Qatar

In January 2012, travelling home from Sweden, I stopped off in Doha, Qatar, in the Middle East. I made the most of a short stopover: after purchasing a visa, I jumped in a taxi and headed into the city with two hours up my sleeve and a five-day beard.

Souk Waqif ('standing market') was a bustling maze of mud-rendered corridors and cobblestone alleys. Vendors sold fabrics, traditional Arabic garments, perfumes, spices, nuts, tools, birds and food.  Old men sat chatting in their wheelbarrows waiting for their next load. An amazing place to wander through.

 

Large stable complex outside Souk Waqif.

While exploring the stables, a couple of locals invited me to sit and drink tea with them in this tent. I removed my shoes and sat on the rug. There was a large stone in the middle with a small fire and few tea pots. Abdullah and Adhem poured Arabic tea and we drank from tiny little cups. The King's office is in the background.

Sweden

In January 2012 I spent two weeks in Sweden with my wife during the northern winter.
We travelled from Stockholm to a small village in the north where the tempeature dropped to -10C , very mild considering the previous winter had delivered days of -30C for months on end.



Stockholm: Skeppsholmen Island from Sodermalm Island. The city of Stockholm is built over 14 main islands within an archipelago of 24,000 islands. We spent a few days walking and exploring, hopping from island to island.



Gamla Stan (the Old Town), dating back to the 13th century.
One of my favourite parts of Stockholm.





Ice skating in the park. Sim is naturally good at ice skating, I am naturally not. I started off clutching the rail, placing one foot in front of the other. Then I did a lap without touching the rail. Finally I started to glide a bit, albiet very cautiously, and felt like I was actually sort of ice skating.



Ostermalms Saluhall, said to be one of the top 10 food halls in the world.

The Vasa, built in 1628, was commissioned as the biggest and most impressive warship of its time. It sank on its maiden voyage.

Jokkmokk, in northern Sweden, just inside the Arctic circle. A boathouse on frozen Lake Skabram.

We stayed in a little cabin on a cheese farm in Jokkmokk.
The farm keeps 10 Swedish Mountain Cattle to produce milk for cheese-making.

The highlight of my trip. Driving my own dog sled team through the pine forest, in the Arctic circle, snow falling and reindeer running ahead of us. An amazing experience!

After farewelling Sim in Umea, I returned to Stockholm and stayed on this 1888 cargo ship,
now a backpackers hostel.

Sunshine on my last day in Sweden; I only saw the sun twice in two weeks.