I know I said in one of my last entries that I would update with a little history about the Emirates, but since then I had the most awesome birthday EVER! It should be a rule that everyone has a birthday in their life where they felt as special as I did. So, I'll talk more about the history of the region later.
For some reason, since we were newlyweds, Mark and I have celebrated our birthdays over a 3-day period, and we couldn't see breaking with tradition this year. He arranged a wonderful dinner reservation at one of THE most spectacular hotels I have seen in my life--the Emirates Palace. This place is gorgeous beyond belief and is certainly the standout in Abu Dhabi. It lives up to every rumor you have ever heard about petroleum-fueled opulence in the Emirates, and a visit here is not to be missed if you are ever in the area. It was built about 7 years ago, at a cost of about $3 Billion, as I recall, and is a study in Arabian baroque and excess. It's a huge place, covering about a half-mile hillside with lush landscaping and fountains everywhere you look. There are more than 1,000 Swarovski crystal chandeliers, 150,000 cubic yards of imported marble, 114 gold-gilded domes, 102 elevators and 1,000 employees to meet your each and every need. I can't be sure on my memory of the size, but there is also a 30,000 square yard hand-knotted Iranian Rug in one of the great rooms.
We began our day early that morning, with a breakfast at our favorite little cafe next door, with a soft rain falling!!! We had to get business out of the way so we headed to the grocery store and stocked up for the coming week. With that all done, we started primping for our evening out, and got to the hotel about 2 hours early just to ogle.
We had reservations at a "Japanese Place" but this place was far from any 'place' I'd seen. As soon as you walk in, you feel as if you are enveloped in a soft blue aquarium. Tables sat far apart, perhaps 15 feet, so we really felt we had the place to ourselves when we took our table in a cozy corner. We opted on the salt-encrusted sea bass and an appetizer. We soon realized the appetizer was a waste of time, as various soups, breads, salads, and other tidbits came our way. Not wanting to waste a bit, we gorged till we felt we'd pop. Then, our fish was presented!! Three waiters came and made quite a production of unsealing it from its salt shell and serving it to each of us. Our whole dinner event took perhaps two hours.
We spent another hour or two continuing on our tour of the hotel, which hosts quite a collection of antiquities--some 3,000 BC old! These were along one long wall and I wouldn't be surprised if there were several thousand specimens. They also had miniature displays of Yas Island (feet off the coast of Abu Dhabi) with scale reproductions of a Guggenheim Museum, a Louvre, a Maritime Museum, an Opera hall, and residential areas all planned to be built in 5-10 years.
Tired, full, we had our car gathered and we drove home, and plopped into bed, more than satisfied with our day.
The next day, Saturday, we chose to drive to Dubai, just about an hour away. As we soon discovered, millions of others also decided to drive to Dubai for a retailer's festival --but we decided we'd endure and brave it with the rest of them. Mark dropped me off at a bench in the center of things and went in search of a parking place. An hour later he came to retrieve me! We strolled the length of the shopping district and decided it would be fun to come back on a slower day. Lunch was at an El Chico (yes, you heard me right)--much craved for Mexican food and pretty darned good in it's own right. since our evening out from the night before had us exhausted, we decided to cut the day short and head for home.
I'm sure you all have heard about Dubai and its construction of skyscrapers---or, now, lack of construction. We saw all that during our navigation of the highways and traffic....and I have to tell you, it was a little eerie. On one side of you, was all the opulence of the beach area....and on the other side, were literally hundreds of skyscrapers sitting at various levels of completion, in total silence. It really looked liked the set of the 'end of the world' movie. In the distance we could see The Burj Khalifa, now officially the tallest building in the world at 2,625 feet and 160 stories. Its elevator is the longest in the world as for travel distance, whisking you to the top in about 60 seconds. It officially opened in early February and has already had an elevator breakdown (surprise!) and is now closed for some minor 'cosmetic repairs'. We decided we'd let the excitement die down and have the repairs complete before we attempt our own summit.
Bed felt especially good that night and our weekend still seemed like a dream as we lay there rehashing its events.
Attached, are just a few photos I took of the weekend. My favorite, a white Lamborghini---Mark laughingly said was going to be my present on my NEXT birthday!
