Entries about grapes

Birding
Yesterday morning as we walked to the restaurant for breakfast, I noticed a few birds hanging around the hotel gardens. I wished I’d had my long lens with me at the time, so this morning I get up early to do some birding before breakfast.

White Spectacled Bulbul

Tristram's Starling

Red Backed Shrike

Spotted Flycatcher

Arabian Green Bee Eater

A couple of nice little lifers there (birds we have not previously seen).

After yesterday’s frustration and disappointment at having to explore the sites on a group tour, we decide to give the Al Ula Old Town excursion this morning a miss. Instead, we ask Bacha, our lovely driver, to take us to see some ultra-modern architecture that I have read about, as an alternative.

Maraya
We encounter the first problem before we even get near the building – there is no entry to the site unless you are on a group tour organised by the tourist office. Groan.

Bacha, having previously spent some time in Al Ula, knows another way. That road too, is blocked off so we cannot enter. Looking at google maps, Bacha explores yet another possible way in, and it turns out to be third time lucky. This is the route taken by the construction vehicles, and Bacha sweet-talks the supervisor by talking to him in Urdu, the official’s native language (and one of several that Bacha can speak). The guard agrees to let us pass, but gives us only eight minutes inside, just about enough time to be able to drive around the building without stopping.

Trucks travelling to and from Maraya on the dirt road cutting through the mountainous desert scenery

So what exactly is Maraya? This is the world’s largest mirrored building (Mataya means mirror or reflection in Arabic) with 9740 mirrored panels, and is designed to blend into the desert landscape and rise from it like a mirage.

As part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan of greatness on the world tourism scale, Maraya has been coined the centrepiece of Al Ula’s growing cultural scene. The building features a restaurant (we were even told that foreigners are permitted to drink alcohol there, but whether that is true or not I have no idea), a concert auditorium, a wedding venue, a conference centre, and a place for art exhibitions to name a few.

This award-winning architectural masterpiece was completed in just 2½ months in 2019, and is constructed so that it can “move and adjust itself” to the wide range of temperatures in the desert.

Like a mirage, Maraya plays tricks with my mind – I struggle to make out what is the background and what are reflections as the building seemingly appears and disappears while we are driving around it. It really is quite extraordinary.

Much as I love history, seeing this unique reflective cube that has ostensibly been plonked amongst stunning rocky outcrops, adding to the beauty of the desert scenery, is of more interest to me this morning. I am so glad we had the opportunity to work around the rules and get a quick glimpse.

Spotting our car on the mirrored surface

By the time we get back into town, I am desperate for the loo and am grateful for the recent expansion of Al Ula to attract world tourists as I enter the modern toilet with a ‘proper’ western seat in the new bus station. I have never enjoyed having the ‘squits of the squats’, but with my bad knee, it could be pretty disastrous. I take some Ciprofloaxin (antibiotics that 'should' help clear up any diarrhea), just in case, for the long journey ahead.

Old Al Ula Town
This is where our itinerary was supposed to be taking us this morning, but when I see the large groups of people getting off the buses at the edge of the town and walking to the ruins of the old city, I am even more glad we opted out of the old and into the new this morning.

It’s an extensive site and not much is left of the once-important city.

It is said that Mohammed came through here on his way from Mecca and stayed for three days, which attracts a number of Muslims who come here to pray.

I sleep for a while as we make our way towards our last destination of the day: Medina. When I wake up, I am in dire need of a toilet. This. Very. Minute. Explaining my urgency to Bacha, he looks out for service stations, which are few and far between on these long-distance roads. He spots one and pops in to check it out for me. Closed. The second one is also closed. It is now becoming so desperate that I no longer care whether there is a seat or a hole in the ground, I just need to go!

Bacha pulls up at a mosque and finds the attached ablutions building open, with a communal toilet block. Hurrying as carefully as I can to avoid any sudden jerky movements, I rush in. As I open the door, my bowels scream “can I let go now?” with me pleasing “no, no, no, not yet!” I will spare you the gory details but suffice to say that for the first time ever on all our many travels, I don’t make it to the cubicle in time.

