Blue Knights-Bahrain Daily Blog Post (4.18.17)

Wow, all of the beautiful things we were able to see today!! We got to sleep in and enjoy the last shower for probably close to 48 hours. We made a trip into the Souk, which is an amazingly intricate Middle Eastern Market. Spices, clothes, art, food, toys, you name it, it was probably there somewhere!

Main streets turned to back alleys real quick, and everything turned into a crazy labyrinth before you knew it. The food was INCREDIBLE. We had a table that could have/should have sat up to 8 people….we sat 5, and filled the WHOLE thing up with food, fish, rice, curry, veggies, lettuce, tea, chicken, lamb…We decided the motto needed to be “just say yes”. We were very unsure what could have come out, but it definitely worked in our favor.

Next, we got to go to the Bahraini National Museum. For sure, the best 1BD or roughly $2.65 I could have ever spent. We had been curious as to a lot of general culture questions throughout our trip there that the museum actually did a really good job of explaining. From family life to clothing, religion, trading, economy, social structure, everything. It was an amazing chance to just be able to START understanding such a complex culture. The museum sat on the water as well, with some beautiful scenery, so of course, we had to go out and get some pictures taken by the water as well.

Next stop, the Lagoon. A very new development… condos in the making and a TON of restaurants of all varieties on the water. Our group chose a place called “Ali Baba” which was a mix of Middle Eastern flavors. A lot of us had done lunch together earlier and were still VERY full, so most of us opted for appetizers and a shake. This was a beautiful setting to spend with some of my travel companions on our last night in beautiful Bahrain.

The airport went surprisingly well. It was smooth, pretty seamless and went a lot faster than I anticipated, so thank goodness for that… However, that also means, not much to talk about there.

Next stop, Germany….ummmm…WOW! We got in at about 6:30 in the morning and were determined to fit as much sightseeing in as possible. Best decision I ever made. We got to the main train station and were out roaming around by 7 am. We stopped at a beautiful Cafe for coffee, another spot for breakfast, stopped again for a bratwurst. All the German things. The sights were mind-blowing. I had never been to Europe, so seeing all the buildings, trees, the river, the lock Bridge, was all just incredible. Definitely, a place I would be lucky to visit again. Public transportation was super easy, and we were never worried about the ability to be able to make it back to the airport.

Wandering around Germany was a great opportunity to tire ourselves out. So the flight was pretty unexciting, as I “slept” (as much as you can really sleep on a plane) and watched movies the whole way back to the states. We arrived late into Denver and had to go through multiple lines, for passports, customs, baggage…. all of the things. And just like that… we were done. We had gone so far and accomplished SO very much. We didn’t lose anyone, everyone arrived exhausted, but exhilarated. Clocked my longest Tuesday EVER at 33 hours.

And with that, I am now home. Yet to have unpacked a single thing, but the dogs are glued to my side, got to have dinner, story time and bedtime with my beautiful baby girl who I missed more than I could describe and who is now fast asleep upstairs. All that’s left is unpacking what I immediately need to shower and PASS OUT. I’m apparently a masochist who scheduled myself to open my store at 4 am tomorrow… so the rest of the unpacking and general life maintenance that I neglected to go on this whirlwind of a trip can wait until I get to it. So now…. time for the second most awaited part of a really, SERIOUSLY long day (after seeing my beautiful family of course), I’m going to enjoy what could possibly be the best shower of my life, curl up in MY bed and wish you all sweet dreams. Good Knight!