Whenever I am on vacation, I always try to pack in as much as possible. Here is another encore blog from our trip to the UAE. This one originally ran on December 4th, 2017.
There is so much to see in the United Arab Emirates!
During our brief stay, we took a one-day excursion to Abu Dhabi, the island capital and the UAE's second most populous city behind Dubai. Abu Dhabi is located on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western coast. While there, we visited the newly-opened Louvre Abu Dhabi museum, dined in the luxurious Emirates Palace, and watched the famous Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit. We also toured the majestic Sheikh Zayed Mosque. It was a wonderfully informative and fun-filled day.
Enjoy more of our photos.
We ate lunch at Mezlai in the Emirates Palace, a luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi, which opened in 2005. The views are so stunning.
This is the plaza outside the Emirates Palace.
And here is Truman running down one of the side hallways of the palace. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out my short video of Truman on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48.
Here is Truman running back – he had so much fun. Emirates Palace was designed by Wimberly Allison Tong and Goo. It has 394-residences spread over two wings with an expansive marble floor.
Here I am in a pit at the Yas Marina Circuit, the venue for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, and is located on Yas Island, about 30-minutes from Abu Dhabi.
We had a virtual pit stop in the pits of the race track where we visited with the mechanics crew of Lewis Hamilton’s Formula One Mercedes car.
Here is the back of the race car being serviced.
It can be very hard to hear what is happening at a race track with all of the horsepower thundering up into the stands. Here is a wall of headsets for those who want to get all the commentary and information on the race.
Here is a view looking down one side of the track.
And here is the other side – it was all very exciting. The Formula One race is the last of the season. This year, the race was won by Valtteri Bottas, with Lewis Hamilton in second and Sebastian Vettel coming in third.
That evening, we also visited the Sheikh Zayed Mosque. Here it is from afar – so amazing.
The Sheikh Zayed Mosque is the largest mosque in the country, and the key place of worship. It was designed by Syrian architect Yousef Abdelky and covers an area of more than 30-acres.
Here is one of the minarets of the mosque. A minaret is a distinctive tall spire with a conical or onion-shaped crown. It has a base, a shaft, a gallery and provides a visual focal point to the structure.
Here is a view looking up into one of the domes.
The mosque is large enough to accommodate more than 40,000 worshippers.
The 96-columns in the main prayer hall are clad with marble and inlaid with mother of pearl, one of the few places where you will see this craftsmanship.
Here’s Truman examining the marble inlays on the walls of the mosque.
Here is a beautiful marble flower on the floor – one of many brightly colored mosaic and white marble low-relief floral displays designed by Kevin Dean, an artist and designer who has also worked for the Natural History Museum in London and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
The carpet in the main prayer hall is considered to be the world’s largest carpet, made by Iran’s Carpet Company and designed by Iranian artist, Ali Khaliqi. It measures 60,570 square feet!
The carpet was made by some 1200 to 1300 carpet knotters. It weighs 35-tons and is predominantly made from wool originating from New Zealand and Iran.
The intricate designs of the carpet are stunning. It took more than two-years to complete.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque has seven imported chandeliers from Faustig in Munich, Germany that incorporate millions of Swarovski crystals.
Here is a view looking up at the same fixture.
Here is a look up into a another gorgeous light.
The pools along the arcades of the mosque reflect the columns. The unique lighting system was designed by lighting architects Speirs and Major Associates to reflect the phases of the moon.
Here I am in the Sheikh Zayad Mosque with the traditional coverings – such a magnificent place to visit. Tomorrow, I will share photos from our tour through the Louvre Abu Dhabi – you will love it.
Here is a memorable blog I posted on my family vacation to Dubai in December of 2017. Enjoy the photos.
Now that I have grandchildren, traveling is so much more fun!
As you know, I did not celebrate a traditional Thanksgiving this year. Instead, Alexis, Jude, Truman, and I, along with our dear friend, Kevin Sharkey, spent several days in the United Arab Emirates, the Arabian Peninsula nation along the Persian Gulf. The entire trip was inspired by my grandson who wanted to see the “tallest building in the world” - currently, the Burj Khalifa. While in Dubai, we stayed at the beautiful hotel, Jumeirah Al Naseem, Among our many activities, we enjoyed a desert safari guided by Arabian Adventures - we went sandboarding, road camels, and tried many delicious foods. In addition, we visited Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, and toured its magnificent Louvre. And of course, we took a most exciting elevator ride up the grand Burj Khalifa - both Truman and Jude were amazed by the views. It was a very packed four-days, but we had a wonderful time. I am always so thankful for memories like these.
Here is the first of three blogs from our trip, enjoy.
After an uneventful and very comfortable business class flight to Qatar on Qatar Airways, we landed in a beautiful and pristine airport ready to transfer to another plane that would take us to Oman and then to Dubai. It took about 15-hours to get to our final destination.
The airplane maintenance crew is resting in the shade until all the passengers disembark.
Here I am with the staff that helped us with our flights at Hamad International Airport, the international airport of Doha, the capital city of Qatar.
I admired this very positive sign in one of the airports.
