Opera on Ice

On Saturday, December 22, we finally had a chance to go see the Royal Opera House here in Muscat.  You can go any time to do a tour either guided or on your own, but we just hadn't made time for it yet.  We had planned on going to see the Sleeping Beauty ballet in November, but those plans fell through.  An afternoon showing of Opera on Ice was a perfect starting point for the boys.

I have only one picture from inside the auditorium because I wasn't sure I was allowed to take pictures in there at all.  I took a picture of the carved marble back wall.  Pictures are forbidden during the performance.  But the rest of the opera house is grand and beautiful.  I want to go back sometime when there is not a show and even go to the galleria just to see what high end shops there are.

Entering the Royal Opera House from the parking deck.  On the left is a restaurant.  To the right, they were setting up for an outdoor venue later in the evening.

Throwback Thursday: Christmas in Florida

Before we moved, we spent every other Christmas in Florida with Stephen's side of the family.  I loved these Christmases because it promised warm weather.  Occasionally I didn't bring cool enough clothes and would resort to wearing tanks I had meant for layering.

Last year was a Florida Christmas, and FaceBook and my line-a-day journal have kindly reminded me of memories from last Christmas as well as jogged memories from Florida Christmases past.  In my line-a-day journal I noted things such as walking to Target, walking to Chick-fil-A for lunch (yes, both are walking distance from my in-laws' house), long and short runs, and an actual chilly day that required a light jacket.  FaceBook reminds me of the Christmas of bikes and riding those bikes in shorts and a t-shirt.  We walked to parks and the pool (an outdoor pool, btw).

Pretty sure we fit about 1 of the 4 bikes we all received for Christmas in the car for the drive home.  Yes, the seat needed to be raised, but it was fine for a quick ride.

Christmas 2018

This was our first Christmas in Oman, our first Christmas to stay home, and our first Christmas on a beach.  It was different, it was fun, and it didn't make me homesick as I expected.  Maybe the exhaustion from cleaning up new toys and wrapping paper trash just distracted me.  hmmm...

It started early as Christmases with young kids do.  We postponed until 7:30 am, then got up to open stockings and unwrap presents to each other.  After that, Stephen went running while I ran up and down the stairs in our house.  It's been a while since I've done that exercise.  I should incorporate it into my routine once a week.

The boys opening their stockings from Santa.

What I Miss

As Christmas approaches, and family is far away, it's easy to think about what I miss.  Let me just say that cold weather and snow do not make the list.

It's also been a hard week plus adjusting back to Oman.  Jet lag kicked my tail, and in some ways, my adjustment time here was reset.  It's been a long, emotional time where I wasn't sure I wanted to be here.  I'm getting better now, but my mind went to a dark place while coping with sleep deprivation.  Let's add that I'm also dealing with the expat reality of friends moving away.  I didn't want to deal with this already.

Let's just start with the obvious friends and family.  I obviously miss my family and dear friends.  New friends just grow your circle not replace it.  So let's dig into slightly funnier or unexpected things I miss.  These are in no particular order.

Ruwi Mountain Hike

Yesterday I went hiking with some girls up a mostly unmarked path.  To be honest, we wandered around a bit at first before deciding we were supposed to go up a different mountain.  Without a marked trail, it's easy to not know where to go.  There seemed to be some somewhat used paths at times, but those petered out.  After getting to the right path, we did find some markings and a definite trail.

Our group along the ridge with the rays of sunshine behind us.

National Museum Oman

Around National Day, the National Museum of Oman offered 2 free entry days to all nationals and residents.  Therefore, we took a Saturday morning to go check it out.

The museum is in Old Muscat across the road from the palace.  It is a large building with two floors displaying the history and culture of Oman.  When we walked in, we almost started to the right, but a guide explained that you start in the middle then head to the back and work your way counterclockwise through the exhibits.  This route will finish at the stairs to the upstairs where you again work counterclockwise.

On the steps of the museum looking at the palace.

Sa'al Mountain

There is a great blog called Omantripper that details great activities to do in Muscat and Oman.  This blog currently describes 3 hikes within Muscat that I plan on doing.  I did the first with a ladies hiking group we've just started.  Only 4 of us were able to go the first day on this hike, but it was a lot of fun.  This group will give me a chance to hike during the day while the boys are in school, and maybe I will get a feel for what hikes will be good for our family.

Excited to make it tot he top of the stairs... finally!

Sa'al Mountain is in Sa'al which is about 35-40 minutes from where I live.  There is a dirt path that leads to concrete stairs (giving the hike the nickname Sa'al Stairs) that leads to another dirt path that takes you to the top of the mountain where there is a satellite dish and wonderful views.