Posts

Showing posts from January, 2023

Brunch at Atlantis

Image
Amazing afternoon today out at Atlantis, on the outer crescent of the Palm Jumeirah, a 10 minute Uber ride from our apartment.  Spent most of our time at brunch at Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen & Bar.  Unbelievable food (all you could eat) and great live entertainment with guitarist/singer Greg Pearson.  We finished the afternoon with a tour of the Atlantis aquarium and a walk along the breakwater.   The day view below. Restaurants and aquarium are at the bottom right of the building shown here.  Aerial view looking back at “the Palm” and the Marina at 1 o’clock off in the distance (where we live) Phenomenal aquarium. Below are some of the photos of what we saw today . . . .

Next Trip . . .

Image
  10Feb to 15Feb. 

The Lost Beer of Qatar

Image
  Wondered why I got a free 12-pack at the liquor store today (seriously, I’m not THAT good of a customer!).  If you look closely, you’ll see this is the official beer of the World Cup, held recently in Qatar (236 miles north of us). Given the strict nature of alcohol consumption in the countries of this region, Qatar created a bit of a PR mess. They first promoted beer sales at their stadiums, then backed off and forbid all beer at the venues. Guessing my little gift-with-purchase today was some of that leftover. Lucky me!

One Giant Mosque

Image
Spent half our day at the Sheik Zayed Mosque, the largest in the UAE. Built in 1996 by who many consider the founding father of the UAE, Sheik Zayed, this mosque is an architectural marvel. It boasts over 1000 columns, 82 domes, 24 carat gold gilded chandeliers, and the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet.  We actually bought a box made from the leftover marble at the museum store.  The marble throughout was incredibly beautiful with intricate inlays and designs. After the Mosque, we landed at the Conrad Hilton Observatory on their 74th floor, enjoying some Prosecco overlooking the Presidential Palace.  This was quite fortunate as the Palace was closed to the public due to a special event (visit by S.Korean president) and we were able to view it from above. Below are photos taken from the Observatory at the Conrad Hilton, across the street from our hotel. Our hotel, the Emerites Palace, from above . . . .  View of our hotel with the adjacent Presidential Palace off t...