Dubai is the largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates. It is located on the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf. There is so much growth here – the children loved looking at all the tall buildings.
This is our view looking up to the top of the Burj Khalifa. Truman loved the curves of the architecture designed by Adrian Smith, whose firm designed One World Trade Center. The Burj Khalifa is 2,722 feet tall making it the tallest structure in the world since topping out in late 2008.
Here I am 148-floors up.
The views are so beautiful.
On our first full day in Dubai, we went on a desert safari at the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve – UAE’s first national park, and a protected environment for desert wildlife.
Here is Jude looking out onto the dunes.
My daughter, Alexis, is a very talented photographer, and took many photos of the children enjoying their time on the sand. She brought a beautiful parasol to shade herself from the desert sun.
We had the chance to sandboard during our visit. Sandboarding is a boardsport similar to snowboarding except it takes place on sand dunes rather than snow-covered mountains. Alexis and the children had so much fun.
Here is one of our guides from Arabian Adventures taking snapshots. This tour company was so helpful and knowledgable – we were in great hands. https://www.arabian-adventures.com/
We saw lots of camels. These camels are headed for the racetrack. The racing season runs between October and April, and races tend to take place early on Friday and Saturday mornings.
Who knows if one of these camels will become the “million dollar camel”? it is every camel owner’s dream!
While on safari, we also took our own camel rides.
Here’s a nice photo of Kevin and Alexis aboard their trusted camels.
A camel is an even-toed ungulate in the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as “humps” on its back. Humans have used camels as a means of transport for thousands of years. They can carry about 375 to 600 pounds and are known as the “ships of the desert”.
Camels are also known for spitting on people. This is part of a defense tactic when the animals feel threatened. To protect the riders, the camels wear these soft muzzles, but these camels were very nice, and didn’t feel threatened at all.
The sand consists mostly of crushed shell and coral and is very fine, clean and white. If you look closely, you can see the Arabian Gazelle resting in the sand. Of all Gazella species, this mountain gazelle is the most slender. The coat is fawn to dark-brown on the back, neck and head, while the belly and rear are pure white, separated on the flanks by a dark narrow band.
Here is a beautiful date palm oasis- the dates had already been harvested.
Known botanically as Phoenix dactylifera, and commonly known as date or date palm, it is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. These date palms looked so healthy.
Back in the hotel Jumeirah Al Naseem, the lobby is airy and bright and a great gathering place for guests – this bench is surrounded by marble. http://www.jumeirah.com/
The beaches are so clean and so beautiful.
During our stay in Dubai, we also visited the Arabian Tea House where we watched this heart shaped sesame encrusted flatbread being made.
Here is the dough after it was cut.
And here it is in the oven. Flatbread is a bread made with flour, water and salt, and then thoroughly rolled until flat. Many flatbreads are unleavened.
Jude and Truman loved the heart shape.
Here is our breakfast tray – lots of delicious foods.
Here is another tray – everything was so fresh and tasty.
This is one of Dubai’s newest attractions – the Dubai Frame. The two towers are connected by a a one-thousand square foot bridge, which has a glass panel in the middle. It was designed by award-winning architect Fernando Donis, who also designed Dubai’s Porsche Design Towers, and the Dubai Renaissance Tower. This giant frame is located in Zabeel Park and was carefully chosen to give visitors the best view of both old and new Dubai.
We also took a ride along the Dubai Creek aboard an abra – a small motorized water taxi.
Truman and Jude loved the sights – they are always so curious to learn about everything.
It was a wonderful morning boat ride to the Old Souk, also known as the Textile Souk or Bur Dubai Souk where there is a large number of stores selling everything from clothes to souvenirs to food.
One of our stops – a spice market. Look at all the colorful and beautiful spices.
Next door to the Jumeirah Al Naseem is a very fun water park. The children love water, so we spent a nice afternoon here.
They loved negotiating the various waterways and other tubes.
There was also a giant waterfall – I love this photo of Truman heading toward the falling water. Dubai is a wonderful place to visit. In my next blog, I’ll share photos from our one day excursion to Abu Dhabi.
We're continuing with a selection of encore blog postings this week. Here is another blog from my family trip to Africa. It was originally published on May 20th, 2017 - enjoy.
There is so much to see in Africa - if you've never been on a safari, I encourage you to make the trip!
In March, Alexis, Jude, Truman, and I, along with our dear friend, Kevin Sharkey, spent nearly two-weeks on a wildlife safari in Africa. We stayed at several camps and saw a great number of beautiful animals - lions, elephants, hippos, hyenas, and the striking kudu. My grandchildren loved every moment and were so enthusiastic, but my daughter, Alexis, enjoyed it the most - she was so captivated by all the animals. It was such a wonderful journey.
Here are some of the amazing images highlighting the magnificent creatures we saw. These photos were taken by Marlon du Toit, our guide and master photographer from Wild Eye photographic safaris. Enjoy.
Here, elephants enjoy the green grasses under a stormy summer sky. Jude and Truman were so great on all our daily trips to see the animals – they were up at dawn and always ready to “rock and roll”.
