Uberest of Uber Days

Work day for Julie and an Uber tourist adventure for me. First, let’s talk about our hotel and Riyadh in general . . . . They are not at all used to tourists, especially an American one. The concierge looked at me funny when I asked for a tour guide - something he had never set up. Obtaining a map of the city was another issue. He went to the back room and returned 10 minutes later with a small map in Arabic. Yikes! My first Uber ride was taking me to Diriyah, the ruins of the ancient palace on the outskirts of town. Unfortunately, I misspelled it on the Uber app and and landed myself in a slum. The driver was very kind and eventually got me to Diriyah, a massive park-like area on the UNESCO Heritage list . . . also 100% closed for renovations. After a little bit of sunbathing on a street corner waiting for my next Uber, I was on my way to Al Masmak fortress, the historic fort in the middle of town where a 1902 battle ushered in the current state of Saudi Arabia....