Abu Dhabi

Since we just couldn’t get enough of the heat in Germany, we decided to book our fall trip to…a desert! Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, to be a bit more exact. We weren’t exactly sure what Abu Dhabi would be like, but we were definitely blown away.  We initially picked this destination because Will’s affinity for travel blogs helped us to figure out a way to redeem frequent flier miles for the chance to ride on Ethiad Airways A380 double decker plane and experience their new first class “apartments,” which take up a good portion of the top level of the plane. They were beautiful!

One of our first activities in Abu Dhabi was a “desert safari.” Our driver picked up our group in a big SUV and drove about an hour outside of the city. After riding up and down the sand dunes, we visited a camel farm and then ended the night with an outdoor dinner and some fun activities like belly dancing and henna painting.

Just an example of what we ate: lots of rice, spicy meat, and amazing hummus

Although we didn’t get the chance to spend a lot of time in the more well-known UAE city of Dubai, but we did take a day trip by bus. While we were there, we visited one of the famous and HUGE shopping malls and went to the top of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.

View from the Burj Khalifa

Don't let all those smiles fool you...it was HOT. I think it topped out at 108 degrees, but it was well over 100 every day. We had to limit our time outside to only necessary transit: hotel to pool, hotel to taxi to mall, etc. I assume this is why malls are so popular and large there!

We tried the ocean once, but it was like bath water...better to stick with the pool!

Our hotel on the right

View from our hotel

View from our hotel

3 floors inside a mall

The fanciest Starbucks I've ever seen

On our last day, we visited the Emirates Palace, one of the most luxurious hotels in Abu Dhabi, and had lunch in their cafe. For dessert, we split a piece of their famous chocolate cake with gold flakes.

After lunch, we took a taxi to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, about a twenty minute drive from our hotel. I have been to a lot of interesting places, but I have to say that this was probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Sheikh Zayed was elected as UAE's first president in 1971 after working to unite the seven previously independent Emirates into one country. As his legacy, he wanted to have this mosque built as a religious and cultural symbol of the country, where people of all faiths could come together to find inspiration and common ground. Unfortunately, Sheikh Zayed passed away before the completion of the mosque. We visited in the late afternoon, so we were able to get pictures both before and during the sunset. I have so many gorgeous photos, it's hard to choose just a few!

View from outside

View from inside the walls

Inside hall

Mosaic wall tiles