A quick trip...

Because we are enablers of each other and both suffer from FOMO, we decided it might be a good idea to book a last minute weekend trip to Manama, Bahrain.  Even though we were going to Sri Lanka the very next week...and had a work event the first night of this possible weekend away making the trip time even tighter.

How do we come up with these ideas...and then actually consider acting on them!?

And of course, when we looked online and found an affordable way that we could make it there for a full two nights and still be back in Dubai for work on Sunday morning, we knew what our decision would be.

And so we booked.

Getting up well before dawn, we headed to the airport for a quick one hour flight to Bahrain and were at the InterContinental before 9am.  Amazingly, they were able to find us a "temporary" room to use while our actual room was being prepared, giving Geoff a few hours to get his work done and freeing up the rest of the day for exploring.

We had picked the hotel because of its serene outdoor area, with the intention of lounging poolside and reading our books and swimming for much of the weekend.

But...the weather was having none of it and decided instead to offer a day of winds and rain.

Unphased, we headed instead to the Bahrain National Museum.  Opened in 1988, this attractive museum explores 4,000 years of Bahrain history.

Not always the easiest to follow - at one point a little lost, we ended up squishing behind an exhibit to get to another part of the showcase - the Museum was attractively packed with lots of information and unusual artifacts.

Perhaps most interesting was the room that explores daily Bahrain life from birth through to death, detailing the birthing, school, work and wedding rituals and explaining the architecture and way of life for the Dilmun civilization.  Also fascinating were the old maps of the region which helped to explain its evolution, including the spread of religions throughout.

Our heads full with facts, we headed to Geoff's favourite breakfast restaurant, Lumee, to nourish our bodies.  And it - as always - did not disappoint - as we savoured this comfort food and warm beverages while warming up from the chilly weather.

That evening, we headed to the client party of Beth's old law firm to meet some former acquaintances and some new ones!  Even after all these years, they still know how to throw a lovely gathering and as we headed back to the hotel to get some much needed sleep, we felt confident that we had made a crazy but good decision to make the trip!