SO, what news of our tourists abroad? It has so happened that in recent times I've had the chance to go to a fair few of the countries and cities popular with Saudi tourists, particularly in Europe, so, if you'll permit me, I'd like to offer you the following report on what they are getting up to in three popular locations in Europe. In Paris: The women begin mid-afternoon with their shopping rounds the length and breadth of the Champs Elysées, then on to neighboring streets, until evening sets in. For dinner, they gather with their female friends in an Arab restaurant on, or nearby, the very same Champs Elysées. The menfolk arise mid-afternoon and start their day with lunch at an Arab restaurant on the Champs Elysées – where else? – and then have a siesta until evening calls, when they head off to the various plush hotels in the area packed to the rafters with fellow Saudis, until the whole nation later settles down on the Champs Elysées anew, having fought for pole position seating giving the best views. There they sit, eyeing the world up and down, until midnight when they all head off to a variety of locations on the same street until morning. In London: The womenfolk begin their day mid-afternoon with shopping rounds along Oxford Street that last until the approach of evening, at which point they haul their cargo to Hyde Park, along with their maids and children and kabsa and a dozen Arabian coffee pots. Upon sunset, which occurs at around ten in the evening, they join female friends at an Arabic restaurant on Edgware Road or in Knightsbridge, and stay until midnight. The chaps begin their day at noon with a little stroll and then a hearty lunch at an Arabic restaurant on Edgware Road – where else? – followed by an afternoon nap until evening. They then proceed with a round of bookshops on the same street in search of works banned by the censors, to later gather in the same old Arabic cafes on the same old street, or in Knightsbridge a short distance from Harrods. There they remain, eyeing the world up and down, until midnight when they move on for another night's entertainment. In Spain, and more specifically in Andalusia, you won't find a single Saudi. Allow me to conclude this brief report with two observations: Firstly, that the Saudi tourists in London are the very same tourists that have been going there for years, going to the same places for years, to discover anew what they have already discovered in previous years, as if there was nothing new worth discovering in a global capital like London or Paris. As for Spain and particularly Andalusia, there's not a single Saudi tourist! Secondly, if daily routine during the rest of the year keeps husband and wife apart, then all the more reason to use the holidays to come together and listen to each other's concerns and put an end to the woes of the year-long silence. What happens, however, is quite the reverse, as if it is written that the summer be a time for further distancing, a time for disconnection and not connection between husband and wife, with him in his world and she in hers, to perhaps only meet up – should luck have it – on the flight home.
