A Glimpse of Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abu Dhabi denied entry into its borders until we (who were fully vaccinated and had negatively tested 72 hours prior to the flight) were quarantined in Dubai for six days. It was a matter of the safety of its population. This restriction left only one day to explore Abu Dhabi. Our request was granted and on our last full day in the United Arab Emirates, we made the two-hour bus trip from Dubai to the richest city on earth, Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates and the owner of 1/10^th of the oil on earth. Immense wealth belongs to Abu Dhabi and its over 400,000 Emirati. Dubai explodes in the brilliant sunlight of the Middle East; Abu Dhabi glows softly in the dusk of the evening—for now. It is a must to experience both cities!

In a single day, we stopped by the Yas Formula 1 Circuit and Ferrari World Theme Park for a photo stop. The roller coaster tracks were intimidating. Shortly thereafter, we were driven downtown to the Bab Al Qasr Hotel for an international buffet lunch. Here, as in our hotels in Dubai, the food was international, freshly prepared, and offered a multiplicity of choices to satisfy every food palate. All dishes were creatively prepared, and invitingly presented. There were no conversations about dieting.

The signature sights of the day were the Emirates Palace Hotel and the Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. You can book the two as a single tour. After lunch our bus drove us to the Emirates Palace Hotel. This is an elegant structure of gold, crystal, and marble with 394 rooms and 92 suites. Visitors cannot go beyond the several public lobbies. They can, however, arrange for a spa treatment or eat in one of the on-site restaurants. Our group made its way to the luxurious Le Café to have a cup of green tea, or the 23K gold-flaked Palace Cappuccino and a slice of cake. The drinks were served in lovely China. Cappuccino with cream was served with a chocolate design floating on its surface. At the crest of the chocolate artwork on one side of the cup was approximately a level teaspoon of 23K gold flakes! A luscious layered dark chocolate fudge cake accompanied the beverage. The marble floors, walls and ceilings cooled the interior and invited quiet conversation. This was a fitting segue to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

Dusk was falling. The outside lighting gave an ethereal view of the magnificent Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Talk seemed frivolous in this sacred edifice. Persons moved meditatively through the cordoned space that guided us through the Mosque but not to the prayer room. Tall columns had heads of gold and crystal chandeliers in varied designs emitted light that filled every inch of space in the massive divisions of the Mosque. Intricate relief artwork dressed the walls at every turn. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan had envisioned a mosque to house the different architectural styles of the Muslim cultures in the world in a single site; the reality is exquisitely captured in the Grand Mosque. The wealth of the materials in the Grand Mosque are not distracting for without forethought, one fines oneself in an attitude of prayer.

Reflections

#1 A Skyline of Abu Dhabi, UAE