With Adam off to work, Shawna and I took the time to actually explore Abu Dhabi. Though I have lived here for 3 months now (how is this possible!??!!?), we have held off seeing the "tourist" things in even our own city...except for the Grand Mosque. I am obsessed with the grandeur and beauty of the Mosque, I will come here with everyone!
One place that you will notice to be missing from this day is the Gold Souk. I am not sure what I was expecting, but it was not what we got. When you tell me "gold souk", I imagine bars of gold laid out on oriental carpets, lavish brocades of gold, all in an open air market with many vendors. Nope. Not even close. A retail mall with dozens of modern jewelry stores selling gold rings/bracelets/necklaces/whatever. It was so....disappointing. I was upset that we even wasted the $0.50 it cost to park. I don't know if the one in Dubai is any better, but the one in Abu Dhabi is definitely worth missing. Adam wasn't surprised I hated it, as I am not a jewelry person (hello, the ONLY jewelry I wear is my wedding and engagement bands), so maybe if you are really into gold jewelry you would appreciate it. It just wasn't to any of our tastes.
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| Emirates Palace |
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| Emirates Palace |
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| Emirates Palace |
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| Emirates Palace |
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| Emirates Palace |
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| Emirates Palace: Gold ATM |
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| Emirates Palace: Gold ATM |
We had only ever been to the Grand Mosque once, during the day, and everyone kept telling us that it was more spectacular at night. With that in mind, we decided to go around sunset, to watch the changing of the light play off of the magnificent building. It did not disappoint! The entire mosque changes as the sun leaves the sky and various illuminations transform the building. If you come to visit, the most should be enjoyed by daylight, by dusk, and at night. It is spectacular!
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| Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque |
I LOVED how the intricate art within the walls were lit as the sun disappeared.
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| Yeah, the abayas are a bit "oversized" |
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| Loved the light off of the palms in this picture! |
So that brings Shawna's visit to a close and we were so sad to see here go, as we had such a fantastic time! Sooo....visitors, these are some of the things that you have to look forward to!
Next visitor on the calendar:
NORA IS COMING TO VISIT IN NOVEMBER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She just booked her plane ticket yesterday and I CANNOT WAIT. Already dying of anticipation.