After changing all my clothes and cleaning up the mess (this was not the day to wear white trousers), I collapse with embarrassment in the car and immediately go back to sleep.

Al Anbariah Restaurant
On the outskirts of Medina we stop at a traditional restaurant where we meet up with our local guide, another Ali. As a traditional hospitality greeting, the manager brings out an incense burner – thankfully it is only symbolic, as both David and I can feel our eyes stinging and noses running as soon as the smoke hits us.

Ali orders a selection of dishes for our lunch. What a spread! The plates just keep arriving, there must be enough food to feed around 20 people.

I really shouldn’t eat much, if anything, but I don’t want to offend, either, so I take just a very small helping.

Fattoush - a salad of tomatoes, cucumber, mint, parsley, and toasted pitta bread

Hummus

Shorba - a complimentary soup offered by the management as part of the hospitality

Selik - rice with milk served with chicken in a spicy sauce

Another different type of rice with chicken

Molichia - a green vegetable sauce to go with the chicken and rice, which is made from a vegetable known in English as jute mallow

Bamya - a chicken and okra stew

Camel kebabs with bread and a yogurt sauce

After all that food, a dessert is brought out.

Echestraya - a pudding made from bread, milk, rosewater, sugar, and date honey. It is similar to a crumble and absolutely delicious!

And there is Arabian coffee to finish, of course.

Medina
Medina is the second holiest city for Muslims after Mecca, and I am requested to wear an abaya and hejab as we tour the holy sites this afternoon.

Ali, our local guide here in Medina

Al-Masjid an-Nabawi AKA The Prophet's Mosque or the Grand Mosque
Along with thousands of other people, we head to the Grand Mosque in time for the afternoon prayers. As non-Muslims, we are not permitted to enter the mosque compound, but Ali finds us the perfect viewpoint where we can observe the many different nationalities who have made their way here to pray, some of whom have come from afar.

We see people from Sudan, Somalia, Egypt, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, other Arab nations, and more, all heading for the Tomb of Mohammed to pay their respects. Muslims believe that the rewards of praying in Al-Masjid an-Nabawi are better than 1,000 prayers in any other mosque.

The large courtyard in front of the mosque is covered in the most amazing and ornate umbrellas that are being lowered automatically as we arrive. I would love to see the courtyard from the inside with all the umbrellas up.

Umbrellas being lowered

According to the internet, this is what it looks like:

Photo: King Eliot, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Of course, that is never going to happen, so I make the most of soaking in the incredible ambiance that surrounds this place. Despite still feeling pretty rough, I am totally mesmerised by this place, with its peaceful and reverent atmosphere.

The umbrellas are completely folded up now, and blend seamlessly into the rest of the architecture.

The surrounding area is one huge hotel complex, with more springing up by the minute.

Still, they are struggling to meet demand. When I see the number of people here today, just an ordinary day, not even a Friday, I cannot begin to imagine what this place is like during Hajj (the annual pilgrimage).

These images from the internet show the sheer scale of the haram of the mosque (the sanctuary area inaccessible to non-Muslims).

Hejaz Railway Museum
The former railway station has been turned into a museum with artifacts from the age of the railways and earlier.

By now I am suffering from some bad stomach cramps, so I stay in the car with Bacha while David and Ali go in. The museum is very crowded, so they don’t stay long. The following images are screen grabs taken from David’s video.

The foyer

Model of the museum

Museum exhibits

While we are waiting, a man knocks on the window of the car, holding up a bunch of grapes. “Medina grapes,” he says as he hands Bacha the fruits and walks off. The last thing I would want to eat right now, is unwashed grapes. Bacha tries one, screws his face up, and states: “No good”. As I say to Bacha, perhaps that is why the chap is giving them away.

Not long afterwards another man comes along offering grapes – this time Bacha just waves him on.

