Stephanie Willim-Ostmann

The views at the Edge of the World are stunning and breathtaking. Please make time to visit when you are in Riyadh. You MUST use a 4 wheel drive vehicle to get here, no exceptions. It is windy and can get cooler as the sun sets, dress accordingly. There are no bathrooms as this is a very remote area. Please clean up after yourself as so many have not and it makes me very sad. The unmarked road to the site, which is challenging to traverse in broad daylight, is riddled like a graveyard with undercover carriage parts from cars, and their drivers, who underestimated their abilities. Allow up to 3 hours from downtown Riyadh to get there. We made it in 2.5 hours, but we knew where we were going and still had to make re-route adjustments several times to avoid disaster. We came across other drivers, unsure where to go, who followed us to the final destination. Please be safe and respectful of this site during your visit. There was a Saudi police car on site which was a welcome presence. Keep safe distances from the edge, follow the well beaten path, capture amazing pictures (maybe even the sunset if you time it) and soak in the astounding views for as far as the eye can see. Priceless “peace” in the Kingdom.

My husband and I popped into Caffeppuccino one cold, snowy evening in late November to warm ourselves up with a hot drink. I had a Cappuccino and he had a hot chocolate. Beautiful, angelic, piano music was playing in the background. This is a quaint "Italian Bar" (caffe) gently nestled in downtown. Warm and welcoming Italian owners. We loved our little visit and can highly recommend.

Summer of 2023 weekday visit. Bring an umbrella, a hat and extra cold water bottles. It will be a hot visit, but realize it is even hotter for the animals. I arrived by taxi. Make sure you get a green teal colored cab and not somebody random. A short trip from my hotel, but it was nice not to have to walk there since I would be walking once I arrived. I purchased my ticket at the outside counter and immediately filled that the space was friendly and safe. There are many staff around cleaning cages and feeding a variety of animals and birds. I spent 2 hours and 15 minutes exploring the grounds with a temperature of 110°. It was not busy today, no li es and very few people in thenpark today. There are numerous places to grab a bite to eat throughout the zoo. The gift shop is geared mainly toward children's gifts. I saw: lions, tigers, leopards, black leopards, bears, elephants, giraffes, zebras, hippos, antelope, a variety of parakeets and other birds, raccoons, monkeys, apes, sea lions, goats, donkeys, flamingos and too much more to list. Toilet facilities were available in a several places throughout the park. I used the one at the entrance. I only wishbit were cooler and there was more water pools in each cage foe the animals to cool down. I truly had an amazing visit seeing so many animals in such a small place with no lines whatsoever. It was easy to get a cab home. Make sure the cab's meter is working and they have adequate seatbelts.

Carroll Creek Park is one of my favorite places to visit in Frederick, MD. The whispering creek is peaceful and charming. Children and pets enjoy a refreshing dip on hot summer days. Wildlife congregate including fish, ducks, geese and the occasional blue heron. Beautiful by day and majestic by night. Visit at both times of day to fully absorb its beauty and historical heartbeat.

Fire and Ice Festival 2023 in downtown Frederick. Daytime pictures only of ice sculptures. There were fire pits with smore stations and ice carving demonstrations. The evening provided more exciting fire baton shows and colorfully lit ice sculptures to enjoy, if you could brave the cold. Well worth the journey. An amazing artistic experience for the whole family.