Abu Dhabi
July/August
A vacation, followed by a housesit.
in the company of
our new feline friend,
Charlie
“Freedom. Only those deprived of it, know what it really is” – Timothy Cavendish
Yas island
Pre-sit accommodation, equipped with everything we needed for our stay and at a fair price
Hafilat travel card permits travel on buses throughout Abu Dhabi and as far as Dubai. It took a while to find a machine where we could top up our cards. Now we see them everywhere!
Al Shahama
Live Life Local
Al Shahama is the oldest residential district in Abu Dhabi. We are priviledged to spend almost 3 weeks in such an authentic neighbourhood. Al Shahama Bus Station is a twenty minute pleasant stroll from the apartment.
We are making full use of the Hafilat cards we purchased at the airport. And with Al Shahama Bus Station virtually on the doorstep, it’s easy to find your bearings … and go!”
Brilliant architecture, huge reflective windows- so you can look out- no one can look in! Not sure why this isn’t implemented in Manhatthan and London?
Over the Road
We always explore what is on the doorstep. Respecting the 43 degrees temeprature, we ventured into another area of Old Shahama.Al Munjaz St is characterised by villas, mosques . and thankfully numerous carports in which to shelter along the way.
A Hop Skip & Jump
to
Al Bahya Park
Most of the buses from Al Shahama Bus Station stop ourside Al Bahya Park. The facilities within the park were impressive: a public libarary,gym area with equipment, lots of kids playgrounds, aparatus, plenty of places to sit in the shade, covered walkways and seating areas.
Al Bahya Mosque is situated directly opposite Al Bahya Park . We enjoyed the afternoon (Asar) call to prayer.
Emirates Palace
Emirates Palace is a jewel in the Arabian crown. It opened its doors in 2005 – Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s vision which combines tradition and modernity, while promoting traditional values and cultural heritage
A Tour of the Lobby
A lady in an eyecatching ivory wedding gown glides across the lobby to the grand piano. What follows is ninety minutes of pure bliss. This was our live classical music fix for our Abu Dhabi stay. The longer piece is Bach’s Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C major. The shorter piece is Boradin’s Polovtsian Dances. We weren’t just paying for the beer, but for the ambience. Priceless…
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
We enjoyed a free tour of the mosque with guide, Jazeeb. There was so much to see and learn during our visit which lasted, overall 3 hours.
The mosque was completed in 2007. and provides a public space for muslims anmd those of other religious denominations to come together in prayer.
Yas Marina
Brilliant location, accessible by 216 bus and Yas Express, the latter being a free service. We spent a good couple of hours here, dipping into the shade on route. The bars and cafes were closed due to the heat. Still we bought some ice lollies from a supermarket, which helped us cool off a little!
