Mosques and Amusement Parks in Abu Dhabi; Part 9 Around the World

Destination: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Date: March 2012

Trent, Clay, Bailey and I enjoying our tour of Sheikh Zayed
Grand Mosque with our tour guide
Abu Dhabi March 2012

I had no idea what to expect traveling to a place like Abu Dhabi.  It seemed like it was straight out of Disney's Aladdin.  Yes, embarrassing I know, what a stereotype I am indulging.  When we landed in the harbor at Abu Dhabi we knew we wanted to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, http://visitabudhabi.ae.  This mosque is unlike any I've ever visited in the world.  It is huge!  As described online, it is the size of five football fields.  I had to see this place. 

The outside of the mosque
Abu Dhabi March 2012

As always we quickly grabbed a taxi and headed over to the mosque.  Respecting the culture and the fact that I was visiting a religious site I wore long pants and a long sleeved sweater and brought along a scarf I had purchased in Penang to cover my head.  I didn't realize that this would not be enough to enter the mosque.  

The outside of the mosque
Abu Dhabi March 2012

When we arrived at this huge complex we were guided into lines.  The men were able to walk right in but the women had to stop first to cover up.  They gave us black shrouds to cover our bodies and then they also had black pieces of cloth to cover our heads.  When I showed my guide the scarf I had brought she permitted me to wear that but I still was required to wear the nightgown like, shroud, she gave me for my body.  Bailey, my friend "S" and I reluctantly shimmied into the shrouds, that were a little damp from perspiration from the previous tourist, and we met up with the men.  

"S" and I listening intently to our tour guide
Abu Dhabi March 2012

Instead of doing a self guided tour we choose to hire a local employee of the mosque to give us a private tour.  I am grateful we choose this avenue because it kept us away from the crowds, and he was able to better answer our questions and personalize our tour.  Also when visiting a religious Muslim site like a mosque it is good to have someone to whisper the etiquette so you don't do anything prohibited like hold hands with your husband.  

Trent posing outside of the mosque
Abu Dhabi March 2012

The exterior of the mosque is the most impressive.  With the domes sticking heavenwards it looks like a cloud in the heavens.  I should also mention that while we were in Abu Dhabi they were having a sand storm.  Not a severe one but nonetheless there was always a cloud of sand almost like smog wherever we went.  Our guide told us it had only been going on for two weeks but our taxi driver said it had been going on for six weeks.  I'm not sure who was correct but either way when we arrived at the mosque the white clouded peaks, and the size of the building, were very impressive against the sandy haze backdrop.  

Trent and I posing inside the mosque
Abu Dhabi March 2012

Prayer times on the digital clock in the mosque
Abu Dhabi March 2012

Bailey checking out the interior
Abu Dhabi March 2012

The mosque can hold up to 60,000 patrons at a time and as our tour guide reminded us it really is just a mosque.  A place of worship and gathering place for prayer.  Inside it has many beautiful details to the craftsmanship of the building and a clock identifying the six times for prayer during the day that digitizes from Arab to English every twenty seconds or so.  The carpet on the floor in the prayer hall is the largest in the world.  There is a small ridge every five feet so patrons can line up during their prayers and make a very uniform formation.  The carpet is all one piece and covers a space of approximately 60,000 square feet.  It had many designs on the carpet and is beautiful.  

One of the coolest amusement parks in the world
Abu Dhabi March 2012

Ferrari World with the kids and our friend "J"
Abu Dhabi March 2012

This was a very cool site to see but as you can imagine my 9-year-old Clay was ready for something a little more exciting.  So from the mosque we headed straight over to Ferrari World www.ferrariworldabudhabi.com.  This amusement park is a lot like visiting an amusement park on Planet of the Apes. It is a fully functioning park with lots to see and do but there are very little people there.  We felt like we had the entire place to ourselves which was a little eerie.  The cost to enter the park is 225 Dirham which is about $62 US dollars.  We could have purchased our tickets ahead of time online but like I said the park was so empty that didn't seem to be necessary.

