Back to Doha

So here we are, back in Doha &, believe it or not, complaining about the cold! It’s only 11 degrees today (Monday) & we are wearing sweaters, coats, & socks. The return trip was not as bad as we expected & we managed to sleep quite well with an empty seat between us. Pat started teaching again yesterday & we are well into the New Year. Our resolutions: save money, keep fit, & enjoy our time here. The month in Canada went by much too quickly but we did manage to spend plenty of time with the grandchildren, even if we were both fighting off the flu & ended up taking antibiotics.

We are definitely in a different season, even though we have yet to see any rain (other than a few drops that Pat claims to have felt back in November … I missed them). The north-west wind (“shamal”) is blowing more often bringing cooler air & sending the sand & dust scurrying across the road like snow along the highways in Canada. We had to buy a small space heater just to take the chill off the apartment. Blankets are highly valued.

Things haven’t changed that much although there are inevitably new buildings that have sprung up overnight. The recreation centre on our compound is still not finished even though it looked close in December. The line of carwash places (“Carwash Souq”) along Al Luqta has undergone a major transformation. All thirty or so have been closed & will presumably be knocked down quite soon. We have no idea what will take their place or what has happened to all the car-washers.

This evening we are going to the opening round of the “Qatar ExxonMobil Open” men’s tennis. We couldn’t get tickets for the semi-final & finals but will see all the players over the next three days. Nadal, Federer, Murray, & Roddick, are all playing so we should se some good tennis. Nestor (Canada) is playing in the doubles. The tickets are quite impressive, measuring 3” by 5” with holograms of the top-seeded players. The whole event seems much better planned than the women’s tournament last November.

We’re looking forward to visiting the newly opened Museum of Islamic Art:

Photo by Ammar

A new milestone in Islamic architecture and art showcasing the gems of Islamic civilization opened 1^st December on Doha's man-made island with a spectacular fireworks display and music performances by world renowned Cellist Yo Yo Ma. The inaugural festivities brought together 1,000 of the world's luminaries.

The museum's collection demonstrates the diversity of Islamic culture, bringing together 800 artistic and historical artifacts from three continents dating from the 7th through 19th centuries.

A day after the opening ceremony, actor Robert De Niro and Sheikha al-Mayassa bint Hamad al-Thani, president of Qatar's museums authority and daughter of the emir, signed an agreement to launch the first Tribeca Film Festival in Doha. The film festival is scheduled to run from November 10-14th 2009 at the newly opened Museum of Islamic Arts. Co-founded by De Niro to revitalize cultural life in Manhattan after 9/11, the film festival aims to "play a role in bridging cultures closer together," the actor told AFP. An apt venue for bridging cultures and civilizations, the colossal Museum of Islamic Arts marks the oil-rich country's efforts to make Doha the new Islamic centre of culture and art as it aims to be a distinguished artistic link between East and West.