We were supposed to go on a shore excursion early this morning but due to the Qatar National Day, some of the roads in the city were closed for the parade. As such, our Doha city tour only started at about 1:30pm.
Our first stop is supposed to be Souq Waqif, the capital’s fascinating bazaar. However, due to the National Day, the Souq was closed today. Instead our tour changed its first destination to a modern Souq, the Villaggio Mall.
Along the way, the local tour guide shared with us some interesting facts about Qatar. Qatar has a population of about 2.7 millions. Out of which, 2 millions are male. And the highest population is actually Indian. As with other Arabian states, Qatar is also a tax free country.
As we were about to reach Villaggio Mall, two structures attracted our attention. One was a tall tower and beside it was a beautiful stadium. Aspire Tower, also known as The Torch Doha, is a 300-metre-tall (980 ft) skyscraper hotel in Doha, Qatar. The tower is currently the tallest structure and building in Doha and Qatar. The tower was a landmark of the 2006 Asian Games due to its size and proximity to the main venue, the Khalifa International Stadium. And guess what, tonight, my favourite football club, Liverpool FC, will be playing here at this stadium for the semi-final of Club World Cup.
As we arrived at Villaggio Mall, I was hoping if I could meet some of the LFC players in the mall. Haha...... :-)
Villaggio Mall is an Italianate-themed shopping mall with luxury retail stores and a 150-m long indoor canal with gondolas.
When I saw the Club World Cup poster featuring Liverpool FC, I knew I had to take a picture with it. Go Liverpool, YNWA! :-)
Villaggio is a very huge mall with over 200 stores, including many famous brands in the U.S., U.K., Italian and German markets.
As we walked through the mall, though its indoor, we had a feeling of being outdoor.
Other than the clear blue sky ceiling, there was also gondolas paddling down a canal inside the mall.
The mall contains the Gondolania Theme Park, an indoor theme park which includes the Gondolania Ice Rink, one of two ice hockey rinks in Qatar, which is the home of the Qatar Ice Hockey League and the regional Desert Cup tournament. It is the only Olympic-size rink in Qatar.
As we only had about an hour here, we did not manage to cover the entire mall.
Before boarding our tour bus, we took some wefies with the Torch and Stadium in the background.
Wishing my team, Liverpool FC, all the best for the match tonight. Ole ole ole ole, Ole ole.......
No comments:
Post a Comment