Holiday Trip to UAE Part 2: Downtown and Water Park

We spent one day at a large water park on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi.  We got to see another camel on the way in along with a falcon.  It was nice to have a relaxing day in the water, and the kids of course had a blast.  

The kids ended the day ready to crash watching a movie.

We only spent one day in downtown Abu Dhabi.  The city is not that big, but they have some incredible sites.  Although we didn't get any good pictures of it, the Presidential Palace was massive.  But apparently not big enough since they are building another, bigger presidential palace right next to it.  Right beside both of these palaces is a third palace.  After the this palace was built, the sheikh decided not to live in it so it was converted into the Palace Hotel.  We weren't able to get inside, but apparently the grounds and the building interior are pretty posh.  After touring around the palaces, we checked out another mall and then went to the Heritage Village, where we got to try our hand at camel riding.   

 The Palace Hotel

Heritage Village

We ate authentic food several times during our trip, but one night in particular we ate all sorts of Arabian dishes, like manakish, baba ganoush, hummus, falafel, fattoush, and of course shawarma (with the french fries, which is the only way to eat it).  We also loved the mint lemonade drinks.  So refreshing.

Holiday Trip to UAE Part 1: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

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.

  

 Afterwards, we went to a nice park and leg the kiddos get some wiggles out.  There was a camel at the park along with a splash pad.  The camel was a huge hit.

 

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!