An elephant herd grazes along the Linyanti floodplain. Another smaller herd joins them from the right. These landscapes host an abundant amount of wildlife including the world’s highest densities of elephant in the dry winter months.
Less than five minutes from camp, we find this female leopard relaxing up an old ebony tree. She eventually came down to go look for something to eat.
This is the sunset on the Okavango Delta – simply breathtaking. The days were very long, but the children just loved everything they saw, and took short naps during the long drives from place to place. They were so well-behaved, curious and fun – everyone adored them.
This is a comical pose with serious intent. As the wind changed, this elephant noticed our scent by lifting her trunk high. Their ability to smell is stronger than the most sensitive of dogs.
Warthogs are day active only, and at night retire to old termite mounds and burrows such as this one. The burrow was likely dug out by an aardvark, and modified by animals such as hyena, wild dog, honeybadgers and warthogs. Jude loved taking her own photos during the trip, and took several of these warthog burrows.
The elephant is feeding on summer greenery – the young animal seems to be feeling a little playful.
And, who said one can’t play with your food? Elephants are highly expressive and they often play with their food in this manner!
In the tall grasses, this lazy lion keeps a weary eye on us in the vehicle.
This striking Kudu bull poses for a moment in a sea of green grass. Summertime in Africa is so different, yet beautiful in its own right.
Here, a young African fish eagle takes flight. The African sea eagle, is a large species throughout sub-Saharan Africa wherever there are large bodies of open water with an abundance of food.
This young Bateleur is keeping an eye on the vehicle below. These birds are the most agile of the eagles, and are common in the skies of Africa.
Here is a small group of wattled crane on the plains of the Okavango Delta. At a height of up to nearly six-feet, it is the largest crane in Africa and the second tallest species of crane.
A lioness peers at us through the lush summer grass.
Here is a beautiful portrait of a watchful lioness.
Here, a lioness spots vultures descending to the ground in the distance, and heads over to investigate. Vultures like that could signal a potential dead animal and a free meal. Jude and Truman were never afraid – just so excited to see all the stunning wildlife.
And here, the lioness looks back over her shoulder to see if the rest of the pride would follow her to the vulture site.
This is a kudu cow feeding on summer greenery. Kudus like to eat leaves and shoots. In very dry seasons they eat wild watermelons and other fruit for the liquid and natural sugars that they provide.
This is a gorgeous Meves’s starling on a thorny Acacia. These birds are found in Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Two large hippos duel it out in a rain-filled pan on Chief’s Island, Okavango Delta. Of all of us, my daughter, Alexis, enjoyed the trip the most – it was her first African safari. She was so enamored by the animals, especially the hippos.
A stunning leopardess relaxes up a tree in the heart of the Delta.
Eye contact with the same female leopard. It’s very intense, an experience not easily forgotten.
This is a young lion looking up – not sure what he sees, but he watches with great focus.
This is one of Africa’s most striking birds, the African green pigeon. These birds nest in tree forks with good vantage points of the area. Their nests are made with a weak platform of sticks, collected by the male and arranged by the female.
Here is a lovely Malachite Kingfisher perched and on the hunt. No matter what type of animal they saw, the children were always enthusiastic to learn everything about it.
We found the striking female leopard on the hunt close to the camp’s airstrip. She was focused and curious, and allowed us close enough for beautiful photography, and we spent about an hour following her in the Okavango Delta, Botswana.
The same female leopard as before, stopping for some grooming. They often do this. It allows them to cool off a little, and to listen for any signs of prey in the nearby vicinity.
In summer, the grasses are tall and it makes hunting challenging. Leopards will often use logs and fallen trees to gain a better view of their surrounding landscapes, all in hopes of spotting potential prey close by.
Here is a tsessebe, Africa’s fastest antelope! These animals can run nearly 50-miles per hour. Tsessebe are found primarily in Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, and South Africa.
We enjoyed an incredible sighting. African wild dogs chased and killed a young kudu. The kudu carcass was eventually stolen by this large hyena. Notice her massive teeth, strong and powerful and well designed to crush bone.
We also enjoyed great views of the flooded Okavango Delta from the air. Here is a small group of red lechwe, another type of antelope found in the wetlands of south central Africa. Truman loved the helicopter ride.
Here is a lechwe and an elephant feeding on an island, photographed from our helicopter.
Here is a hippo completely submerged and moving along the sandy bottom of a channel in the Okavango Delta. It’s such a unique view of Africa’s “river horse”.
One of the rarest antelope in Africa, the sitatunga. We enjoyed spectacular sightings of them on a morning helicopter ride from camp. What a special sight it was!
Here, elephants drinks from the Zambezi River.
A small group of wildebeest play in the early morning sunlight. Wildebeests, also known as gnus, belong to the family Bovidae, which includes antelopes, cattle, goats, sheep and other even-toed horned ungulates.
The African wild dog – the most successful large predator in Africa. They are ever alert and are successful on 80-percent of all hunts. Compare that to a meager 30-percent by lions, and it gives you an idea of just how good they are.
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