Medina - City of Light - FINDER'S CAPTURE

After our Umrah, we took the bullet train to Medina, shelling out a little extra for the class of seats that would get us food and tea and Arabic coffee.

Everyone fell asleep along the way, while I stared out the window and admired the desert views, our speed, and my niece as she cuddled in my lap.

It was a very convenient way to travel but such a contrast to what must have been a really intense trek from Mecca to Medina, and it truly put the magnitude of the Hijra—the migration the fledgling Muslim community undertook due to the persecution they were facing in Mecca at the time—into context.

It was also, weirdly, freezing. The AC was cranked up so high. What a problem to be having...

When we arrived, it was nearing sunset and we marveled at the markedly balmier weather, as compared to the searing heat of Mecca. We hurriedly made our way to our hotel, which was a two minute walk from the Prophet's ﷺ Mosque, dropped off our bags, and rushed to pray Maghreb with the congregation.

The view from just outside our hotel

It was very special to be there. Nearly impossible to wrap my mind around the reality of it—The Prophet's ﷺ mosque, where he's buried. In the city he lived and walked in. The city that will forever be marked by and because of his blessed presence in it. Well. There's no words, really. I hope I get to go back. I hope everyone gets a chance to go too.

After a delicious dinner at an Indian restaurant and excellent chai, we went back to our hotel to sleep. The next few days were then spent in visiting the Mosque and holy sites, decompressing a bit, eating good food, and playing with stray cats (and one hedgehog).