Clay taking a ride on one of the slower rides at Ferrari World
Abu Dhabi March 2012

The entire park is indoors and is clean and organized.  There are Ferraris on display everywhere and lots of rides, shows, and restaurants.  The kids loved that there was virtually no line anywhere.  The longest we ever had to wait was about three to five minutes to get on a ride.  We loved it.  The featured ride was the Formula Rossa because it is the fastest roller coaster ride in the world.  It goes from to 150mph in less than five seconds.  My stomach dropped in the first two seconds.  

Clay and "J" had to have the front row seats on the Formula Rossa
Abu Dhabi March 2012

This is the only ride that goes on the outside of the park and so it was closed for most of the day due to the sand storm.  We were so excited and ran to the entrance when we heard it had opened up.  The roller coaster cars are designed to resemble the Ferrari Formula One car, down to the exact “Rosso Scuderia”. When we got ready for the ride we had to put on goggles to keep any sand or outside debris affecting our eyes when the ride went outside.  I also thought it was interesting to see the head coverings they also supplied the woman to put on top of their own coverings to keep them from getting dirty.  It was definitely a cultural experience.

Seriously the fastest ride of our lives!
Abu Dhabi March 2012

The park is located on Yas Island which is made for entertainment.  From the marina, golfing, and world class entertainment, this area of Abu Dhabi has it all.  However, while we were there it just didn't have any people.  There is so much money in this country that it appears that the success of a business is not dependent on the income it receives.  We seriously couldn't figure out how it all stayed in business.  It was an awesome place to visit with lots to do and more than anything the people were very kind and accommodating.  It didn't seem like any true locals worked at any of the places we visited.  Everyone in the service industry was from India, Pakistan, Malaysia but never an Emirate.  I had to assume that their income levels were much above these service jobs.    

Yas Island, where Ferrari World is located
Abu Dhabi March 2012

By the end of the day we had learned a lot about Ferraris, eaten some great food at the park (best amusement park food I've ever had), and spent a little money at the gift store.  We had a great time in this very metropolitan city. It is also the capital of the UAE.

I should mention that due to Abu Dhabi's position on the Persian Gulf we had a special talk with our security on board the ship.  We were told that in the Persian Gulf there is only a mile wide area that has been cleared from mines under the sea, in which cruise boats must stay within.  Since the Persian Gulf has been an area with so much war over the years it is littered with undersea mines and even pirates.  

At night on our ship we had to close our blinds in our rooms, and all unnecessary lighting on board was turned off.  We also had soldiers with guns on deck with eyes glued to the sea looking for approaching vessels.  It was a little unnerving to hear about these precautions but it was good to know precautions were being made.  One thing that our security officers assured us was that it was much safer on this part of our cruise and much more dangerous over by the Suez Canal where the Somalian's troll the ocean.  Thankfully our part of the cruise would end in Dubai so meeting a Somalian was never meant to be.  Thank Heavens!

In all I really enjoyed Abu Dhabi.  I don't feel like I saw even 5% of what this place had to offer.  If I were asked if I'd ever like to go back?  The answer would be a definite yes! Safe and Happy Travels!

We Love Barcelona!: Embarkation point for Mediterranean Cruise 2012

Destination: Barcelona, Spain
Date: December 2012 & January 2013

Leah at the airport loved this sign
Barcelona January 2013

Written when we arrived in Barcelona December 24, 2012
Mediterranean cruise for Christmas... that was our plan!  Our first stop and port of embarkation was Barcelona Spain.   In San Antonio, we had a hotel taxi bus pick us up and we headed to the airport.  I use Airport Express Bus Taxi for groups our size.  Ready for a long day of travel we boarded our flight to Chicago with a connection in Frankfurt and on to Barcelona.  After twenty-two hours of travel we landed in Barcelona.  It was a long flight and we took naps as often as possible but we all arrived exhausted nontheless.  My way to fight jet lag is to start right away to adjust to the local time.  It was three-thirty local time by the time we arrived at our hotel, Hotel Arts in Barcelona www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Barcelona.  Much to our kids chagrin we made them get ready to go out to see a few of the local sights.

