Trip to Bahrain

The day after the tee ball game, we all went to Bahrain to spend the night. 

 

 

We stayed in a two bedroom apartment in the fancy Gulf Hotel.  This was the same place we stayed the last time we went.

 Our apartment was lovely.  Having a two bedroom space with a full kitchen makes going with the three kids and four adults much easier. 

 View from our apartment.  That's the Grand Mosque in the background. 

After we got checked in, we walked across the street to the Grand Mosque.  In Saudi Arabia, only Muslims can enter a mosque.  (So all this time we have been here, we've never been inside one.  Astounding.)  But in Bahrain, we were not only allowed to go in, but we were welcomed.  They actually had a tour office, with abayas and hair coverings for women to borrow and tour guides to escort visitors around.  Our tour guide was very nice and spoke very good English; she gave us a great tour and answered all our questions.  She was originally from Egypt. 

 The Grand Mosque

 The interior courtyard. 

 

Inside is an enormous area for prayer with a huge chandelier.  The children were permitted, even encouraged, to run around and play, as long as they were quiet.  They took full advantage of that, considering it was a great big carpeted empty room. 

 The chandelier

 In the middle of the room was a big chair and a rug that was surrounded by a small wooden enclosure.  In the background is a niche built into the wall.  The niche is only there for amplification; a person can stand inside and talk (like Everett is doing below) or lead a prayer, and the sound echoes back so everyone in the room can hear.  It faces Mecca. 

 Our tour guide was telling us all about the prayers and the customs.  

 More of the kids running around. 

 While we were there, it was prayer time.  This man came out and stepped up to a microphone (apparently the niche is not as useful as it would seem), and he did the prayer call.  The sound is also sent up to the minarets so that people outside can hear. 

 

We came back, ate lunch (room service!), took naps, and then headed for the pool.

 That's Everett going down the slide!

After swimming, we ate dinner with friends at the Mexican restaurant at the hotel.  (The friends took the picture.)  (It was a long Company weekend so we bumped into several Company families while we were there.)

The next day went to the pool, ate breakfast/brunch/lunch at an American restaurant, and we took a driving tour of the biggest city in Bahrain.  Then we headed home. 

We did not see the military presence or protest sites like we did the last time we came.  But since our visit, there has been some more unrest, especially surrounding the Bahrain Grand Prix.  We'll let it calm down before we go back again.