Crystal Walkway and Hala Summer Contests

Andrew got his residency card and that mean's we're apartment shopping.

Today we looked at some apartments at The Pearl. 

Really I wanted to look at this great apartment right off the Msheireb metro station...but alas it was snapped up before we even got to look at it. But our real estate agent suggested some other apartments at The Pearl.

We looked at one and were not very impressed. I just don't see how it could possibly be as big as they were telling me it was (or perhaps it was simply that a lot of the square metreage was a terrible use of space) and it was rather...run down...though we were still considering it. 

And then he took us to another place that was incredible. It was a little over our housing allowance (meaning we'll have to pay some of our rent out-of-pocket), but for its size and location it feels worth it. Plus, most utilities are included (whereas at the other place no utilities were included). Plus, we get a percentage off because of our corporate connections...so...it all...seemed to even out in the end. 

Eventually we won't need a place quite this big, but with five kids (all homeschooling), it feels necessary. 

We wish the pool were bigger, but it also comes with access to the beach and a long, air-conditioned pedestrian promenade called The Crystal Walkway, which looks beautiful enough in the daytime...but our real estate agent said we had to return in the evening to see it all lit up:

Oh, and we also spotted this big pink Hala Summer guy, which Phoebe has been wanting to find:

So of course we had to return to take a look around at the night life. 

And it was pretty incredible. There are dozens of crystal dioramas set into the sidewalk (180 apparently—in five different themes including desert, snow, forest, sea, and machinery) and the hexagons in the sky are lit up as well. The air conditioning keeps it comfortable, day and night, so it's always a good time for a stroll!

I am always mildly concerned about energy consumption, so if you are as well, this cooling system is apparently a cutting-edge system that uses far less energy than traditional air conditioning, and the hexagon-crystal canopy of the "trees" are actually—and somewhat incredibly—solar panels that power the system.

It's really quite dazzling. 

Alexander said it made him feel like medieval times...but the rest of us are pretty sure it feels futuristic. 

Still, I'm sure there is room for improvement regarding energy consumption (and it seems to be a concern on many minds), but I'm glad to see some experimental technologies helping people stay cool (and look forward to the day when we can do that without causing more emissions).

These crystal displays are pretty amazing though! 

And Phoebe was happy to find the pink Hala Summer character (even though it's not as big as the blue one near our hotel):

We also asked the front desk at our hopefully-future apartment building if we could take the kids up to the roof to see the pool and the view...and they said yes! 

It's not a terrible view.

Here's Phoebe with another Hala Summer character:

After we'd finished with our adventure on that side of town, we returned to our hotel...stopping by Carrefour to do a little grocery shopping for the weekend. Part of the Hala Summer fun is that there are all these...stations...set up around the city where you can do...stuff...and win...other stuff. 

In order to participate in this bar hang thing in City Center, you have to show proof that you spent at least 100 QAR in the mall. Our shopping trips to Carrefour tend to run well over

100 QAR, and Zoë had a hunch she'd do great at the bar hang. 

She had done a bar hang thing at the Spy Museum when she went to DC with Grandpa and Darla back in March, and she had done very well, beating out an entire group of teenagers who had gone before her. They were very impressed.

Well, a while ago (August 19) we had a big ol' receipt from Carrefour in our hand so we suggested we try the bar hang contest. Zoë was confident she could make it the 45 seconds needed to earn a prize. 

She lasted all of seven seconds before putting her feet down.

She didn't realize that the bar would (1) be a little greasy and (2) rotate. 

She felt defeated and embarrassed. 

But today when we had another big ol' receipt from Carrefour we managed—after some convincing—to make her swallow her pride and try again. We talked about techniques like regripping her hands as the bar moves, but she settled on a mixed grip (with one hand facing forwards and one hand facing backwards to keep the bar from moving). The person running the station the first time we visited had tried to communicate this to her, but Zoë didn't understand what she meant. 

No matter! She tried it again today (which may...be...against...the...rules?? It says one try per person...but surely that's one try per person per receipt...I don't know) and she totally succeeded!

Her grand prize? A 15% off coupon to spend yet more money at the mall!

It's for Claire's, which is fun because Claire's has been struggling in the US (with many, many stores having been closed down), but it's got such cute stuff—and it's alive and well here (apparently...we haven't yet seen it but it is listed as one of the stores in the mall). I'm sure Zoë will enjoy poking around there!