Ben & I in Dubai

 On Friday, Ben was in Dubai.  He had been working in Saudi Arabia for a week, and was able to get a layover in Dubai on his way back home.

What an incredible treat this was!

He got to see some of the places that make the UAE a fascinating place to see and experience.

First stop, the Mall of the Emirates, home to the indoor sky slopes.

Ben in front of the slopes

View of the mall

View of the ski slopes inside the mall

Next stop, the Big Bus Tour of the city.

Big Bus passing by Burj Arab

View of Atlantis Hotel
It sits at the top of the manmade palm tree.

This is the manmade palm tree.
It is so big, you don't realize you're on it until you get to the Atlantis.
The branches are filled with high-rise luxury condos.

Burj Khalifa - the tallest building in the world

There was still quite a bit of daylight when we finished the Big Bus Tour, so we headed to Abu Dhabi (about an hour away) to see a couple of things.

Here we are in front of Emirates Palace

Wide view of the palace

Wow!

The back opens to the water.

Ben is facing the palace.
New building construction is behind him.

We went inside the palace for a quick drink of coffee and tea.
This cappuccino is topped with edible gold flakes!

Should I drink it or scrape off the gold first?

Final stop, Sheikh Zayed Mosque, also known as the Grand Mosque.

Ben at the Grand Mosque

In the shadows at the Grand Mosque

 

Wide view of the Grand Mosque

This colonnade surrounds the Grand Mosque

I hope that you can see from the pictures what a spectacular day we had.

Thanks Ben!