For Christmas this year, we decided to visit our friends in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Heather and I have never been to the middle east before, and since we have two of our closest friends living in Abu Dhabi, we felt it was the perfect time to visit. The Cuddebacks and Hamblins were really nice to let the Woodruff whirlwind invade and destroy their home for almost two weeks. And we had a fantastic time.
We packed in a lot of fun while we were there, so I will break down the trip into a few, more easily digestible posts. First, I'll start in Abu Dhabi.
One of the first things we did in Abu Dhabi was visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. This building was awe-inspiring. I can't adequately describe how striking and impressive this building is, and the pictures don't do it justice. But I'll try all the same.
Sheikh Zayed was the founding father of the UAE and an amazing person by all accounts. Emiratis are very proud of Zayed, and it shows in the mosque. The mosque is the biggest in the UAE and was finished in 2007. It boasts the world's largest carpet and third largest chandelier in the mall. The building is covered in white Italian marble and flower patterned-mosiacs made of mother-of-pearl decorate all the pillars, doorways, courtyards, and other spaces of the building. Finally, much of the exterior of the building is ornamented with gold leafing.
Here are some pictures of the outside.
Here's the entryway lobby.
And here's the interior, the male prayer room.
We ended the day by dining at Abu Dhabi's only outdoor food truck, which is a hugely popular burger joint called Salt. The food was good, but nothing amazing. The funny thing, though, is that the Emiratis love it. It was strange to see cars worth more than any house I will ever own pull up to a food truck and order burgers, fries, and a shake. Only in UAE!
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