Birthday treats

I celebrated my Birthday while in Qatar. More specifically, I celebrated a birthweek. Its too much stress to put all the celebration in one day, so I stretch it to one week of fun activities.  :-)

Note - this post is really just an excuse to share a lot of fun photos. 

The birthday coincided with my husband being in town, so I used my Birthday as a way to throw parties and introduce my husband to all the people I met so far. 

The celebration started the weekend before, where my husband and I booked a staycation at one of the fancy hotels. I was told that staying at a 5 star hotel in Qatar is more comparable to a 7 star hotel in Europe, so I was eager to check out the luxurious space! In the summer, they run these great specials where you get at 5 star hotel room, including breakfast at the huge buffet, for less than the cost of a 2 star hotel. 

The hotel exceeded my expectations! The room was huge with a luxurious comfy bed and cozy sofa. The bathroom was a mini suite with separate spaces for the toilet, a waterfall showerhead, and a deep marble tub. They welcomed us to the suite with a plate of local treats and fruits. 

From the room, we could see the large pool and beach. 

Since I had not been able to access a pool and the beach had been too hot for the first four weeks I was in town, I was down and in the pool within minutes! 

Many times, hotel pools are heated. But here in Qatar, the pool water is chilled so it is not bathtub temperature. When you arrive at the pool, an attendant will come to your bench and ask if you want water, they then bring you towels and a cooler of bottled ice water for you to enjoy while at the pool. The pool is HUGE so the space rarely feels busy. 

Right next to the pool was a beach, where I got to swim in the Arabian Gulf for the first time! It feels like a salty bathtub. The water temperature was around 94F. The salt content is so high that you can float easily. I would ease into the warm water, then lie on my back for 20 minutes, enjoying the relaxation. 

If I got too hot, I would get out, rinse off in the shower, then cool down in the big pool. In the afternoon, the sun sat behind the hotel building so the pool was mostly in shade - meaning I did not have to wear my sunblocker hoody. I could just float in my western style swimsuit.  

After swimming, we would clean up and then go to dinner in one of the 7+ hotel restaurants. One night, we visited friends at another hotel for pizza and mocktails on the beach. On the second night, we visited a Lebanese restaurant and had the best falafel I've ever had in my life. So soft and fluffy! We had Fatoush (a middle eastern salad), hummus, chili potatoes, and fresh baked bread. So yummy! 

On the third night we visited a Latin restaurant where I enjoyed tasty mocktails. 

For breakfast, we had access to hotels breakfast buffet, which lasted from 7am to 12pm everyday and consisted of 8 different buffet areas: pastries, fruits, fresh juices, a selection of hummus for Arabic mezze, American style hot breakfast, breads from the kiln, curries, fresh made to order sushi, a muesli/oatmeal bar, and a desert bar. And if that wasn't enough, that offered made to order omelets, eggs, pancakes, and waffles! It was incredible! We typically spent 1-2 hours slowly trying a small amount of the many foods. 

I had to work on a talk one afternoon, so I took the opportunity to work in the fancy lobby. A fancy lobby makes for a great talk - right? 

We really enjoyed the stay and left the space completely relaxed. It made it hard to go back to work. But, going to work meant that my husband could finally meet my friends and colleagues. We started by hosting a small party in the courtyard of the faculty housing buildings. Around 20 friends and colleagues came to this last minute get together. Thanks to friend Z for getting people to come so late and bringing candles and the blanket!

The weather had cooled down slightly so we could spend about two hours just hanging out and chatting in the park. The picture below shows the aftermath of 10+ kids and 10+ adults after enjoying cake and juice and balloons!

The next day was my actual birthday, and after I spent a few hours in the office, my husband and I went out for a special dinner at Yasmine Palance- a local restaurant known for its atmosphere. The place came highly recommended from many of my colleagues in the region as a place to celebrate. The interior evokes a gilded Arabic palace. There is a water fountain inside the restaurant and the interior evokes a spirit of celebration. A great place to spend my actual birthday and my last full day with my husband before he returned to the US. 

On the last two days of the week, I gave a talk to the department - which was an excuse to bring my husband to campus so he could meet my colleagues. All were very friendly and welcoming to him! I got to show him my office and the building I work in and he got to work at my desk while I led office hours.  He left that night, which was sad, but it was fun to take the metro to the airport (riding the metro will be a subject of an entire post!) 

The week ended with a fun social hour at another local hotel restaurant with Qatar friend Sarah and Kentucky-Qatar friend Lindsey. No photos of us but a photo of the amazing hotel lobby. 

So that concluded my treats for my birth week. It was a great opportunity to explore the fancier side of Doha and gather friends for parties. I'm wondering if I can celebrate a birth year? ;-) 

Thank you for reading and putting up with my photos!