Dubai

Dubai

On Wednesday morning we headed to the club to have breakfast while Karen had a tennis lesson. After, we headed to Dubai.

Dubai is only 45 minutes from Abu Dhabi by car. From the moment we arrived in Dubai I was astonished. According to Karen, Dubai contains more of a younger crowd than Abu Dhabi. There are more bars and the people are much more liberal. The first stop we made was to a Souk which is a marketplace of sorts. We had to cross the ocean on abra boat to get to the Souk. There were lots of clothing, scarves, and other items you can buy from the marketplace. I bought some postcards and a pair of red shoes (Gerry haggled from 120 dirham’s down to 70 dirham’s!) from the Souk.

After the marketplace, we headed to the Dubai mall which is right next to the Burj Khalifa (world’s tallest building). The mall was amazing but by the time we arrived, we were starving. We headed to the food court and I searched everywhere for the Taco Bell that I had heard was there. In the end, I couldn’t find it and we settled for another taco place.

 After reviving ourselves with some food we headed outside to take pictures of the Khalifa. The world’s tallest building was quite impressive. I mean, it’s the world’s tallest building. And…Tom Cruise jumped off of in the newest Mission impossible. J. At 6pm, there is a light and fountain show at the base of the Burj Khalifa.

Harvey’s friend Christian lives in Dubai and picked us up from the mall around 615. We headed to his apartment that is around the marina. Christian lives on the 26^th floor of his building and it was not until I got up there did I realize how afraid of heights I was. My knees were knocking!  The view from his balcony was incredible.

After a drink, we headed to a bar called the barista for supper. Harvey had a seafood pizza (crab, shrimp, kalamari) while I had a beef pizza. After, we headed to the main part of the bar to have shisha (hooka). Grape and mint!

We met up with the rest of the family (Grace, James, Gerry, Karen) at a restaurant next to the Burj Al Arab which is a seven star hotel in Dubai. 7 stars out of 5, crazy! Apparently, having afternoon tea at the Al Arab will set you back about 70 pounds or 120ish dollars. The only other 7 star hotel is the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi which we are visiting on Sunday.

Dubai was in short, an enormously great experience. It ended as quickly as it started and I am determined to go back someday.

Grand Mosque and Yas Island circuit

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

On Tuesday morning Grace, James, Harvey, and I visited the Grand Mosque. We had driven by the mosque every time we went to the club so I was enormously excited to catch a tour.

There are only 2 mosques in which non-Muslims are able to visit. As I had heard many times from tour guides, the grand mosque is “not only a place of religious worship but also a learning experience.” It is a way for people to better understand the Muslim religion. The word unbelievable does not even do it justice. As you step inside the mosque, women are shown to a dressing room because burkhas must be worn inside the mosque. The burkha is made out of light material and covers the entire body and hair.  If a man is wearing shorts, they are to put on a dishdasha which is the long white collarless gown.  Harvey’s shorts were long enough but James was told to put on a dishdasha.

I learned many things about the Muslim religion from the tour. The religion requires 5 prayer times a day. The prayer times are determined by the sun and moons rotation. There were many clocks in the mosque that stated the specific time.  Women and men do not pray together. There is a special room for women to pray so that they are not a distraction from the men. Men are supposed to go to a mosque each time they pray but women can pray at home.

The entire mosque is made of white marble. The gold parts on the mosque are just that, 24 carat gold leaf. There are 82 domes on the mosque and inside the main dome holds the largest chandelier in the world. The carpet in the mosque is the largest one piece of carpet in the world and was made by 1,200 Iranian women.  It took them 2 years. The Mosque’s 1,000 columns in its outer areas have more than 20,000 marble panels inlaid with semi-precious stones, including lapis lazuli, red agate, amethyst, abalone shell and mother of pearl.  The 96 columns in the main prayer hall are round in shape and inlaid with mother of pearl.