Clay 7, Colton 13, and Bailey 11 on our first trip to Barcelona in July 2009

At Hotel Arts posing in front of the Peix fish statue that sits in Port Olympic
Barcelona December 2013

The city from our hotel room, the large dark building in the top of the photo is Sagrada Familia
Barcelona December 2012

I should mention that the staff that welcomed us to our hotel was so friendly, probably the friendliest I have ever encountered at any hotel.  Around every corner there was someone to welcome us and when we asked when we needed to checkout, they let us know it was whenever we wanted.  Thats my kind of hotel.  Another reason we selected this hotel was because we needed rooms to fit our crew and this place had the best accommodations for a large family.  Our room was a small apartment with three bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, dining room, and a bonus TV room upstairs.  It was awesome, though we knew we were going from our two thousand square foot hotel room to three hundred square feet on the boat!

Placa de Jaume was a great place to start our site seeing
Barcelona December 2012

Exhausted after a 22 hour day of travel
 Barcelona December 2012

Love all the lights on the street at night in Barcelona
Barcelona December 2012

We didn't have too much time sight seeing in Barcelona on our first night.  We started by taking a taxi to Placa de Jaume, www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com.  We started off our walk at this plaza and enjoyed the Christmas decor of the city.  From there we began browsing shops, going to a Tapas restaurant, and onto a geleteria and crepe place called Giovanni's.  There are some great reviews on Giovannis on trip advisor.  Luckily we visited the Barcelona Cathedral and saw some of the melted houses designed by Guadi.  It was a quick three hours but we were ready to get back to the hotel and get some rest.  After another two taxis back to the hotel we headed back up to our room.

The twins placing their order at Giovanni's Geleteria and Crepes
Barcelona December 2012

The kids with a street performer on Las Rambla
 Barcelona December 2012

With everyone bathed and in bed we all got some rest.  We went straight to bed and promptly woke up at three am.  It was hard to get a full nights sleep.  Finally back to sleep at six am we thought we would sleep for another two hours and get up for breakfast but that was not the case.  Even the little kids didn't wake up and our little apartment was silent until eleven am!!

Christmas Eve, the day of embarkation. At Bites for lunch
Barcelona December 2012

Having missed breakfast we finally were ready by twelve and headed down for a very nice meal in one the hotel's seven restaurants called Bites.  We knew we'd have to hold off on the rest of our travel sites to see until we returned to Barcelona at the end of the cruise.  

Count Ramon Berenguer III statue outside of a Cathedral
December 2012

Written on our return to Barcelona at the conclusion of our cruise January 5, 2013

Barcelona feels like an old friend I haven’t seen in awhile but one I can start up where I left off.  It may sound crazy but it kinda feels like NYC meets San Antonio.  It has the hustle and bustle of a big city with fashion, food, and entertainment but the culture and history of San Antonio.  I know NYC has a culture too but I like the old world culture as opposed to the new.  In short I could easily make Barcelona a home away from home.  I love it there!

Outside the Cathedral on the day of our arrival in Spain
Barcelona December 2012

We only had two days in Barcelona during our stay and that was a crime.  I could spend weeks here walking the streets, appreciating the architecture, discovering the little bakeries and tapas restaurants that are tucked into every corner.  Being here during the Christmas Holidays was even more gratifying because the Espanolas know how to decorate for the holidays.  The streets were adorned with lights making everything sparkle and bright for blocks.  

The lit up streets of Barcelona
December 2012

Huge chandelier lights that line the streets
Barcelona December 2012

Sadly we spent a lot of our first day sleeping since we were adjusting to the time change at the beginning of our trip.  Our last day of our two week cruise was spent in Barcelona as we readied ourselves for our long flight home.  We again checked into Barcelona’s Arts Hotel, www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Barcelona which I should mention is a magical experience.  Then we were off to see some sights and create our own adventure. 

Leah and Lexi outside the entrance of Sagrada Familia
Barcelona January 2013

Bailey had me posing outside the exit of the beautiful cathedral
Barcelona January 2013

From Hotel Arts we took taxis to Sagrada Familia, www.sagradafamilia.cat.  It was about a 7E taxi ride in which I fumbled through a very long conversation in Spanish with my taxi driver.  It had started as an innocent conversation about where we were from, how many kids we each had, and migrated into politics, the economy, and how I felt about President Obama.  My Spanish ability amazingly kept up with the understanding part but my vocabulary was stunted to only agreement or verdads.  It was a funny experience for sure.

