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People have been asking me how they can follow this blog without having to remember the web address or create a favorite and now I have created a "gadget" to help make it very easy.
On the top right of the screen you will see "follow by email" and you simply enter your email address and click "submit". You will then be notified whenever a new post is added. Once you hit submit, a screen will pop up telling you that an email will be sent to your account (and gives some other information). Click on the link in your email and voila!
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Monday, February 2, 2015
Sneak peek into luxury
Today we had a sneak peak into the luxurious world of Abu Dhabi. At 9:30 we hopped on the Big Bus tour (ok, that part wasn't so luxurious). Our first stop was the beautiful Marina Mall where Craig bought himself some snazzy two-toned dress shoes (they look like golf shoes to me) and some souvenirs at the Carrefour. Our next Big Bus stop was the 74th floor of Etihad towers where we were treated to an absolutely amazing view of the city! It would be great to see it at night too. Normally I'm not one to be afraid of heights, but now I know what it feels like! When I stood on a little ledge right next to the window and turned my back to the window for a picture I felt all tingly and wobbly! It's really not a pleasant feeling!
From there we grabbed a taxi to be ushered to the Emirates Palace Hotel. I had heard that sometimes the guards turn people away at the gate when walking in, so we pulled up in a taxi and the guard gave us a quick look over and let us through! Phew! This hotel is so opulent! At a cost of 6 billion USD, it is the second most expensive hotel built - next to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore. For Christmas they erected an $11 million tree draped in jewels and gems, but it was seen as a misrepresentation of the holiday and an excessive display of wealth, so the next year it was more traditional.
Craig was a real trooper having afternoon High Tea with me at the 7-star hotel and he could not resist ordering a Camel burger! He loved the burger, and even the tea! The hotel is a tone on tone sea of gold. Even some of our deserts at tea had flakes of gold! Seriously! It was a great experience that we will never forget.
Our last stop for the day was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. We knew ahead of time to dress accordingly so we didn't have to use the gowns they provide, which allowed us to walk right in (after taking our shoes off, of course). The grandeur of this mosque cannot truly be captured in pictures, but of course we tried. It is definitely an amazingly beautiful place and I feel grateful that we were allowed to see it as it is the only mosque where non-Muslims are allowed to visit in Abu Dhabi.
The mosque has some impressive facts....
1. The carpet in the main prayer hall is considered to be the world's largest carpet made by Iran's Carpet Company. This carpet measures 60,570 sq ft.
2. There are 7 imported chandeliers from a German company costing over 8 million dollars! They incorporate millions of Swarovski crystals and 24K plated gold. The largest of these chandeliers (3rd largest in the world inside a mosque) has a diameter of 33 feet and height of 49 feet!
From there we grabbed a taxi to be ushered to the Emirates Palace Hotel. I had heard that sometimes the guards turn people away at the gate when walking in, so we pulled up in a taxi and the guard gave us a quick look over and let us through! Phew! This hotel is so opulent! At a cost of 6 billion USD, it is the second most expensive hotel built - next to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore. For Christmas they erected an $11 million tree draped in jewels and gems, but it was seen as a misrepresentation of the holiday and an excessive display of wealth, so the next year it was more traditional.
Craig was a real trooper having afternoon High Tea with me at the 7-star hotel and he could not resist ordering a Camel burger! He loved the burger, and even the tea! The hotel is a tone on tone sea of gold. Even some of our deserts at tea had flakes of gold! Seriously! It was a great experience that we will never forget.
Our last stop for the day was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. We knew ahead of time to dress accordingly so we didn't have to use the gowns they provide, which allowed us to walk right in (after taking our shoes off, of course). The grandeur of this mosque cannot truly be captured in pictures, but of course we tried. It is definitely an amazingly beautiful place and I feel grateful that we were allowed to see it as it is the only mosque where non-Muslims are allowed to visit in Abu Dhabi.
The mosque has some impressive facts....
1. The carpet in the main prayer hall is considered to be the world's largest carpet made by Iran's Carpet Company. This carpet measures 60,570 sq ft.
2. There are 7 imported chandeliers from a German company costing over 8 million dollars! They incorporate millions of Swarovski crystals and 24K plated gold. The largest of these chandeliers (3rd largest in the world inside a mosque) has a diameter of 33 feet and height of 49 feet!