Yas Island Marina Circuit

On Tuesday night we headed to Yas Island to bike and run along the Marina Circuit. You have probably heard of Formula One racing. The first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix took place in November 2009. It was Formula One’s first ever day-night race. I can’t lie and tell you that racing is my favorite sport, but running along a massive and beautiful 5k racing track was exhilarating. I biked around the 3 mile track twice, and then Harvey and I walked halfway around the circuit and ran the rest.

Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi

I did not know what to expect before I arrived in Abu Dhabi. Truthfully, I had not even heard of it or had any idea where it is located until I met Harvey. He had told me that I needed to wear conservative clothing, that drinking in public could get you deported, and other stories that made me wary of visiting. After spending just a day here, I realized how lucky I am to visit this amazing place.

To give you a bit of history, Abu Dhabi is located in the UAE. UAE stands for United Arab Emirates and is located on an island. There are 7 emirates that make up the UAE although Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the most populated. UAE nationals make up just 20% where the other 80% of people here are foreign.  Abu Dhabi was a pearling industry before the 1930’s when oil exploration began and a potential oil field was found here. The United Arab Emirates formed in December, 1971 after Britain decided to leave the country in 1966 and the ruler, Sheikh Zayed, saw the opportunity to become independent. Since the 40 year anniversary of the UAE was this year, houses around Abu Dhabi are covered in the UAE flag. Abu Dhabi nationals are also very loyal to Sheikh Zayed who died in 2004.

The first time I went to the British club, Gerry showed me pictures of the club before it became “the club.” Just 40-45 years ago, the club was only a hut surrounded by sand with a few men in front of it. Now, it is a full service facility with a pool, restaurants, gym, tennis courts, etc. In 40 years Abu Dhabi has completely changed from a small desert city to an industrial and economic giant. It is truly astonishing.

The nationals here have a lot of money. Well, more than a lot, they have a stupid amount of money. The nationals drive beyond amazing cars. They have boats. The Sheikhs, or royal family of Abu Dhabi, have more money than they can spend. They have palaces. Really large palaces.

Abu Dhabi is very westernized. In the grocery store at the villa where Harvey’s dad lives, there are many American and British products. Mostly though, it is mostly American. The roads basically the same as they are in America. There is Subway, Coldstone, Mcdonalds, Popeyes, KFC, etc. There is also Taco Bell in some places, but I have not been lucky enough to find one yet.

Christmas and New Year

Hello everyone! Christmas has come and gone and felt like a moment instead of a day. Harvey and I spent Christmas at his sisters surrounded by family, food, and drinks. We headed back to our apartment on boxing day (day after Christmas) and quickly got ready for our trip to Abu Dhabi.

We headed to London around 8:30 the night of the 29^th and stayed at the Ibis. Our flight for Abu Dhabi was scheduled to leave at 8 am on the 30^th so we left the hotel at 5am that morning. We flew Qatar airways and arrived in Abu Dhabi exhausted at 11pm that night.  Since the 31^st was the first day we spent in Abu Dhabi, we needed to go to the British Club and become members for the New Year’s party that night. Harvey’s Dad Gerry and his wife Karen have lived in Abu Dhabi for 4 or 5 years. Their favorite hangout spot in Abu Dhabi is the British Club. You are not allowed to drink publicly in Abu Dhabi and you have to have a license to drink in your own home here. There is absolutely zero tolerance to drunk driving. Most of the places you are allowed to drink are hotels that have licenses. They will have restaurants and bars. The British club is a safe place to drink, wear a bikini, and let your hair down. We got our memberships that afternoon and came back to Gerry’s and Karen’s home to start getting ready for the party.

The New Year’s party started at 8 and ended at 4 in the morning. I was apprehensive about this because staying up until 4am drinking and eating sounds appealing, but for me, is not an easy task. The dress code was fancy, with many women in ball gowns and men in suits. We arrived at the club around 8 and were welcomed into a champagne reception. The view at the club is beautiful. It has its own part of the beach and has a view of the skyline. We settled in to eat at 9pm. There were approximately 500 people at the New year’s party, but they had food to feed a thousand. There was a starter buffet which had pate’, shrimp, an assortment of cheese, smoked salmon, oysters, etc. I tried my first oyster and was pleasantly surprised. It was tasty! The main buffet was lamb, the best prime rib Harvey had ever tasted, the best turkey I had ever tasted, and cooked salmon. There were more choices of vegetables than I could imagine to eat. The picture below was of the dessert table. I mean, seriously? Delicious!!