Inside Segrada Familia enjoying the beautiful stain glass
Barcelona January 2013

When we arrived at Sagrada Familia my taxi driver whistled at the size of the line circling the church and then let me know in Spanish again, we would probably not be able to enter the inside, and just to take some pictures around outside.  The line really did circle three quarters of the massive structure.  I stood in line and began our wait as Trent and the kids walked to the very front to see if we were in fact in the right line.  When a guard watching an exit saw Trent with all six kids he assumed Trent was with a school of children, and beckoned Trent over.  Soon I received a phone call while I waited in line and Trent told me to come around the the exit and a nice guard would let us all in. School groups are free at Segrada Familia!  Finally having six kids turned out to save us the 13.50E each we would have spent buying our tickets, and at least a two hour wait in line.  We still aren't sure how Trent pulled this Jedi mind trick but we were ready for a break.

Inside the Segrada Familia, the columns are made to look like trees in a forest
 Barcelona January 2013

It was a great blessing and I recommend buying your tickets on line at www.ticketmaster.es to avoid the long lines, or getting there early.  Sagrada Familia is a very old cathedral designed and began construction under Gaudi back in 1882.  For the last one hundred and fifty years it has been under construction.  When Trent and I brought our three oldest to Barcelona back in 2009 the interior of the cathedral was under heavy construction, and it was hard to imagine it’s grandeur at that time.  

Our first time to Segrada Familia with Bailey then 11, Clay 7, and Colton 13
Barcelona Spain July 2009

This trip most of the construction was going on on the exterior and the beautiful inside of this cathedral was on display.  Of course, it was just another cathedral to the kids but by now they were accustomed to all of the photos I take at every location and they smiled for the camera.  They kept joking between photos, “quick position one, everyone”,  or “okay this time... everyone get into position two”.  They were well rehearsed.  

How could I deny this face?  Lexi begging for a meal at McDonalds
Barcelona, January 2013

From Segrada Familia there is a McDonalds across the street which is hard for any child to resist after being out of the US for two weeks.  Lexi begged but we couldn’t imagine one of our last meals being at Micky D’s so we kept on looking for a good lunch site.  

Clay and Leah at the park having some fun
Barcelona January 2013

Lexi having fun after another long tour of the Segrada Familia
Barcelona January 2013

There is also a park across the street from Sagrada and so we let the kids play awhile and run around while Trent and Colton did some shopping for some soccer jerseys at a nearby store.  The kids made friends fast with some locals and it was fun to watch them interact with lots of sign language with no cultural barriers holding them back.

Our next move was a little bit of a mistake.  We yelped a good restaurant and knew we wanted to get back to Las Rambla for some shopping.  Of course the restaurant that we yelped with the great reviews didn’t exist when our taxis dropped us off, so we were left without any reference of where to eat.  Luckily there are restaurants around every corner but the kids were tired, needed a bathroom and our choice had to be quick.  We found Portic Boqueria, http://porticboqueria.com, for lunch.  

Colton's hamburgesa served to him Portic Boquera on Las Rambla
Barcelona, January 2013

Trent's authentic Barcelona meal and the kids excited to have an after dinner snack at McDonalds
Barcelona January 2013

This was a funny experience because the menu was full of a very authentic Barcelona fare.  Colton ordered a hamburgesa and soon the other children followed his lead.   The hamburgesa was the only item on the menu they recognized.  Clay and Lexi started their own protest and refused to order any food at all.  I had a delicious tuna and sweet potato sauce but too much for me to finish.  Trent of course ordered some kind of fried fish that came out with eyes and all.  That was enough to ruin all of our appetites.  

Had to include this pic of Leah and Lexi posing in front
 the the huge pipes of the organ at Segrada Familia
Barcelona January 2013

While waiting for our food we began a round of twenty questions and laughed and laughed as Bella couldn’t hold her person a secret.  She wanted us to guess who she was thinking of so badly she often gave very obvious hints so we could guess who she was thinking of right away.  Finally our food arrived and the hamburgesa’s were more like big meatloaf patties with no bun.  Colton played it off pretty smoothly and ate his food without a complaint which set a good example for the rest of the kids.  Still Lexi and Clay held out not willing to eat a bite.

The McDonalds menu with only a limited selection of our US favorites
Barcelona January 2013

Trent was ready to let them starve but since we were on Las Rambla, www.aviewoncities.com, where everything you could want to eat is located, I quickly spotted a Mc Donald’s and took them there after our meal.  It was a five-story McDonalds and bigger than any the kids have eaten at in the states.  Even with four floors of seating there were no seats and we had to take the kids food to the outdoor patio located in the middle divider of Las Rambla to eat.  

Bailey being silly as we waited for our mani/pedis to dry
Barcelona January 2013

By this time we were tired and ready to enjoy the hot tub at the hotel.  Bailey and I had scheduled mani/pedis at the hotel spa and so we headed back to Hotel Arts.  Our mani/pedi procedures were unlike any I’ve had in the US.  This is one reason I love to receive these treatments abroad because it never seems to be the same as it is at home.  When we arrived at the Six Senses Spa we were led back to the changing room to change into robes.  I’ve never had to change into a robe for a mani/pedi so I was curious.  Bailey was mortified to say the least, this was not her kind of relaxing experience.

When we were led back to our rooms for our manis we were taken to separate rooms and told to lay down onto massage beds, luckily for Bailey we got to keep our robes on, and then we were made comfortable with lavender packets on our eyes and relaxing music in the background.  I have to say it was the most relaxing mani/pedi I’ve ever received!  I fell asleep quickly after chasing kids, and finding restrooms all day, and woke up to beautiful nails on my hands and feet.  

The most relaxing mani/pedi I've ever had
Barcelona Six Senses Spa January 2013

Soon we were led into a relaxing room that overlooked the ocean where we were given waters and asked to stay while our polished dried.  Bailey enjoyed the experience but still didn’t see why on earth we needed to be out of our street clothes.  It was probably the most stressful mani/pedi she has ever had due to not being clothed.  It was funny and memorable to say the least.

Our beautiful hotel lobby as we arrived on December 23  Looking exhausted after a 23 hour travel itinerary
Barcelona December 2012

Later that evening Trent and I went out one more time.  We needed to buy a few gifts and wanted to take my sister “L” and her husband “J” home a Lladro statue made in Spain.  Since they had to take care of things back home including a huge water leak at our house I wanted to thank them for their trouble.  When I asked our hotel concierge where we could buy a Lladro, lladro.com. I was surprised that she had never heard of Lladro before.  It was funny that when I think of Spain I think of these statues, but for a Spanish national she had no idea what I was talking about.  Soon she found a store online and we were off to Placa de Gracia to make our purchase.

The Columbus Statue at the end of Las Rambla
it was constructed in 1888 in honor of his voyage to America
Barcelona January 2013

Placa de Gracia had every store I would have loved to shop, but unfortunately we were too late and most stores were closing.  The street was lined with Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Furla, Burberry, and lots of high end stores that I would have loved to roam around in had I not been on a family vacation.  Instead I made a secret pact with Barcelona that I would be back and we would yet again pick up where we left off!

Safe & Happy Travels!!

Where Indiana Jones hangs out....Oman: Part 8 Around the World

Destination: Muscat Oman
Date: March 2012

In the desert of Oman about two hours outside of Muscat
Oman, March 2012

We were unsure what to do in Oman.  It hadn’t originally been on our itinerary, and we don’t know much about the area, but we were excited to see a little more about the Middle East and so we gratefully accepted the challenge of creating an adventure day in Oman.

Clay and I shopping in Muscat.  This was a fun place to start the day!
Oman, March 2012

Bailey at a shop that sold lots of gold trinkets
Oman, March 2012

The shop owner let Clay pose with his sweet little girl
Muscat Oman, March 2012

 We started off by going into the city of Muscat and doing some shopping.  The shops were fun because once we entered it was a maze of shopping. There were little store fronts around every corner and along long narrow passage ways.  Their Riel was worth almost $3 American Dollars so it was interesting to do the math backwards in this country to figure out our pricing.  Of course we managed quite well and we bought lots of traditional clothing for our nativity collection back home.  After shopping in the morning we went back to the ship, had lunch, and went out to meet our guides for our 4x4 sand dune experience. 

Clay getting outfitted for his very own hat in Oman
March 2012

The hallways through the shops were very narrow and made
 for a great locale to shoot a chase scene in a movie
Muscat, Oman March 2012

When I got out of our car to take this camels picture he
walked right up to me to get a nibble of my hair!
Oman, March 2012

We had to leave Muscat and drive two and a-half hours away to the Waheba Sand Desert in Oman, to hit the dunes.  When we arrived, we had our car tires flattened and we headed out onto the sand.  We whipped around and slid all over the sand.  We went straight down dunes, and up over, sliding everywhere in a sea of groomed sand straight from a movie set.  We got stuck in the sand at one point and had to get out and took some beautiful pictures of the area around us.  The sand was a beautiful red, and we even had a camel come over and visit us in one of our photo ops.  

Had to include this picture of our friend "J" getting chased
 by this camel as he tried to get his picture taken with it in the background.  I couldn't stop laughing...
Oman, March 2012

Just being in this scenic, and totally foreign part of the world it felt like we had walked onto a movie set. I kept thinking we'd find Indiana Jones around every corner. Just the love the people had for their country and the total different beauty of the landscape made me really love Oman. 

Since we were on the dunes at sundown the sand was turning cool and was refreshing on our toes.  Clay jumped right in and loved to make his mark on this smooth, groomed sand.
Oman, March 2012

Bailey also loved running up the steep dunes to see what was on the other side....
guess what it was more sand dunes!
Oman, June 2012

After being whipped around we went over to a Bedouin home (a nomad like people) to see how they live out in the middle of the desert.  This family had about twenty camel hobbled and tied up out near their home.  They invited us in for tea and we sat around with them and enjoyed the peacefulness of their life out in the middle of the dessert.  I couldn’t believe how hot the sand can be with the sun up and how cool it became at night.  I can't imagine living in a place where sand was your constant companion.  

Clay outside the bedouins home in the dessert
Oman, March 2012

Inside the bedouins home with lots of oriental rugs put down to cover up the floor of sand
Oman, March 2012

Bailey with our friend "L" pretending to enjoy the tea the bedouins offered during our visit
Oman, March 2012

Of course the main reason they invite us to tea was so they could sell us their trinkets
These made for great gifts to bring home to the rest of the kids!
Oman, March 2012

On our way back to Muscat, we could see the real life of Omanis beginning.  During our hot day drive out to the dessert there was hardly a soul to be seen walking out on the streets, but on our drive back there were dozens of people out walking, at the gas station watching the football game on the television with friends, and hanging out at the local corner store.  We stopped for snacks at the cornerstore and to put air back into our tires and I saw two woman and their children out front dressed in their robes, abayas, of the Middle East.  I smiled and waved but couldn’t tell if they smiled back due to their concealed faces.  Their children looked at me more from curiosity and didn’t respond positivily or negatively either way.  

Clay and Bailey pose with some of our bedouin hosts
Oman, March 2012

A local textile shop in Oman
March 2012

We stopped for a refreshment and Clay was dying to get out of the Land Cruiser.  I couldn't help but laugh how he looked like he was being kidnapped in Oman!
March 2012

Once back in Muscat we boarded our ship at around 11pm.  We enjoyed our day out with the people and visiting with our taxi driver that convinced us all that Oman is the place to live.  No taxes, no crime, no unemployment for those who want to work.  I’m not sure what their secret is, maybe the oil in this land does pay for everything but it doesn’t explain the lack of crime.  I did feel very safe here but I can’t say if those Omanis we came in contact with enjoyed being with us or enjoyed the money they earned when we left.  Either way it was a very positive experience.  Our day going 4x4ing cost about $60 US a person and of course we tipped our driver extra.  I should also mention that I wore a capri type pant and a t-shirt with no problem.  The people here did not seem concerned about me not covering my arms or my ankles and I was grateful for that because otherwise it would have made for a very warm day!

Clay and "M" buying some snacks at the local corner store
Oman, March 2012

Love the international rules on toilet time!
Muscat, Oman March 2012

Going to the port to get back onto the ship!
Oman, March 2012

As always safe and happy travels.  If you ever get to Oman or the middle east as a tourist I'd love to hear about your trip.  My husband Trent has been to Saudi Arabia and after his visit there he said he'd never let me step foot in that country.  He was very surprised at how much respect the Omani people showed the women while we were there because he didn't feel we would have been treated as well in Saudi Arabia.