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| Above: The view from 74th floor of Etihad Towers looking at the 7-Star Emirates Palace Hotel (on right) and future Presidential Palace (on left) |
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| Me on grounds of Emirates Palace Hotel with the Etihad Tower in background |
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| Emirates Palace Hotel entrance |
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| Some beautiful tapestry in the Emirates Palace Hotel |
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| Inside the Grand Mosque - main prayer hall |
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| Outside the Grand Mosque |
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| Us attempting a selfie outside the Mosque |
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| Inside the Mosque - the chandeliers were incredible! |
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| The inner courtyard of Mosque |
Ferrari World UAE
Ferrari World - UAE - home to the worlds fastest roller coaster, "Formula Rossa"! 0 - 240 in 4.9 seconds! It was fantastic! Craig instantly broke out into a sweat and was NOT going back on for another turn, but of course I did! Go karts there were electric and the track was super slippery (apparently called a slide track), so there was a bit of a learning curve to figure out how to slide around the corners. Craig came in second (of course he says he didn't even try to get fastest time) and I came in 4th out of 8! The park is an architectural wonder and it is impressive for sure, but at AED250 pp ($85) it is pretty pricey and the gift shop, forget it! A small sticker costs $5! We had a 2 for 1 entry fee coupon, so it was reasonable. It's not a place you can spend an entire day at, well, maybe with kids or if there are huge lines I guess, but for us, the park was nearly empty! We arrived right before it opened and there were only a couple of dozen people there. Timing couldn't have been more perfect. It's all indoors, so I slathered on all that sunscreen for nothin'!
Life in Abu Dhabi
Here we are in Abu Dhabi and it's been amazing! The temperatures are ideal at 25 -30 degrees Celsius during the day and 16 or a bit higher over night. Apparently it's the rainy season, but there hasn't been a cloud so far.
I've been a busy tourist! Lunch with a friend of a friend Stephanie (who was very nice) at a great Indian restaurant (tasty food at a reasonable price), shopping at the mall attached to our hotel (big mall with some big name stores like Rolex), walking to the gold souks at the Madinat Zayed Mall (Craig did some amazing, endurance bartering and my dad and I benefitted with new gold necklaces), walking the Corniche area (a pretty walkway area by the water) where we will rent bikes one night, Marina Mall (Beautifully laid out, again with high end stores like Prada and they even have a nice skating rink) and Heritage Village (where I met my camel friend and bought my first pashmina), more shopping at the World Trade Center Mall.
Today I stumbled upon a market area that sells pashminas, brass camels, carpets, fancy pillow covers, linens, etc. I was a bit overwhelmed by the pashmina choices and I just could not decide, so I left empty handed! Not to worry, it's just across the street, I could go back. I need to bring the camera next time.
Tonight we ate dinner at "Lebanese Flower", which is apparently a chain restaurant, but it was so delicious and inexpensive. Craig had a half chicken and I ordered the Shawarma Plate. First we got this huge plate with olives, tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers on it and a basket of pita bread, then a large bowl of hummus, French fries (kinda random) and we tried something new, "fattoush salad", which was tasty, then our meal came! Mine was a huge plate of chicken shawarma meat and a few more fries. Just when we thought we couldn't eat another bite, after the meal they brought this large plate of watermelon that we didn't even ask for! All that for 87 Dirhams (equivalent of $30).
I've been a busy tourist! Lunch with a friend of a friend Stephanie (who was very nice) at a great Indian restaurant (tasty food at a reasonable price), shopping at the mall attached to our hotel (big mall with some big name stores like Rolex), walking to the gold souks at the Madinat Zayed Mall (Craig did some amazing, endurance bartering and my dad and I benefitted with new gold necklaces), walking the Corniche area (a pretty walkway area by the water) where we will rent bikes one night, Marina Mall (Beautifully laid out, again with high end stores like Prada and they even have a nice skating rink) and Heritage Village (where I met my camel friend and bought my first pashmina), more shopping at the World Trade Center Mall.
Today I stumbled upon a market area that sells pashminas, brass camels, carpets, fancy pillow covers, linens, etc. I was a bit overwhelmed by the pashmina choices and I just could not decide, so I left empty handed! Not to worry, it's just across the street, I could go back. I need to bring the camera next time.
Tonight we ate dinner at "Lebanese Flower", which is apparently a chain restaurant, but it was so delicious and inexpensive. Craig had a half chicken and I ordered the Shawarma Plate. First we got this huge plate with olives, tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers on it and a basket of pita bread, then a large bowl of hummus, French fries (kinda random) and we tried something new, "fattoush salad", which was tasty, then our meal came! Mine was a huge plate of chicken shawarma meat and a few more fries. Just when we thought we couldn't eat another bite, after the meal they brought this large plate of watermelon that we didn't even ask for! All that for 87 Dirhams (equivalent of $30).
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