 

We drank and ate and 12pm came unbelievably fast. We rang in the New Year with cheek kisses and a firework show. We danced the night away until 3am when we were served a hearty breakfast. We left the party at 4amtired but satisfied. It was the best “New Year” I have ever had.

End of term, Christmas is coming!

Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming! In Southampton, what I call the "christmas bustle" is everywhere. There is even an urgency when getting groceries! West Quay (mall) is packed everyday with people, the library is full of students trying to finish their assignments before winter break, and christmas parties fill  (usually empty) pubs.


My first Christmas away from home will not be an easy one. I normally spend this time cuddled up on my mom's couch watching movies for days at a time and avoiding the piles of snow outside. Southampton, however, has not snowed yet! If you know me, you would know how much I hate snow..so why am I staring out the window wishing for just a few flakes to hit the pavement?


Things I have learned about Christmas in England:


1. Weather- I complained when it rained in August when I first arrived. Boy, was I wrong. That was NOT rain. That was a little trickle of wet that made small puddles and forced me to stop wearing flip-flops. The weather now, is REAL rain. It is horrible, wind-blowing your umbrella, socks drenched even when you are wearing boots, RAIN. Apparently, that is what winter is here.

2. Christmas Parties- I can't say that in America I never saw people that use the holidays as a time for "festive" (by festive I mean drunk) cheer, but here in Britain, they do it bigger and better. It is not even Christmas yet and I can tell you that it is going to be messy. But, that is a reason to love England. Even our cab driver said yesterday, "Boxing day (day after christmas) is my day, I get really really drunk."

3. Christmas Crackers- I have to comment on this because it has caused confusion for me since November. There are these things called Christmas Crackers. I will post a picture. They are sold everywhere around the christmas season and I kept wondering how these crackers might taste because if everyone has them, they have to be delicious. It wasn't until this weekend with Jools that I realized these are not crackers you eat, they are toys you open. Wierd. I still don't really get it. 

4. Mince Pies- Unless you pay close attention to movies or you know someone, you might never hear of mince pies in South Dakota. When I first heard "mince-meat pie" the words from me that followed was No, Thank you." They sound disgusting, but don't judge a book by its cover...or name. Back in the 16th century mince pies were filled with meat. Now, they are delicious little fruit-filled pastries. Honestly, its pretty much necessary to like them here.

5. Boxing Day- I have tried to remember what we Americans call the day after Christmas, because here it is called Boxing Day. The name has something to do with giving gifts after Christmas to the poor, but I am not entirely sure. Anyway, I guess boxing day is a bit like Black Friday. It is a national holiday as well as a hangover day.






Winchester...again!


On Saturday I met up with Jools (who lives in Winchester) and we looked around the Winchester Christmas market. It is right next to the Winchester Cathedral and has many shops to look around in. It was also very busy and crowded, but it was worth it. We shopped for a while around the market, had some mulled wine (warm wine with added spices) then headed to eat. We shopped a little more at the streets downtown. I got the train back to Southampton around 4pm just as it was getting dark. My picture of the christmas market is posted below. :)

Thanksgiving, Christmas markets, and Bournemouth

Hello guys! It has been a great couple of weeks since we last met on this blog. I am completely moved in to our new apartment. It is in Ocean Village which is a part of Southampton that is located by the marina. You can even see the sea from our balcony! :) It is lovely being settled in. It is about a 30 minute walk from the apartment to school so I need to leave plenty early for my classes. I walk everywhere here, so 2 miles or so to school does not really bother me. Hopefully I will take this habit back to the states with me.

 I decided that even though I could not be with my family in Sodak for Thanksgiving, Harvey and I would cook a huge dinner at our apartment. We invited Grace and James (you should know them by now!) and it was just the four of us. Even though many many people asked me, England does NOT celebrate Thanksgiving. I know. Its surprising. hehe.