Quba Mosque
Built in 622AD as the Prophet Mohammed migrated from Mecca to Medina where he made his home, this was the very first mosque to be constructed anywhere in the world. At the time, it had palm trees for pillars and leaves for the roof, and it was built by the Prophet himself and his companions. Over time, various caliphs have renovated and extended the mosque to the super-mosque we see today, with four minarets, 56 domes, and a capacity of 15,000 devotees.

Bacha explains that to Muslims, this is a very special place to pray, and he excitedly asks if he and Ali can go and make their sundown prayers here as he has never had the opportunity before. Right at the start of this tour, we told Bacha that we are very happy for him to stop at any time to make prayers during the trip, and he has briefly done so on a couple of previous occasions. Meanwhile, David and I are left babysitting the car, which is double parked in the overfull car park.

Alia Al Madina Farm
No trip to Saudi Arabia is complete without a visit to a date farm. This place, the oldest farm in Medina, is reached via a long fenced alley; and once inside there is a touristy open-air space that is a peculiar mixture of workshops, a café, shops, and a museum.

The Explore group (a small group tour operator) that we saw yesterday is already here, it seems.

First, we are shown how these seats are made from rope and palm leaves. While the place is touristy in appearance, there is no sales pressure.

The main item produced here is dates. There are so many different dates, and we are shown the best ones in the area. Neither of us is particularly fond of dates, but after being given a taster, we buy some date syrup, at great cost.

In the ‘museum’ part of the complex, we are shown how the farm may have looked in the early days.

Archer’s Hill
There is a lot of Islamic history tied to this hill, mostly because of the Battle of Uhud that took place here in the 7th century between the non-believers of Makkah, and the Muslims. In the battle, 50 archers were posted on Archers' Hill to protect the Muslim army from attack, under strict instructions from Mohammed to stay there. Some members of the army, however, mistakingly believed the battle was over and deserted their post, which led to the Makkah army gaining an advantage resulting in a great loss of lives for the Muslims.

Ali manages to obtain special permission for us to drive around the site rather than walk, because of my knee injury.

Martyr’s Cemetery
Many pilgrims come here to visit the sacred hill, as well as the cemetery next to it, where the bodies of 70 martyrs from the battle are buried. It serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of disobeying the Prophet Muhammed.

Bacha goes to pay his respect at the cemetery.

Sayyid al-Shudada Mosque
The mosque is named after Mohammed’s uncle, Hamzah (full name Sayed al-Shohada Hamzah ibn Abdul Muttalib), who was killed in the aforementioned battle. The mosque is a recent structure, completed in 2017, but replaces another mosque structure that was originally attached to Hamzah’s tomb.

Delights Inn
When we get to the hotel, the Explore group is already there, checking in. One lady has a problem, and it takes the single receptionist ages to get through them all.

By the time it is finally our turn, we get the usual dreaded question: “Have you booked?” Yet again they struggle to find our reservation, but eventually, some 20 minutes after we first arrived, we do have somewhere to retire to.

The room is small, but the bed is enormous. I do not feel like eating anything this evening after my mishap earlier, and as there is no restaurant in the hotel itself, we just retire to bed. David ate a lot at our late lunch, anyway.

Thank you to Undiscovered Destinations for arranging this fascinating trip for us.

Disclaimer: I accidentally deleted all the photos from this day from my camera, so what you see here are a few that I managed to salvage from my phone.

Ali, our guide who came down from Riyadh with us, spent the night with his brother, who lives here in Bureidah. He and Bacha, our driver, pick us up at 06:30 for the short journey to the camel market.

We're not the only ones going to the market

Qassim Camel Market
Worried about my ability to walk, Bacha drives us around some of the various pens holding sheep. I never knew there were so many different varieties!

Ardi goats

I have always found it difficult to differentiate between sheep and goats in some parts of the world, and here is no different.

This is a sheep

Goats on the left, sheep on the right, two friendly traders in the middle

We continue to the area selling camels.

The large open area is full of hobbled camels, and the noise is deafening.

The odd loose camel tries to run away, but none get very far before they are captured.

Prospective buyers mingle with their intended purchases, checking them out. There are three categories of camels, some of which are sold for breeding, judged by their looks, or destined for the cooking pot. Ali tells me that most of the camels in this area will become dinner at some point.

