Tag Archives: Abu Dhabi

The white knuckle drive

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We went on holiday at half term, of which more anon, and flew via Dubai.  Well, as my brother lives in Abu Dhabi, it seemed a little rude not to stop by to say hello so that is just what we did on our way home.  We arrived on Thursday afternoon and so were able to spend Thursday evening (their Friday night equivalent) and all day Friday (their Sunday equivalent) with little brother and his wife.  There was lots of talk amongst the local ex-pats on Thursday evening of the impending Grand Prix and on Friday we found ourselves on Yas Island, home to the Grand Prix circuit, having brunch at a neighbouring hotel. We spent the afternoon lazing by the pool and saw the lights on the F1 hotel come on as the sun went down.  It was a very pleasant, certainly decadent, way to end our holiday.

But all good things do come to an inevitable end and at 4am on Saturday morning a taxi pulled up outside the flat to drive us the 1 1/2 hours back to Dubai.  Continue reading →

The Grand Mosque

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gold-finials-minaret.jpgIt’s officially known as Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque.

Wow! 

It may not be quite finished but it’s stunning.

Third largest in the world.  From Italy – the largest main-prayer-hall.jpgchandelier in the world.  From Iran – the largest handmade carpet in the world.  White marble from Greece.  In fact, about 200 different types of marble from around the world.  Hand painted tiles from Turkey.  Hand carved ceilings by Moroccan craftsmen.  Three main domes, four minarets.  I’ve forgotten how many pillars, but a lot.  An area of 22,000 sq m.  Marble and mother of pearl marquetry, marble relief decor, mosaics, acres of gold leaf, concealed lighting. It’s taken 10 years to build and there’s a little way to go yet.  If you go to the Emirates, you must go and visit this mosque.no-hugging.jpg

Oh, and no hugging. 

 

 

 

 

Some photos in Bubbleshare:-

 

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The Tesco internet shopping moment

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vegetables.jpgPersonally, I blame it all on GP2.  He wanted an apple.  We were heading, in the blinding  afternoon sun, temperature c. 400 C, towards the fruit and vegetable market at the time, so it didn’t seem an entirely unreasonable request.  However, I still think it was his fault.

But before that, let’s go back a year or two to the first time I did my supermarket shopping on the internet.  It seems so easy, doesn’t it?  You sit at the comfort of your desk, no time wasted, no oil consumed driving to the next town.   You wander leisurely down the aisles with your mouse, no trollies to push, no arguments with the children about which over-packaged yoghurts or tooth rotting, trans-fat laden biscuits and crisps to buy this week.  Click, click, click and there’s your shopping done.

Mmm.  If only it were that simple.   Continue reading →