We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cheesy beans, sweet potato casserole, corn, and even cherry pie! Everything turned out really well if I don't say so myself ;). It was delicious. I think Grace and James were particularly surprised by the sweet potato casserole and cheesy beans. Since apparently no one in their right mind makes pumpkin pie here since I looked EVERYWHERE and could not find canned pumpkin, we had cherry pie with ice cream for dessert. A very American feast with very English people.  It was lovely.

I decided to stay in England for Christmas instead of heading back to America. I will miss my family tremendously. Harvey and I also booked our flight to Abu Dhabi for New year. We will stay for about 10 days and try to make a trip to Dubai as well. There are only a few weeks of school left until Christmas break. I have a few tests and assignments but I am not overwhelmed.

Christmas Market

This past weekend Harvey and I walked into Southampton and visited the christmas market. The christmas market in Southampton consists of vendors up and down the streets. A lot of items sold are food. German sausages, sweets (candy), hog roasts, and more. Other vendors sell jewellry, hats and scarves, etc. There is also a large German beer garden in the middle of the vendors. Fun!

German Beer Garden





This past weekend, Harvey and I went to Bournemouth. Bournemouth is about 30 minutes away from Southampton by train, an hour by bus which is what Harvey and I took. Bournemouth is on the English Channel. The weather was really cold on the beach but it was beautiful. I couldn't believe it when I saw the surfers in the water. What were they thinking!! Bournemouth is also a big shopping area. We looked around for a few hours, went to an arcade an wasted a few quid, then headed home.

Bradford on Avon

This past weekend Harvey, Grace, James and I traveled to Corsham for a birthday party. Harvey's dad's wife's sister's best friend (phew!) was turning 40. Corsham is an hour car ride northwest of Southampton and is near Stonehenge and Bath. We left Saturday at 6:30 or so to make the journey. We arrived in Corsham around 8 and headed to the town hall for the birthday party.

We got a little lost but eventually found the hall and headed inside. The birthday party was like many other birthday parties. We sat with Harvey's dad Gerald and his wife Karen along with Karen's nephews Duncan and Alex and their girlfriends. We drank, we ate, and we danced. I could only laugh when songs like "Summer of 69" or the "Macarena" started playing. It just goes to show you that people from ALL countries love cheesy music!! The party only lasted until midnight and then we headed to Karen's sisters where we stayed that night. The party did not end when we arrived home, however. When I get back to America I will definitely be testing my family on the new game I learned. You take a cereal box, cut off the top and a few inches around the perimeter, then set it on the floor. Each person has to get the box with their mouths without using their hands or placing their knees on the ground. It was pretty difficult but I made it to the last round between me and Alex's girlfriend Charlotte. I never stood a chance. :)





The next morning we woke early, were made bacon sandwiches and then waited for Alex and Duncan to wake up. We ended up waiting until about noon before anyone was really ready to do anything so unfortunately I never made it to Bath. We did however head to Bradford on Avon to take a walk around the canal and then off to the pub at 4 for early dinner/late lunch.

The canal was really cool. I mean, it was really really cool. Bradford-on-Avon was one of the prettiest old towns I have ever seen. I try to hide my excitement when I go to these places. I don't want to be the tourist. However, I was enamored the entire car journey. I wish I could explain it better but going to a historic town where buildings have been around for 100's of years is so interesting. To these people who grew up here, it is just another town. To me, it is another world.


Now for the canal. You can see the boats that sit in the canal in this picture. You can rent these boats for holidays (trips) or special occasions. People have their own boats and live on them. (hippies ;)) The coolest thing I learned about the canal is the "lock." The picture on the bottom is what the lock looks like before any boats come through. Basically, it is a gate.

You have the check out the link below..It will show you how a lock system works!!

http://www.haworth-village.org.uk/nature/how/canal-lock.asp

Actual picture from Harvey's camera. Beautiful!

After the canal walk we headed to the pub where I had salmon macaroni and cheese, pita bread with hummus and other dips and a chocolate brownie for dessert. YUMMY!