Category: Dubai

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The third day in Dubai was leisurely. We started with a huge breakfast in bed with Mimosas. Then spent the rest of the morning scouring the Souks for more goodies, mainly the gold Souk. Then some relaxation by the pool in the afternoon. We considered skiing at Ski Dubai, an indoor ski and snowboard mountain, but figured we could ski at home and instead immersed ourselves in the last day of Dubai culture. That evening we had dinner at the Tuscan Grille, another Celebrity restaurant that specializes in seafood, steaks, chops and homemade pastas. We started at the Martini bar and met Ray and Rachel for a drink. Then proceeded to the Tuscan Grille for an amazing three hour dinner. We sat in a beautiful spot by the window with a gorgeous view of the Dubai. Each course took time and was well worth the wait as it was freshly prepared. I asked them to raise the wooden slatted blinds that fell halfway down the floor to ceiling windows so that we could see the top of the skyline. The waiter said, they don’t go up…I found this strange so I asked the manager and he explained that last week while cruising through the Gulf of Aden there were pirates so all the lights on the ship were turned off and blinds were drawn. Since there were diners in the area where we were sitting near the window, they tried to get the blinds down quickly. They couldn’t do it quick enough so someone cut the strings so they would fall to the ground immediately. Hence, broken shades can’t move up and down. He said it took about an hour to move each one up a few feet…so they weren’t going anywhere! Oh well, didn’t matter, the ambiance, food and company was top notch. Another Celebrity jewel! We watch the production show in the theater and really enjoyed it but we’re so tired by this point-Dubai wore us out!

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Today we decided to see Dubai from the water. We took a ferry along the coast and saw the city from a different perspective, just as beautiful. Went past the Palm Jumeirah, as we call it Palm Island, there are other man-made island complexes we passed like the World, a bunch of islands made to look like a map of the entire world. We made our way to the Dubai marina, it was constructed in only five years between 2005 and 2010. It was just untouched desert 10 years ago, and now you’re surrounded by high-rises and million-dollar yachts. While none of the skyscrapers have any sort of architectural merit, well besides the infinity tower with its twisted look, the area is known as the tallest block in the world. We walked around the promenade and looked at the shops and restaurants and drooled at the amazing yachts. The Palm Jumeirah was next, we know it as the crazy man-made islands shaped like a palm tree. Everyone also knows it as the island that has the Atlantis resort on it. Same owners as the Atlantis in the Bahamas, and looks same too. It is the worlds largest artificial island so we had to see it. We took a 15 minute elevated monorail ride across the trunk of the palm tree which gave us views of the fronds of the palm with their amazing homes and real estate. The boys were dying to see the Dubai version of Atlantis, so we spent some time exploring there and of course it was beautiful. For sunset we went to the Madinat Jumeirah, I huge complex with landmarks, hotels, restaurants, a gorgeous Souk and beautiful views. The architecture is pretty with tall wind towers and framed by palm trees everywhere, a real Arabian feel. We spent so much time wandering around the Souk we kept getting lost and finding really pretty things to buy. The Burj al Arab is the sail shaped landmark that put Dubai on the map. It’s one of the most memorable, beautiful and astonishing buildings. It’s claimed to be the world’s most luxurious hotel and it promotes itself as the worlds only seven star hotel. The lobby has dancing fountains decorated in gold leaf, it also has a restaurant that appears to be underwater that you take a submarine to get to. It was built in 1999 and it’s outline is inspired by the shape of a local Dhow’s sail. It definitely is a beautiful sight.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dubai’s warm climate, beautiful beaches, lively souks, and upscale modern luxury is what makes it so popular. It’s the financial hub of the Middle East and Asia and its location on the Persian Gulf is what attracts so much wealth and trade. Dubai’s modern skyline is home to the world’s tallest building, the stunning Burj Khalifa. Emirati cuisine is a fusion of Middle Eastern and Asian flavors. Fresh caught seafood is the staple of the Dubai diet, but lamb stews spiced with saffron, turmeric, and thyme are also popular. We are arrived by ship at about five in the morning, so when we woke up we ran to the window to look out. Rowan was amazed at how tall the Burj Khalifa was. We were so excited to get up, eat a quick breakfast and head off the ship. Wow what a difference from Oman, a traditional old city full of history to a glitzy and flashy new city. It’s exactly how people describe it. We started in Old Dubai at the Creek, a river that runs through the middle of the city. This is what Dubai was like when it was a small time trading and fishing port up until the 1950’s. We started at the Gold Souk, it was gold rather than oil that powered the economy of old Dubai and even today it generates enormous sums of cash. The Souk has quaint shops that are clustered around a main alley and then spill out into the surrounding streets. There is an ornately carved ceiling with gorgeous hanging lamps. The amount of gold in this place is staggering, it seems to be crammed into every single space and window! From here we easily made it to the spice Souk. Well we actually smelled it before we saw it. Just like the gold Souk, you navigate through narrow alleyways and all of them overflowing with herbs and spices beautifully arranged. Besides the spices there also other things like frankincense which you smell burning all over the place. The shops here are run by Iranian traders. They were very nice and spent a lot of time to explain all of the different mysterious spices. Coming out of the spice Souk, we were right at the edge of the creek and it was bustling with energy. Abra’s, old-fashioned wooden passenger ferries, goes back-and-forth across the creek. You see all types of people from Emirati’s in their flowing white robes to Pakistani day workers to tourists with cameras. Many Dhows still sail the Arabian Sea and go to neighboring Emirates, and over to Iran, Pakistan and India. So you see loading and unloading of so much cargo like strange things like washing machines to the more common contraband cigarettes. We took the elevated metro line down Sheik Zayed Road because it has a spectacular view of the massive skyscrapers, a real contrast to the Souk and the old part of the city we were just in. The Burj Khalifa is our next stop and you can’t miss that! It is the worlds tallest man-made structure and we are going up to have a high tea with a view of the whole city. Dubai is considered the tallest city on the planet with 20 of the world’s 100 highest buildings, and 4 more in Abu Dhabi. Other high-rise cities like New York and Hong Kong have 7 and 6 top 100 buildings each. When the Dubai World Trade Center opened in 1979 it was the tallest building in the Middle East, now it’s only at number 92 of Dubai’s top 100. The worlds fastest elevator whisked us up to the 124th floor in 45 seconds! You can see all of Dubai and the huge Skyscrapers we passed on Sheik Zayed Road, they actually look tiny from up here! Looking down you can see the beautiful Dubai Fountain and Burj Khalifa Lake. The fountains are similar to the show at the Bellagio in Las Vegas with colored lights and dancing water and music. We had a very nice High Tea at At.mosphere, the world’s highest restaurant. We spent a leisurely two hours over tasty finger sandwiches, scones, pastries, different teas and cocktails. All while gazing at the beautiful view. Just that kept the boys occupied the whole time. Of course we had to stop at the Dubai Mall, the largest mall on the planet. So many tax free high end designer stores, a full-size aquarium, a waterfall, Olympic size ice rink and a lot of other fun kids activities. It’s a tourist attraction in it’s own right!