Our visit to the Pearls Museum included persistent encouragement to have dinner at Akoya, the Japanese style restaurant also owned by RAK Pearls Holding LLC.

When the pearls are harvested, the remaining oyster meat is sent to the restaurant. In the past, when pearls were harvested by divers, the shells and meat were tossed overboard. Only the pearls were saved. The pearl farm is more environmentally conscientious and makes use of all parts of the oyster.

We started with a breaded skewer.

A lovely salad.

Udon soup.

They use only the muscular part of the oyster, not the whole oyster which is what I’m used to. This is much more appetizing and it is like eating little paisleys.

Just when you think they may have run out of ways to cook oysters – tempora.

Ending with dessert – red bean ice cream, sesame cookie, and apple slices.

There were several other dishes. We were stuffed before it was all said and done. We ordered set meals plus a couple of other dishes. If you go, stick with the set meal. It will be plenty, trust me. Everything was tasty and prices were reasonable. Highly recommended.

A new museum has opened in Ras Al Khaimah.

The main floor focuses on the history of pearling in the area, including a full sized 40 foot pearling boat. Information is very well presented.

The second floor is devoted to the cultured pearl industry. Not surprising, since the museum is owned by RAK Pearls Holding, LLC.

We wondered around a bit before finding the museum, so, if you are interested in checking it out for yourself, here is a map to help. The museum is open 10 am – 6 pm and costs 100 AED per person (which includes lunch/snack at the cafe).

The clouds and Sun cooperated to create some spectacular views yesterday on our drive into Dubai.

This impressive ram was an unexpected sight.

Maybe I should change this blog to “what I saw on the road today.”

You never know what you are going to see.

Proof that there are mosques everywhere.

“And to think that I saw it on Mulberry Street” – sometimes you don’t need to exaggerate, just keep your eyes peeled.

Here is another metro train station museum. This is at Syntagma Station. A long section of wall recreates the layers of excavation showing several graves throughout the years.

Several showcases display pottery, oil lamps, and  grave stones.

This lovely little chapel is in the Central Market area. We visited it twice. Once on our own and again with our food tour guide.

It is quite lovely inside with paintings of the saints.

The soot from the candles burnt over the years has obscured the paintings on the ceiling so that only the golden halos show clearly now.

Nearby, was a shop with religious supplies that the average Eastern Orthodox Christian might need. (I did not take a picture, sorry about that.) The wares consisted mainly of candles of various sizes, including some that can be purchased by the foot, as well as pictures of the saints. What was really interesting was the bins of seeds and grains. It is traditional to cook up a special mix of seeds and grains to be eaten after a funeral. So, there were bins of these and cloth bags that one could put them in.

You may remember the basement taverna from our food tour post. Nothing would do, but DaddyBird had to go back and have another meal there before we left Athens. We got a cozy little table right next to the wine barrels. The owner makes his own wine in these barrels. DaddyBird says it is the best retsina wine.

A reprise of the fava mash (actually made with yellow lentils, we suspect).

We didn’t really order anything. They recognized us from two days before and automatically brought the fava mash, chick peas and vegetable stew. He asked if we wanted fish, but we had more than enough, so declined it.

Here’s a glimpse of the doorway and the kitchen area. The menu is limited – just three hot items, fried fish, and bread. We saw a variety of clients, from old Greeks to blondes in leopard print coats.

This is a gem, well worth a second visit.

Waltz, Gigi?

Fear is a prominent theme.

I’m fairly certain that the guy above is about to beat up the guys below.

They are just too, too happy.

This one is a serious downer, but the technique is interesting.

A rather ambitious, large scale piece.

A cheery smile in an alley.

An economic/religious statement.

ARGH!

It appears this school took the initiative to cut to the chase and invite artists to paint the building rather than waiting to see what might appear randomly.

An economic holiday greeting.

This last one is especially for Rupert. Can you read it?

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 12,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.