April 14, 2025
I woke up early on this day determined to put the unfortunate events of the day before behind me. Being a Navy veteran, I’ve known so many people who have been to Bahrain while on active duty. A few years ago I guy in my Lodge, who was a reservist, came home from about a year in Bahrain. I asked him “Isn’t Bahrain the Vegas of the Middle East?” He replied “No, Dubai is the Vegas; Bahrain is the Myrtle Beach.” I laughed for ten minutes over that one.
I had booked an excursion through NCL billed as a city overview and history.
Per usual, we were ushered in our respective groups to large tour busses and off we went. The first stop was the Al Fateh Grand Mosque. The guides were friendly, and the architecture was fantastic. I also found it interesting that at the front of the large area there is a digital display listing all the prayer times for that and the following day as they change every day based on the position of the Sun.
After the mosque we drove to the Bahrain National Museum. They had a lot of mannequin displays of life in Bahrain pre-Islam and before the discovery of oil. Our guide did a good job explaining it all to us, but I was hoping for more artifacts. Granted they had some, but not as many as I would expect to see in a national museum. It is a beautiful building, though.
We then drove into a more residential area to see some historic houses. While it was interesting, it was very hot and I was ready for it to be over before it was.
We had our lunch in a local restaurant. Food was A-OK and that’s coming from me. A curry-like chicken with naan-like bread, a salad, and a spicy rice dish. The beverage was “rose water” which was like fruit punch that someone had squirted your grandmother’s rose-scented hand lotion into it. It was OK, but not great. LOL.
Finally, we visited the Bahrain Fort, or more specifically called the Qal’at al-Bahrain. It is a fortress whose origins are in the 23rd century BC and was a very cool thing to see, especially the different architectural styles over the centuries. It is well deserving of its UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
Then is was back to the port, grab a magnet at the duty-free shop, then back on board the Norwegian Sky.
All-in-all, it was a good tour and a good day. Much better than the day before.
Tomorrow is the private island of Sir Bani Yas in the United Arab Emirates.
Until we meet again, may you have Fair Winds and Following Seas.
Eric Cable
