Quarter of a year in and it's slowly starting to feel like home. Admittedly there were ups and downs, but things are really looking up this week. I continue with decorating the house and it feels a lot more cozy already, and I only laid out some comfy cushions and a new rug. Just wait until I bring out the big guns, aka the festive decor in early December! Tonight we're off to visit family back in Europe, but before we leave I wanted to make a list of our Top 5 favourite things.
Feeding the Giraffes at Nofa Wildlife Park
We did a trip last weekend to this fun little safari park and it was great! Just make sure to make a reservation in advance, wake up and arrive early. This normally isn't a problem for us, since both kids are usually up before 6am, but of course they decided to have a lie in on the day of the trip. Luckily there was no traffic and the Park is less than 90 minutes outside of the city, so we just about made it for our allocated time. The reason I suggest leaving early is because there's so much to see, and it gets crowded really fast. The drive around the park to see the wild animals from up close takes around 40 minutes. There isn't a huge variety of animals, but it's still good fun to see the zebras, giraffes, wildebeests, pygmy hippos and more ostriches you can count from up close. And as the absolute highlight of our trip, health and safety be damned, they even let us feed the giraffes with lettuce leaves! After the drive, we had a chance to walk around and take a look at the birds and monkeys living in the park and grab a coffee before our drive back home in the early afternoon.
Noor Riyadh Festival of Light
This is an epic, annual citywide celebration of contemporary artists commissioned to create light installations across different venues in Riyadh. This year's theme is "We Dream of New Horizons" and it's as EPIC as it sounds! We didn't have the time to visit all 5 hubs housing the artworks, but we were really impressed by what we had the chance to see. The festival showcases international talent, fosters creativity and engages everyone regardless of age. I love how it incorporates the local architecture into the works, turning iconic buildings like Al Kindi Plaza in the DQ into a gigantic canvas.
Events in the Compound and Beyond
We're really privileged to have access to a wide variety of facilities and events in the compound and the DQ, making sure that we never have a dull weekend or evening. Don't get me wrong, I love a good night in as much as the next tired parent, however after the pandemic and having small children as company 24/7, it's refreshing to be invited to accompany Husband to a reception or join our neighbours at a barbecue or movie night organised by the Compound while our Nanny watches the children. A Diplomat's life involves a lot of networking via attending services, receptions and National Day celebrations organised by the different Embassies throughout the year. It often isn't as glamorous as it sounds, as for Husband it's of course still work, but I find it nice to meet and catch up with his colleagues and their partners in a more relaxed environment. And there's usually food.
This week we have two very important events - The British Embassy hosted a Remembrance Day Service on Sunday, where Husband represented Belgium and laid a wreath. Tonight we are going to the Belgian Embassy for National Day celebrations before we jet off on our Holiday to Europe.
Kabsa: Saudi Arabia's National Dish
On occasion, Husband would come home with a huge plate of grilled chicken on a bed of rice flavoured with warm and fragrant spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, saffron and all spice that the Embassy's driver picked up for us in a local restaurant where nobody speaks English. For the longest time neither of us knew that this was actually the one of the Kindom's national dishes – kabsa. The addition of golden raisins makes this dish the perfect comfort food. Najd Village serves an excellent one, if you're in the area.
Qahwa
If you know me, you're aware that I gave up caffeinated drinks during my first pregnancy, and somehow never really returned to regularly drinking coffee. This is all changing here, and the reason is the region's golden coloured, lightly roasted arabica brewed with a variety of spices such as cardamom, saffron or ginger. There is a thriving coffee culture in the Kingdom, it's a big part of daily life, perhaps even more so than in the West. Saudi coffee is probably the best hot beverage I have ever tasted. I love the spicy flavour, and could drink it all day if it didn't give me jitters. It pairs amazingly well with dates, which is what it's commonly served with, instead of our usual biscuit or piece of chocolate. There is a reason it's on the UNESCO's world heritage list!
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