Visit of my parents here in Saudi and at KAUST

Last week was a very special one - because finally there was a chance for my parents to visit KAUST and get their own impression of our life here in Saudi Arabia.

Just like it always happens, the pick-up from the airport was an adventure, as we had a tire problem halfway between KAUST and Jeddah. Luckily, everything was quickly resolved at the next gas station and we made it on time.

The first day at KAUST was all about exploring the campus - I think we saw a little bit of everything and it was enough to get an idea of what life is like here.
Sometimes it's good to see your "home" with fresh eyes of visitors - it also reminds you how many things you take for granted in your everyday life that are actually pretty cool (and balance out the fact that not everything is always super awesome :-) )

In the evening, we went together to KAEC, where we didn't do much except strolling along the Corniche, but we really enjoyed the new light installations.

In between, Felix and I had to work, so my parents spent a relaxed morning on the beach before going to the old town of Jeddah, Al Balad, in the early evening.


Al Balad

Characteristic of Al Balad are the tower-like houses with large wooden Roshan. The Roshan are bay windows that served both to protect privacy and to facilitate air circulation in connection with wind towers. In the late 19th century, wealthy merchant families lived here. Interestingly, the construction of these houses can be attributed to the opening of the Suez Canal (1869). The merchants in Jeddah particularly benefited from this newly opened sea trade route and the wealthy profits from trade were the reason for the construction of these representative houses in the late 19th century.

By the way, the old town of Jeddah is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage List!

And finally, Felix got the traditional sandals he wanted to buy during his internship (good things come to those who wait)!

We started the last day in Saudi with a snorkeling trip. Unfortunately, Felix had to work, so only three of us went. Although the weather is still unusually cool for this time of year, we managed to stay in the water for quite a while and were rewarded with a huge buffalohead parrotfish at the end of our snorkeling adventure!

In between, we also spent a lot of time cuddling with the bird at home, which quickly became everyone's favorite.

To conclude, we had a nice dinner before leaving together for Muscat, Oman, the next morning.

But I'll write about that in the next blog entry.

Until then, best regards!