Art, art and more art

On my first day off, I went with a colleague to Souq Waqif - which was full of fans in good spirits. It was great to feel that we were actually at a World Cup! And the lack of beer seemed an advantage, if anything.

We met a man from Palestine and his three daughters. He said how hard it is to get home. Such a lovely man. Born in Gaza. We don't know how lucky we are.

Then we went to the Museum of Islamic Art.

Some wonderful stuff in there. The glassware from Iran with such stunning glazes. Calligraphy and illuminated texts. And, a cauldron. I can't share a photo - and it looked like no cauldron you've ever seen. It was a rough bowl which was apparently used for melting down scraps of glass which were then drizzled on other objects. The colours of the thing! It was stunning.

In the picture you can see the prow of a dhow. Such a clash of... eras in Doha!

The skyscrapers in the background include our hotel.

In the evening, there was a work social with actual alcohol. And food. At a very plush place - The Secret Garden. I liked the chandelier in the entrance.

More birds!

And there were birds too in my last museum.

The second, first... as it were. This was Mathef, which was very hard to get to as the whole area was blocked off because there is a stadium next door. I was walking around lost when the overseer of the Qatar Foundation saw me. It ended up with him and his friend driving me all around the compound - which involved a journey along a motorway - to find the entrance!

As it happened, though I found all the works interesting, only the last one touched me. An artist who seeks to get closer to nature. Almaha Almaadeed makes palm leaf paper and paints landscapes.

The paintings weren't wonky - just me.

Then I took a bus from the museum - it connects all the museums. The driver was from Ethiopia. He wants to study environmentalism in Norway or Britannia. I hope he makes it.

So, I was at the Fire Station. I loved it.

About seeing things differently.

Here, you can't drink the tap water - faecal matter and some other chemical nasties - so you can imagine how much bottled water is drunk.

This artist used the bottles.

Ah yes, and the bird. A woodchat shrike, I believe.

The same artist painted this, which is stunning.

I also enjoyed insects and fish.

And a swimmer.

There was a large installation about Al Jazeera TV and outside a memorial to journalists killed while doing their work.

Yes, a cat appreciated the memorial.

I was able to walk back to the hotel from there.