Amazon Fire

I was in the market for a cheap tablet to use as an eReader so was delighted to find the Amazon Fire on special offer in Argos, reduced from €75 to €45.

I reserved one online last night and picked it up on my lunch hour today.

When I got home from work I downloaded the Borrowbox app to the tablet and easily downloaded free eBooks from the library on to the tablet. 

I'm really looking forward to reading "The Outsiders" by SE Hinton again!!

Dolphin Village & Pool in Muscat, Oman

As well as days at the beach, we also spent two days at the pool in Dolphin Village. The facilities are excellent here with a large bar and restaurant and a super pool with lots of chairs for sunbathing.

There really is nothing as good as relaxing in the sun by the pool.

 

Here's Miss Amy walking back from the bar with cold drinks from the bar!

Look at the great view of the mountains from the pool. Muscat really is a beautiful place.

Life's a Beach - Capital Area Yacht Club, Muscat Oman

Muscat is hot. That is stating the obvious.

But it's hotter than anything I have ever experienced before. It was up at 36 degrees celcius and it was so hot that both Amy and I came to a point of nearly fainting. I was kindly helped by a waiter who made me a soda water with lime and salt for the dehydration.

It being so hot the best place to cool off was at the beach where there is a delightful breeze and the water is the perfect temp for hopping in to and cooling down.

And this is the beach where we spent most of our holidays at - the Capital Area Yacht Club.

It's a beautiful beach with clean waters, golden sand and a handy beach bar for snacks (although we brought cooler boxes full of lunch and drinks) along with bathroom facilities including indoor and outdoor showers (is there anything nicer than an outdoor shower?!!).

Here's some pics of the gorgeous beach.

On our first day there was a lot of people at the beach because it was a public holiday. On our second visit it was practically empty because it was mid week.  Then on our third visit it was a little bit busier because it was the weekend - but we got there early so we got a great spot.

To me a holiday is all about spending time at the beach and this was one great big beach holiday!

"Kargeen" Muscat, Oman

On our second last night in Muscat we ate in Kargeen restaurant which is a favourite of my sisters.

The restaurant is in a beautiful setting among trees and canopies and lights. We sat outside by the fountain.

Here's a picture of my view as I ate (you can see shisha being smoked at the table beside us).

 

Here I am with my twin, my sister and my sister's roommate.

Lots of lovely food including lamb chops that my sister and I had been talking about ordering for the past few days!

This is a mixed grill which gives a great selection of different meats. 

And lamb koftas!

Chicken and hummus which Amy adores!

We also discovered falafel while we were in Muscat.

What a wonderful night out in Muscat. Click here to read more about Kargeen.

Flight to Muscat

We flew to Muscat from Ireland to London with Aer Lingus and then on from Heathrow to Muscat with British Airways.

We found British Airways to be very comfortable and hospitable to fly with. Amy and I ordered a vodka and diet coke and the lovely cabin crew member brought us doubles. We loved this!

Here are the movies that I watched on the flights over and back:
"Lion"
"Denial"
"Moonlight"
"Loving"

Amy watched "La La Land" again both over and back!!

Having now watched Moonlight, I truly believe that La La Land should have won the Oscar for best picture.

If you are looking for a serious tear jerker, Lion is the film for you. What a story!

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque Muscat

I have just returned from a week in Musat, Oman where I had the most fantastic time. It is a beautiful country and I saw some amazing sights.

On Thursday my sister and I visited the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque.

The first thing we had to do to get to the Mosque was hail a taxi and then negotiate a price. My younger sister who lives in Muscat (but was working that day so couldn't give us a lift) had told us what price it should be. The bargaining with taxi drivers was painful for us but we continued to haggle and got all the taxis for the price we wanted. On this occasion the first taxi we hailed wouldn't entertain the price we offered so we hailed the next one and got it for 2 Rial (about 5 euro).

When we got to the Grand Mosque we walked up through the stunning gardens to the entrance.

As you enter the mosque there is a sign with the dress code. You must wear long sleeves to the wrist and trousers to the ankle and women must also cover their head. You must also take your shoes off when you enter the prayer rooms.

The mosque is very beautiful and is covered in the most wonderful marble that is so nice underfoot. There is a lovely calm serene feeling outside.

The main prayer hall has a magnificent chandelier in the certain of it. The scale is massive - it has to be seen to believed!

The large prayer hall can accommodate 6,500 men with the ladies prayer room holding 750 women. In total the mosque can accommodate 20,000 people.

It also has the largest single piece of carpet in the world which took 4 years to make!!

No trip to Muscat would be complete without a visit to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. It should also be noted that abaya's are available to rent if you don't have a long sleeved top so don't let the dress code be a deterrent.

For further info about the Grand Mosque, read here or for a 360 degree panoramic tour, click here. The wiki page also has some interesting facts about the mosque.

Delivering and hanging art!

My sister got a new art piece and you can click below to watch the delivery and installation by the artist!!

https://www.pscp.tv/Pigsyinspace/1djGXvVaVnzxZ?t=30

It's worth a watch - and you get to hear my Irish brogue ;-)