Postcard from Muscat

We had another late night... staying up chatting with Hilde and eating Schwäbisch Maultaschen (ravioli schwäbisch) which was carried out to her direct from Esslingen by one of her guests. Delicious, and very thrilled she shared her special treat with us!

So, a very leisurely start to the day; in fact, I had no idea what the time was when I woke up. Ready and down for breakfast, and then we could please ourselves whilst Hilde got all her work done.

We headed out around 4pm to take in the sights and get some pictures (see extras). Muscat is surrounded by mountains on one side and the Arabian Sea on the other so is very picturesque. It also has centuries of history. I love driving on their fast roads (often elevated) and seeing settlements nestled in the valleys.

We headed to Muttrah seafront, a place I really love, then continued to drive to the where the first road in Muscat was built (connecting Muscat to Muttrah), and then ended up in the Palace area which has undergone a lot of building work and improvement. We also had a walk along the beach which leads to the Al Bustan Palace Hotel (unfortunately under renovation - again). Don't miss the crab that looks like it's doing an eye-roll!

Back again in Qurm, and we headed to D'Arcy's, one of the oldest cafes in Muscat. G's one request was to eat here. Their food was as good as ever finished off with good service too. We are finding Muscat quite a lot cheaper than Dubai!

My last extra is the main Majlis in Hilde's B&B... a grand area to hang out with great views of the Sultan Qaboos highway... which is where I am sitting at the moment catching up with posting blips. Sadly, I'll have to wait to get back to Dubai to catch up with journals.

Forgot to mention, my thumbnail is of HM Sultan Qaboos, much-loved ruler of Oman for several decades. His picture in the building which houses D'Arcy's had the only bit of pink I saw throughout all our touring today.

Last three days for me to ask you to click here to help donate free mammograms for BCAM.