February 2017 will always be remembered as the time I enjoyed some time outside of Namibia with my beautiful gal. She was en route to India on a business trip so we took a few days away from our normal routines to rendezvous in a vibrant city new to us both. It was a wonderful respite!
It’s been more than 30 years since I last visited the United Arab Emirates and it’s practically unrecognizable. This signboard at the Dubai Airport gives a reminder of what the city looked like not so long ago…
Today, that same Sheikh Zayed Road hosts a collection of stylish skyscrapers…
… with many more under construction.
One of these structures contained our hotel, with two matching towers like this. At 72 stories, it’s the tallest hotel in the world.
Even the hotel’s liquor bottle displays are tall!
Amongst many other traits, Dubai prides itself on unique modern architectural styles, evident everywhere you look. Here’s an interesting twist on a pedestrian bridge over the Dubai Canal.
We spent a morning at the Jumeirah Mosque, one of the city’s largest and most beautiful. We learned about Islam and my love was a frequent volunteer in the demonstrations.
One of the most iconic buildings in Dubai, if not the whole world: is the Burj Al-Arab, shaped like a full spinnaker on the shore of the Arabian Sea. When it opened a few years ago, it was the world’s first 7-Star hotel and Andre Agassi competed on a tennis court installed up on the helipad.
Dubai is a land of firsts, tallests, largests, mosts… For example, the world’s largest shopping mall, the Dubai Mall, has a big aquarium and other beautiful features.
Next to the mall, Dubai’s most famous building is the world’s tallest: the Burj Khalifa, which soars majestically above everything else within sight.
I’m pointing out the very top of the building and she’s pointing out how high we were able to go on the Top-of-the-Tower Tour (Floor 148).
Despite the desert haze, the views from the top are spectacular!
From our viewing platform on Floor 148, we could look up and still see a lot more of the tower above us. The highest occupied floor is 160 but the communication tower reaches over 200 stories high.
That’s high!
A week when I was truly on top of the world! Thank you, honey!