Discussions then take place over a cup of Saudi Coffee, and a price is agreed upon. We too are given coffee and dates by the friendly traders.

Once the business deal has been settled, the camel is secured with a rope and hoisted up into a waiting truck by a crane to be delivered to its new owner.

I love the photobombing camel

Best Western Hotel, Bureidah
We return to the hotel for a shower and breakfast, dropping Ali off at the railway station on the way for his return trip to Riyadh. Before we check out, we go to the coffee shop to pay for the cakes we took last night (with permission). The girl behind the counter doesn't seem to understand English, so the receptionist translates for us. Before the assistant has had a chance to work out how much we owe, the hotel manager has stepped in, shaking his head: “It is on the house. You are our guests, it is the least we can do. We are so happy you are here”.

Somehow I cannot imagine that happening in a Best Western in the UK or most other places.

After freshening up and having something to eat, we continue our journey through the KSA, to Ha'il. I sleep all the way in the car.

Desert Rose Hotel
We arrive at the hotel around midday, and I am concerned that it will be too early to check-in. We go through the usual scenario:

“Do you have a reservation?”

“Who is paying for the room, you or the company?”

Once this confusion is all sorted, we are asked to show our visa, and are told the room is ready.

The bed is huge, but interestingly, the bathroom lacks toilet paper and anywhere to dispense it from. Thankfully every room seems to have plenty of facial tissues over here, and we always bring our own, so it is not a problem.

As with many places in the world, traditionally Arabs do not use toilet paper, instead, they clean up using the hose next to the toilet, rather like a bidet.

Shougaf Grill
As suggested by the local guide (who we've not yet met), we go for lunch at this fast-food restaurant. We take a seat, Bacha joins us, and we sit and chat for a while. Confused as to why no-one has come to take our order by now, or at least give us a menu, we send Bacha up to the counter to find out. He comes back telling us that the menu is via QR code stickers on the table. I didn't even see those, and anyway, I am not prepared to use expensive mobile data on a lunch menu, so Bacha goes off again and comes back with a tablet with pretty pictures (albeit with a cracked screen).

I order Arayes chicken and tabbouleh, which is way too much food. I expected the tabbouleh to come as a side salad, but it is a meal on its own. David chooses chicken tawock, which comes with some unusual puffed bread rolls.

A'Arif Fort
After lunch, we meet up with Abdulmajid, the local guide, at the fort. Dating from the 17th century, the fort is the oldest historical building in the town.

Initially built for defense purposes, the fort was then used to signal the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan to the citizens of Ha'il.

Following restoration, it has been opened to tourists as a museum.

From its lofty position atop a hill overlooking Ha'il, the fort offers a view of the town below.

Qashlah Palace
Once back down again, Bacha, Abdulmajid, and the museum curator take time out to pray, before we continue to Al Qashlah Palace, built as an artillery and weapons depot in 1941. The purpose of building it was to make it the central location for the army troops arriving there. Later it was used as a prison before being re-purposed as a historical building by the government and declared a heritage landmark in 1995.

Hidden behind huge hoardings and covered in scaffolding, the palace is currently undergoing restoration and is closed to tourists. This is becoming very familiar. Abdulmajid partially opens the gate to let us see the entrance, but we are not permitted to enter. He claims it is the largest mud-brick building in the world at 20,250 m², but I can find no confirmation of that online.

The Old Souq
While described as “old”, the market is surprisingly modern in my opinion, and I am sorry to say, not that exciting.

We are shown some very traditional cookies, called maamoul, which are made from a thousand-year-old recipe. They are delicious, and we buy a small bag of them just in case this hotel doesn't serve food.

Butter mixed with date syrup is stored in animal skins – the smallest is that of a lizard, and the largest is from a camel. It tastes surprisingly good.

The stalls in the inside part of the market are mostly clothes, shoes, handbags, and handicrafts. We are given some more complimentary Arabic coffee, which is mixed with cardamom and served in small cups. The cardamom flavour is a little too strong for me, which is surprising, as I frequently use the spice in my cooking, including my morning porridge.

