Our first visitor and amazing views

 Nanny Maureen arrived a week ago which has been lovely. We were so excited to see her as it's been a while since we left the UK and to see a familiar face is just fabulous. We were also very excited to be able to show her some of the sights of Abu Dhabi. Having been here for nearly 3 months now, we have been desperate to show off our new home. It's difficult to describe the Arabian way of life out here. Pictures are great for capturing the weather and the fun we are having but to describe the architecture and the pristine cleanliness and general feel of the place is not so easy.....My mother in law has been in amazement of it all and has gone as far as taking pictures of some of the toilets as they are so beautifully kept! Haha she'll kill me for writing that.

        Views from Observation 
                        300










Emirates palace 

Abu dhabi city with a peek view of the Corniche (beach)

I have been lucky to have 2 weeks off work ( we don't have October half term here) so I have been doing the tourist thing as well. We visited the Qasr Al Hosn Exhibition which tells the story of the how Abu Dhabi began with the oldest stone building in Abu Dhabi. It is under renovation at the moment but learning about some of the history was interesting. That was followed by lunch at Observation 300 at Etihad Towers where the views from the 74th floor show Abu Dhabi from a spectacular height. If you don't like heights then it probably wouldn't be advisable!

  

Marina Mall

It is popular in the UAE for doing 'Friday Brunch' and every hotel usually has a Brunch on and because everyone advertises theirs to be the best I found it difficult to decide which one to go for. Obviously cost can be a deciding factor....some of them are very expensive but it is a must to experience it at least once. We decided on the Shangri La as it was recommended by a friend and has amazing views from the hotel. We all got dressed up and had a lovely time just eating and drinking for 3-4 hrs. It was a buffet style with food from all different countries with live cooking stations. The dessert area was unbelievable. The setting was just LUSH! 

 View of  Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque

Maureen and I have also done a boat trip to see most of the above views but from a different angle! She was a bit nervous to say the least but once we were out on the sea she loved it. It was only an hour but being out on a speed boat is just fab! When I see all those lovely boats out there I start to day dream.....haha.

So I have another 5 days off and I'm sure we will squeeze a few more sightseeing trips in!  It has been lovely being off work but I'm almost ready to go back for a rest! Happy Halloween and I hope those that are off for half term are having a great time!