lights came on illuminating the large domes and walkways, incredible.
Dan came and picked me up and the evening began with quickly freshening up and heading to a Lebanese restaurant; the food here has been fabulous. We had a mixed grill, kebobs and veggies, beef, chicken and lamb. Phenomenal humus and the garlic sauce was to die for! We also have a little more shisha. A quiet hit the table after the meal and we were all ready to just hit the bed instead of the town. But not before a little dessert. Lebanese bakery; melted cheese, fried noodles and sprinkle of ground pistachio nuts and a drizzle of honey, WOW! We could hardly fit the dessert in our stomachs, but it was well worth the push.
Finally, after a night cap of some more Sailor Jerry’s Rum, with one of Dan & Lisa’s friends, we all called it a night. What an incredible day!
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