Spring Break Part 1, Dubai and the 2015 Middle East GAA Championships

One of the negatives about the two of us working at different schools is the fact that we have had different spring breaks both years here in Kuwait.  This year Lindsay was able to take the first three days of the week off to be able to enjoy some of Joe's spring break and we had a whirlwind couple of weeks planned.  The break started with a flight to Dubai and the last Middle East GAA tournament of the year, the 2015 ME Championship.  The boys played hard and played well against some very strong competition and Joe achieved his goal of scoring in every tournament of the year.  He is a defender, so this was a big goal of his and he was able to accomplish the feat, scoring a total of five points and a goal in the four tournaments.  The year was a fun one for all of the Harps and we will write a blog post recapping it soon.

Once we enjoyed a day of gaelic football and the end of year gala, we spent Saturday checking out the Mall of the Emirates and the indoor ski resort located there.  If you have ever been to the Gulf region of the Middle East you know how much Arabs love their malls and this one is one of the crown jewels since it contains Ski Dubai!  After a couple of hours shopping and people watching we headed to our favorite spot in Dubai for a relaxing day at the Irish Village with our beloved Harps family!

Just before the throw-in to start the first match of the day against Abu Dhabi.

Joe about to lay out this Abu Dhabi midfielder!

Advancing the ball forward

This picture is with a team from Auckland, NZ that flew up for the tournament!

Scoring a point against the Arabian Celts from Bahrain.

Joe's team that he had the honor of captaining all year.

Walking off the field for the last time as a Middle East GAA footballer.

The 2014/2015 Kuwait Harps.

Egypt!

One of the trips we had to take while here in the Middle East was a visit to Egypt.  When the time came for our four day weekend to celebrate Kuwait National and Liberation Days we booked a trip to visit Cairo and the Egyptian Museum, the Great Pyramid, and the amazing city of Luxor.  We were given the name of a tour company from some friends here in Kuwait and the company, Memphis Tours, was as advertised.  We had excellent service from our hosts and tour guides in both cities and the accommodations they set us up in were five star and ideal.  If you ever visit Egypt, and you should, please take our advice and set yourself up with Memphis Tours!

The trip was everything we hoped for, and more!  The Egyptian Museum is even cooler than we imagined and it was very surreal to stare in to the great golden burial mask of King Tut!  All of the artifacts were so interesting and we enjoyed the several hours we spent there on two separate days!  We also enjoyed the other sites of interest in Cairo, especially Coptic Cairo with the old churches and synagogues.  Of course the highlight was the visit to Giza and the great pyramids and Sphinx.  We spent the night at Mina House hotel, which is a former palace and sits at the base of the pyramid plateau.  You could never find a better view from your hotel!  We ate dinner that first night watching the sun set as we stared at the great pyramid!  It was extraordinary and a meal we will never forget!

We took a short flight to Luxor where we were awed by the Valley of the Kings and Karnack Temple.  We also saw some other amazing sites and will let the pictures speak for themselves, though they show but a glimpse of the greatness we encountered!  Two of the highlights of our time in Luxor were the Sound and Light show at Karnack Temple and the sunrise hot air baloon ride we took over the city.  It was magnificent!  The views were unreal and our ride ended with us landing in a field of sugar cane right next to a farmer and just a few short feet away from his donkey!  As we walked out of the field to the van we were handed fresh sugar cane and had some to eat, the purest sugar we will ever taste!  We loved our time in Egypt and would definitely recommend it to anyone considering making the journey!