We get to try the best dates of this season, which I must admit are absolutely amazing. I am not really a fan of dates, but these are delicious – the best I've ever tasted!

We leave Abdulmajid chatting with a friend inside the covered market, and wander back out again. continuing to the open-air stalls, which are mostly fruit and vegetables.

I try not to get people in my images, just in case they don't want to be photographed (taking pictures of people without their permission carries a hefty fine in the KSA), so I am a little concerned when one of the stallholders gets up, quickly followed by another. He grabs a punnet of grapes, and his colleague takes a couple of bunches from his stall and places on them on top. He runs towards my open window and hands the large punnet of fruit over. “Welcome to Saudi. We are so happy you're here”. Wow!

Desert Rose, Ha'il
On return to the hotel at the end of the tour, we struggle to get into the room, as the card key is not working. It was temperamental earlier too, but finally worked after numerous attempts. This time it is most definitely on strike. A nearby cleaner uses his key to let us in, and kindly goes down to reception to get the key re-programmed for us. We have met such kindness from everyone we have encountered so far on this trip.

I was right to suspect that the hotel does not have a restaurant. There is a juice bar next door, however, so we have a dinner consisting of shortbread cookies with fresh raspberry and mango juice. Plus grapes, of course.

At 21:30 we receive a phone call from reception asking us what time we would like breakfast. I suggest 08:30. They seem happy with that. I expect we are the only ones staying here, and that they don't want to prepare unnecessary food, which makes perfect sense.

While getting ready for bed, David switches on what he thinks are the bedside lights, and creates a whole new atmosphere in the room. Oooh, la la!

Goodnight from Ta'il and thank you to Undiscovered Destinations for arranging this exciting trip for us.

After last night's debauchery, I am in a deep sleep when the alarm goes off this morning. Unfortunately not mine. Debauchery, that is; The alarm is sadly very much mine.

I notice a huge bruise has appeared on my wrist from yesterday’s encounter with the stocks at Bendery Fortress. That’ll teach me. Not.

As we exit the lift at the ground floor on our way to the breakfast room, there is a burly security guard between the lift and the exit – maybe to stop guests leaving without paying?

We take breakfast in another retro-style dining room, and it appears that we are the first - and only - guests to surface this morning. I am not surprised.

When Valeriu arrives to pick us up, we tell him about the girls last night. “Oh they are hookers” he shrugs.

Back into Moldova

From Tiraspol it is only about half an hour drive back to the border with Moldova, but we have to make sure we leave the country before 10:04:14! It’s been a memorable visit for sure, but I have to concede that Transdniestr is one of those places you visit in order to be able to say "you’ve been", rather than as a result of any attractions it may or may nor have. Unless you are after stunningly beautiful hookers, of course, then Transdniestr should be right at the top of your travel wish list.

The border formalities in this direction are smooth and easy. In no-mans-land Leonid awaits us and we say goodbye to our Transdniestrian driver Ivan. Soon we find ourselves back in Moldova, singing the old Beatles song “Back in the USSR” at the top of our voices.

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Church of Assumption of Mother of God, Căuşeni

The church is officially closed for restoration, but the curator kindly opens it especially for us and gives us a guided tour.

The sign says: CLOSED FOR RESTORATION

The church, which dates from 1763, is set three feet below ground level as the Tatars only allowed the construction of churches on the proviso that the roof was no taller than the height of a man on horseback with his sword pointing up into the air.

In 2002 the roof tiles of the church were all changed with the help of US funds in order to protect the frescoes inside the church from moisture damage. The curator explains how the tiles were made – the curved shape was obtained by forming the clay around the potter’s thigh, and on most of the tiles you can still see their fingerprint.

Just like we’ve sponsored a plank at the zoo in return for a plaque; in those days the donors who gave money towards the construction of the church had their portraits pained on the walls.

The first church on the site was made from wood; later stonework was added. In 1977 an earthquake caused a crack in the walls.

