We got to swim in the morning and then breakfast in Compass Rose. Being Sunday, caviar and eggs Benedict. But only one egg each.
Needlepoint in the morning and then packed and got ready to tour.
There were only 18 of us doing the entire tour plus Ray. Our first stop was at the beach. Here you get to see the two hotels out here. We were scheduled to have tea at the one hotel but had to cancel because of this tour.
This hotel has a heliport up top. When it first opened, two tennis greats played a match on it.
Next we drove to the Palm area. This is all reclaimed land that looks like a giant palm tree. Villas are all on the branches so everyone has beach front. And then there are also several hotels along the top. The Atlantis is here also. We had lunch at the Imperium Restaurant in the Jumeriah Zabeel Saray Hotel.
This is the dining room where we had lunch. It is a buffet. This is our group. Not many others eating at the same time but it was about 2pm.
The seafood table of the buffet.
And the salads.
And you cannot forget desserts.
This is the front of the hotel.
And the lobby. It really is beautiful.
We then drove around Dubai with one stop at a marina.
The complex is home to several large apartment buildings with the marina in the middle.
Some of Dubai's skyline. All types of tall buildings.
Finally we were off to Abu Dhabi. The drive is about one and a half hours to get there. All through the desert. There is nothing between Dubai and Abu Dhabil. You better make sure you have enough gas before you start out. We stopped at the Manarat Saadiyaat which is a museum. Another couple joined us there. They took a helicopter to get there.
This is the sign outside.
And a pile of chairs inside. They only have one gallery open. And you are not allowed to take pictures inside that gallery.
Then we drove around Abu Dhabi and finally arrived at the Hyatt Capital Gate Hotel where we checked in and went up to our room. Our room is on the 31st floor. The hotel is built at an angle of 18 degrees. Strange. Great room.
This is the hotel from the bus.
Dinner was in the dining room of the hotel. We were suppose to have dinner at Scott's Restaurant but for some reason they changed. That was the real reason I wanted to take the trip as we had been to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi before. Oh well. Dinner was family style with no choice other than yes or no to the offer.
We had breakfast the next morning in the same restaurant. It was also a buffet.
This gentleman was telling me about the baked goods.
This is Lou and Mickey. They are from San Antonio, Texas. He is a college president but on sabbatical.
This is outside the buffet area.
In the morning we had breakfast in the dining room and then got on the bus to go to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. We were told the night before what to wear and not wear. No shorts, no see through clothing. And so Bob Sigler wore shorts and Marilyn wore a white cotton outfit that you could see through. So they had to stay on the bus while the rest of us went inside.
Before we got on the bus, Bob and I walked around the hotel. This is the pool up on floor 19. They have a workout room up here also.
And a view of the hotel from the pool area.
On our drive to the Mosque, we passed the American Embassy. A strange looking building.
And here we are outside the Mosque.
It really is a beautiful building. All white marble.
Bob took so many great pictures it was hard to narrow them down. But this is a great shot from the outside.
The walls of the Mosque are all inlaid gems.
Heather and me in our garb. Jack does not look happy. And Carole is in the back.
Inside the Mosque with the beautiful carpet. It weighs 40 tons. They had to cut it into several pieces and then resew it when it got to the Mosque. It was knotted by hand in Iran. The ladies who made the carpet came to Abu Dhabi to resew it in place. You cannot see where it was pieced together.
And they have these beautiful chandeliers. And the columns are inlaid with mother of pearl.
This is in the men's washroom. The men have to wash before prayers.
After our visit on the Mosque we drove back to Dubai to visit the Burj Khalifa. It is the tallest man made structure in the world. The observation deck is on floor 124. I did this before and was not going to go again but decided to anyway. So up I went and walked around and then came down.
As we were leaving Abu Dhabi, we drove by this old fortress. It used to protect the city.
The Burj Khalifa is the tallest structure in the world. It was opened in January 2010. It houses apartments, offices and a hotel.
The view from the top. All the other high rise building look tiny from up here.
More from the top.
More from the top.
An interesting building.
And Dubai from above. It is so hot in Dubai that all the bus stops are air conditioned. And the traffic is mild. If you run a red light, the fine is $1000.00 so that pretty much keeps everyone quiet. And they do not honk the horns like in China or India. Much more genteel.
And you could see our ship.
We then drove back to the ship where lots of new folks were getting on board.
Had the muster drill and then readied for dinner in Prime 7 with Bob, Marilyn, Cindy and Stephan. Bob had oysters again and found a pearl in one of them. Everyone seemed surprised at this. Even the chef came out to see it.
Back to the cabin and lights out.
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