The journey

With Saudi Airlines, the Kingdom's main carrier, it was a short hop from Riyadh to Jeddah. Before getting to the airport in Riyadh, I decided to visit the business park of the capital. It's an impressive collection of skyscrapers and even a modern looking mosque in the middle. The place was easily reachable by public transport but, on a day off, it was harder to get to the airport straight from there. It became quite obvious that, at least in the time the metro wasn't launched yet, Riyadh is a car-centric city. Not because of any fault, you can hardly blame people for driving in the hot climate. Besides, the bus connections were good and as said, the metro was nearly opening. But still, at that very moment, I could not find any connections to the airport. So what to do, with just a couple of hours until my flight? Well, I tried standing near the main road to hail a taxi, but hardly any traffic passed on this day off. So little time was left, and I had to do what I eventually did several times during my trip: rely on the kindness of people around. I walked to an office building and asked the security guard if I could use his mobile hotspot for a bit. And without a second thought he shared it, and he let me film a nice vlog in which he welcomed everyone to Saudi Arabia.

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It was still in that time where mobile internet in non-EU countries was slightly harder and e-SIMs, at least for my Bulgarian phone setup, were not convenient back in the day. Nowadays that's all different, but I wouldn't have had many nice encounters if all the logistics had worked smoothly. Through the gentleman's internet, I was able to get an Uber, and not much later I was on my way to the airport. The boarding with Saudi Airlines was swift and we were flying over the desert out west in just a bit. The flight had quite a bit of turbulence, which apparently is common on flights crossing deserts in the afternoon. But we landed quickly. I was surprised at how many flights were going back and forth within the country. People seemed to use it conveniently and as an accessible form of public transport, even leisurely boarding with their takeaway coffees from the airport. I also need to say flying within Saudi Arabia is uniquely pleasant. People are not in a rush with boarding and de-boarding and it may very likely be my most relaxing flight experience out of 55 countries so far. Certainly a thing we could learn in Europe, where it is mostly a stressful event.

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Seaside vibes

Immediately after landing it was clear that I had come to the seaside. An immense aquarium in the terminal was unlike anything I'd ever seen before, at least for an airport. Completely filled with sea life and fantastic looking blue water, it was a true moment of vacation feelings. I took an Uber, taking some WiFi from the airport, and we drove over the dense highway network straight into the city. I couldn't help but feel a resemblance to Barcelona, which is an impression I later found is not without merit. Jeddah is the cosmopolitan port city of the country, just like Barcelona is to Spain. Whereas Madrid is obviously inland and has a more business-like feel to it, I felt the same about Riyadh and Jeddah. The coastal city has seen trade for centuries so it's not strange that it's still the most diverse and bustling city of the country in a cultural sense. The historical quarter was no less impressive, it brought me back to trader times many years ago. But I am getting ahead of myself in the story, as I was just driving in the city on this timeline. So I got to my hotel and unpacked, and quickly was on my way through the area called Al Hamra. It is a short taxi ride north of the old center, and a perfect area to feel like a local. It definitely had lovely places to stroll, such as the corniche (seaside boulevard), which I walked by every evening. It was full of families enjoying the cooler nights, and salesmen selling tea. Lovely fresh squeezed juices were for sale in the many bars nearby.

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Restaurants were many and often quite upscale. I don't recall why I didn't really venture out to try some world-class dining, as Jeddah had plenty such options. But I mostly tried local food places and regardless, I was never disappointed. It was easy to pay by card and the many hot teas I bought I did with a little bit of cash. Jeddah's old center is fantastic at night. The old quarter, called Al Balad, truly comes to live at that time. During the days it was quite hot and while I was out all the time, it was definitely most enjoyable late at night, when the streets became truly crowded in a good way. It surprised me that the people are true night owls. It is not uncommon to see lines of cars and full terraces at night anywhere, even in Riyadh, at 3 am and well throughout the night. It seemed as if people don't really sleep, or at least they built their life around the climate. Not to forget prayer routines play a role in daily rhythm as well, as numerous visits to the mosque throughout the day are pretty much standard. By extension, Saudi Arabia is a strictly 'dry' country, meaning alcohol is forbidden. But there's chilled malt drinks available from stores so you can always freshen up with that, or with a good milkshake. Tea is in fact best throughout the hot weather if you ask me.

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The promenade

As said, the corniche is where all the public life happens. Jeddah being a coastal city, it makes good use of the promenade along the coast. I love dipping my feet in the water when I am by the seaside anywhere but apparently the actual water was completely inaccessible. Not ​without reason I found, as apparently it has sharp coral, rocks, deep drops and undercurrents. This means it's not the right place to get into the water, and there's other lifeguard-monitored beaches where local people enjoy the gorgeous waters. All along the corniche there's grass, benches, palm trees and plenty of public toilets. While I did not find the time to swim (or perhaps I just forgot my swimming shorts at the time), I did enjoy walking by the seaside a lot. I found Jeddah to be one of a kind and would love to visit again. Wizzair still seems to have flights from Europe directly to Jeddah and at the time of writing not to Riyadh anymore. So you could still visit, but do not forget the large array of other airlines that serve Jeddah. Unfortunately, the city is not really on any westerner's radar, but it is a large hub of commerce that is well known throughout the whole MENA region.

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What came next

Me being a fan of anything related to trains, I had to get a ride on the country's high speed line. It connects the city to Medina, which is relatively close for Saudi standards. With another quick taxi ride to the train station, I found myself in awe of the absolutely immense station building and platforms. This infrastructure is in place to facilitate the pilgrimage logistics of Saudi Arabia. Keep in mind that the region is home to the two holiest cities in Islam, which are Mecca and Medina. The first is strictly off-limits to those not adhering to the faith, although the holy city of Medina is accessible, where just the central mosque is not. These are relatively new developments - while Mecca could not be visited, Medina has shifted its policy to allow for more people visiting. Logistically, Mecca does not have an airport, so the pilgrims mostly fly into Jeddah. Straight from the airport, there's a train connection to the holy city, which is a 35-50 minute train ride away. Medina does have its own airport, but is served by the train line with Jeddah as well. So rather than mention more about my next destination here, I will let you enjoy the pictures of this magnificent city on the Read Sea: