A few facts about Dubai
After everything you have seen, heard and experienced, you try to sum up the impressions and all those Dubai facts you have learned during your trip. A day to rest a bit, without touring around the city. And I have promised myself to try and have that macchiato at the balcony of the cafe on […]
Alcohol in Dubai
When it comes to going out for a drink in Dubai, well, it does require certain planning in advance. Wide range of restaurants, cafes that are usually in shopping centers or right next to them, do offer a great choice welcoming even the pickiest tourists. But if you occasionally want to enjoy a glass of […]
What to see in Abu Dhabi
One of the things I have promised myself to visit if I ever set foot onto Emirates’ soil, is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. There was a TV documentary that I have seen a couple of years back about the way the Mosque was built and it looked so grand and surreal, […]
Dubai Creek cruise
Dubai Creek that separates the two oldest districts – Deira and Bur Dubai, was actually home to the first inhabitants of this emirate. After Baniyas tribe came from Abu Dhabi, the new ruler at the time – Sheikh Maktoum bin Hashar al Maktoum allowed various tax concessions for foreign traders at the end of the […]
Grand Mosque of Abu Dhabi
It so happened that I have made sudden plans to go to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi the next day. (You’ll find more about it in the next Glimpse.) Local guides insisted that we should “make sure to dress accordingly”, to wear long sleeves and trousers. Appropriate scarves would be given to […]
Dubai, highlights of Deira
You do remember that you have seen a couple of domes from the sightseeing bus, one being decorated with blue and green ornaments, and it was indicated by the guide that „behind the building on your right“ there is the largest mosque in Dubai, but also the Iranian one, Indian, etc. The bus doesn’t stop […]
Dubai museum visit
Having in mind that I come from Europe and that by places to visit in Dubai I a priori think of monuments, great archaeological ruins, traces of cultural heritage that dates back thousands of years, I was a bit surprised by being referred to shopping malls by default. Since I have been persistent, a museum […]
Dubai souks
Not many mosques are to be found in modern, recently built districts that date back a decade or two. You do not hear the five calls to prayer by Muslim preacher imam every day. Although Dubai is proud to have 500 mosques, they are usually situated in old districts. One of them in Al Satwa, built […]
Arabic sweets in Dubai
One cannot find traditional Arabic sweets just like that, not on every corner of Dubai anyway. Maybe in industrial packages, those that could be bought in supermarkets. Or if you perhaps peek into restaurants’ menus. Luckily, I have stumbled upon a handmade sweets store in the modern Dubai Marina district with a variety of desserts […]
Dubai, Burj Khalifa
When you finish shopping for all those things you planned to buy – and those you didn’t, and when glittering stores and adds, marble and glass start to make you blink faster than usual, take a deep breath of that air-conditioned air, arm yourself with patience and go outside – to visit Dubai! Emiratis might […]
Dubai skiing
It’s not only the Dubai Mall that is famous for specific “cooling down spaces”. If you want snow, no problem, Dubai will make snow! It does sound a little over the top once again, even more so if you have in mind that the actual concrete is melting outside because the temperature is reaching 45. […]
Shopping in Dubai
Every time you ask someone what to see in Dubai, the answer is always the same – shopping malls. One may think that this is not that interesting, because it’s the same as back home, wherever home is. Even if you want to buy a couple of things, you still expect to spend most of […]
Dubai aquarium
One cannot escape the so-called “great shopping experiences” when coming to Dubai regardless of the purpose of the visit. It is a tax-free zone, after all, it does offer a great range of goods and brands that are usually cheaper than anywhere else in Europe. And Dubai is so “over the top” when it comes […]
Dubai, summer vacation
“Welcome to the city of contrasts, sandy dunes and skyscrapers, camels and fast cars, museums and shopping centers, welcome to Dubai”, says one of the guide books I bought in the city. However, the first things you notice are tall buildings and shopping malls, and the ever prevailing yellowish and grayish colors. At least that’s […]
Dubai weather
If you cannot wait for those couple of weeks of summer holiday and keep catching yourself daydreaming about sandy beaches, blues skies, and refreshing tingles of the sea, although it’s still April… In that case, well – forget about Dubai! The city has it all of course: sandy beaches and the sea, bars and restaurants, […]