Dubai and Abu Dhabui

The first stop on our trip was Dubai where we stayed with my dearest friend Becky. Becky and I have been friends since we lived in the UAE. The stop was short and sweet. Dubai is unrecognisable since we left in 2002! New buildings and big buildings have popped up all over Dubai. Becky showed us the highlight of Dubai's tallest building Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Aquarium, Burj Al Arab, and the Palm Dubai. We covered a lot in a few days in Dubai. 

The next few days we spent in Abu Dhabi where we lived for almost 7 years. In Abu Dhabi our friends Cynthia and Mike kindly showed us all the new buildings and hotels that were built after we left in 2002. 

Catching up with Cynthia and Mike again was the highlight of our visit to Abu Dhabi. I was glad that I had a chance to show Cynthia how to make 'real' Coptic Stitch binding. 

We are now in the UK after stopping for 5 days in Zurich, Switzerland. I will share my experience in Switzerland in the next blog post. Check-out the captions in each photo for more details:

Travel journal cover

Dubai Aquarium

UAE flag on the tunnel walls

Burj Al Arab

Storage jars in Dubai Souq

The Abra, water taxi Dubai

Herbs and spices, Dubai Souq

Burj Khalifa at night, Dubai

Burj Khalifa water fountain

Typical Arab door, Old Dubai

Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi

The old defence tower, Abu Dhabi

Salama Residence, Abu Dhabi

Gold flakes cappuccino, Emirates Palace Abu Dhai 

ATM for gold, Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi

Etihad buildings and copper tower

Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque

Coptic Stitch books

It's taken me awhile to update my blog. Travelling is quite busy as you know! We arrived in Wales this afternoon. We are staying put in the same place for a few days. No running around shopping, no bus and trains to catch in Wales. We have wheels again while we are here. I hate not having a car while travelling. Suitcases are too full and heavy to lug around. I'm most happy behind the wheel!

Click on the link to see my Instagram page for daily photos.

Until next time

Nat

Around The World in 80 Days

Around the world in 80 days! How does it sound for Mr Notjustnat and I for our round-the-world trip? In early 1990 Michael Palin hosted the series Around the World in 80 Days on BBC television. I enjoyed the series until the end. Our trip won't be as interesting as Michael's, but to us it will be. 

The trip combines Mr Notjustnat's retirement and my 10 years long-service-leave. By coincidence they happened in the same year! The trip gives us the chance to visit friends and family along the way. I'm also looking forward to meeting with some online friends for the first time. Some kind souls even offered us to stay with them! 

We will begin our trip from East to West and around. First stop is United Arab Emirates where we lived for almost 7 years. We land in Dubai and then by road to Abu Dhabi. I'm so excited about going back there for the first time since we left in 2002. Below are some photos I got from the net to give you an idea. I will try to update my blog every so often when I have a chance. You can also see my daily feeds on Instagram.

The title page of the original AroundThe World in 80 Days
by Jules Verne. 

In Dubai I will catch up with my friend Becky. Another dear friend Cynthia will come to pick us up and drive us to Abu Dhabi which is about 150 kilometres from Dubai. I'm looking forward to this ride. I'm sure it will be unregonisable compared with when we lived there.

Abu Dhabi cornish where we lived in from the mid 90's to 2002

A camel train in the desert not too far from Abu Dhabi City

This photo could be any souq in the Middle East!

The highlight for me in Abu Dhabi is to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Construction of the Grand Mosque began when we still there, but with the grand scale of the project it's taken longer than planned. Apart from the Grand Mosque I would like to visit our old apartment building we used to live in. Of course I would like to see the changes that happened in Abu Dhabi. 

So please come along and follow us on our Around The World in 80 Days. 

Until next time

Nat