The entire interior of this small, but impressive church – the oldest in Moldova - is covered in frescoes. These are the only preserved Medieval frescoes in Moldova.

Excellent acoustics are aided by empty clay jars, and the early morning light that enters through the windows is said to create a symbolic cross.

Three doors separate the nave with the altar area, but only men are permitted to enter this area.

And now for something completely different...

Et Cetera Winery

Our last stop in Moldova is the small family owned winery of Et Cetera, where we are greeted by Igor, one of the owners, who gives us a guided tour.

Frustrated by the lack of high quality wines in Moldova, Igor and his brother Alexander bought the land in 2002 and subsequently planted 50 hectares of vines that they imported from Italy and Georgia. Today they employ 20 people in the production of an excess of 10,000 bottles of superior wines annually.

The grapes will be ready to harvest next month (October) - they are all picked by hand. The grapes are collected in small boxes; then carefully sorted, with each berry checked to ensure that only the best are fermented.

Next the grapes are placed on the vibrating table where the berries are separated from the stems and other unwanted bits.

They then travel up this conveyor belt…

… to the steamer where the skins are removed…

… and into the presser. Only the white grapes have the skin removed before juicing; for red wine the skin is retained.

We are given a glass each and head into the factory which is full of huge storage tanks for maturation of the wine.

Degustation takes the form of opening a tap on the side of the storage tank!

Today the bottling and labelling plants are devoid of any action.

The wine is really excellent and we buy three bottles to take home.

Back at the Winemaker’s Cottage, the sound of a piano fills the air and we discover Valeriu singing self-composed love songs. This trip seems to be full of surreal moments such as this!

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Lunch at the winery
Lunch is in the bright and airy conservatory, and starts with the unfortunately named ‘Bride’s Placinta’, a cheese and potato pie cooked by Alex and Igor's mother.

A chicken and vegetable soup follows.

I ask Valeriu what the main course consists of. “That’s rabbit casserole,” he tells me, “But…” he continues, pointing to the side dish, “That does not have an English name”. “Kasha?” I ask rhetorically (and to Valeriu’s surprise; he obviously isn’t aware of my great love – and knowledge – of food), “that is called buckwheat porridge in English.”

Romania

After a big lunch with lots of wine, sleep is unavoidable on the four-hour drive to the border between Moldova and Romania; in fact only Leonid, the driver, (thankfully) manages to stay awake.

Exiting Moldova is smooth and easy, whereas entering Romania – and thus the EU – is painfully slow. First of all they want our passport and the car documents, then they check the luggage. Eventually, after queuing for nearly an hour, we are in; and meet up with our new (Romanian) driver-guide Andrei. It is very sad to say goodbye to Valeriu and Leonid, they’ve been such good company for the last five days in Moldova.

But now it’s time to explore new horizons with new people. Andrei is very different to Valeriu – where the Moldavian guide was our age and rather traditional (old fashioned even); his Romanian counterpart is a much younger 'free spirit' and a bit of an anarchist.

Again we doze in the car most of the way from the border, it soon gets dark, therefore making it hard to see anything along the way.

Dinner at Hanu Ancuţei Restaurant

Once we reach Târgu Neamț, we stop for dinner in a rustic and cosy restaurant, as we still have a number of miles to go today.

Although the menu has a convenient English section, the choice is so great that we ask Andrei to pick something typically local for us. He orders a selection of three dips to start – zacusca (aubergine preserved in oil and spices - absolutely delicious! ), white bean pure with fried onion, and mashed beans with smoked meat.

We follow that with a soup of veal with beetroot and soured cream, and for afters we share a plate of little pastries.

Casa Felicia

After dinner, which was accompanied by an excellent botle of wine, we again struggle to stay awake on the way to Sucevita and our accommodation for the next two nights: the delightfully rustic Casa Felicia. By the time we arrive it is nearly midnight, so we merely collapse into bed after a long day with many miles - and three countries - covered.

Thank you to Undiscovered Destinations for arranging this trip to one of the least touristy parts of Europe.