One Last Day in Manama

Tuesday Oct. 7

Nick was "low and slow" this morning but after we promised lunch at the mall he rallied and off we all went for a day of sightseeing. Our first stop was at a
"Living Wall."  Bahrain is so devoid of natural vegetation, someone decided to have plants growing out of a 2 story wall. Quite a sight!

We then proceeded to a tour of old homes in Muharraq, the former Capitol of Bahrain, along the old Pearling Trail. The first was the
Shaikh Isa Bin Ali House built in the 1800s. A distinguishing feature is the wind tower used to funnel down air into the 2 story home. How did people subsist in this oppressive heat before AC? There are  4 sections to the house:  the main house, the servants' quarters, the shaikh's quarters and the guest quarters surrounding an inner courtyard. The Kurar House has been renovated in order to have local women reproduce unique local embroidery made with silver and gold silk threads
applied to fabric (shawls, dresses).
The Abdullah Al Zayed House displays early newspaper history of Bahrain. The owner, a poet and correspondent, founded the first daily  Bahrain newspaper in 1938.

Next we visited Reef Island in the middle of Manama. It showcases lush vegetation, upscale apartments and private villas all on reclaimed land. At the Seef Mall we had Lunch Paul's  Maison de qualite for 125 years. It's "a taste of France all around the world."
We did some strolling and shopping in the Mall before driving to the Ritz where Peter bought a Bahrain T-shirt.  At a local tailor's, Suzanne and I picked up the tunics we'd had made and, finally, we stopped at Sheema Framing and Gallery where Peter and I found a framed print of the Souq that we bought.

Back at the Mirisola villa, Nick finally succumbed and stretched out on the couch till bedtime. What a good sport!  Peter played "Monster Doggy" in the pool with Serena and Lucas and then we all prepared dinner. Once Nick and Lucas were in bed, Peter and Serena, Suzanne and I finished a game of Hand and Foot begun in Oman. Pete didn't get home until after 9:30 and we were all in bed by 10.