UAE…check!

Well, we can officially cross our first destination off our list. And what a week it was. None of this would have been possible if it weren’t for my old roommates and their lads. We’d like to send out a huge thank you to Soph and Terry for allowing us to crash at their apartment the whole week. We loved having the opportunity to see your beautiful place and meet sweet Lola girl.

Let’s rewind for a second, shall we? We were pumped to see our Breaking Bad star in JFK Airport, as we set off for our flight to Norway. After being delayed for an hour (snow had to make one more appearance) we set off for Oslo, Norway. The Dreamliner was a beautiful plane, equipped with self tinting windows and all the stops. John and I were able to get quite a good amount of rest as we made our way into Oslo. The airport was quaint, with beautiful modern decor. We grabbed a fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil sandwich and waited for the next leg of the trip. I wish I could tell you that the second flight was a breeze like the first, but that isn’t true at all. We were so amazed with how many children were roaming the aisle the ENTIRE flight. Not one flight attendant said a word about it. The flight seemed like it was never going to end, but finally the captain made his announcement that we were in our final descent and Dubai was in sight.

Soph graciously agreed to pick us up at the airport and was waiting for us as soon as we got through customs. We tip toed into the house and crashed immediately. After a few hours of sleep, we woke up on Tuesday to discover the Burj Khalifa had sold out, so we agreed to figure out another plan for the day. Sophie, John and I took a taxi to the Mall of Emirates (the smaller of Dubai’s two malls). We roamed around the mall for a bit, then spent some of the afternoon with another one of my Emirates cabin crew friends. Raluca is from Romania and we met on a layover in Mauritius while I was working overseas. It was so great catching up with one another. The evening ended with drinks at a local English bar down the road. Sophie, Terry and Ross (my other roommate’s fiancé ) entertained us for a few hours before we called it a night.

Wednesday was a casual, lazy day. This was ideal for John and I, as we were still attempting to get adjusted to the time change. We woke up, watched a movie and headed over to the community pool to sunbathe. There was no one there and it was perfect to get some Vitamin D in before our days became filled with activities. As the evening approached, Ross, John and I traveled to Sarab- my home away from home in the desert. We got to reunite with my Liverpool Megan (the other roommate) and celebrated with fajitas and a movie. Thanks chef Ross!

Then came Thursday, and our 6-hour desert safari adventure. First, we walked down by the Dubai Marina, which had to be one of our favorite parts of Dubai. There are so many fabulous buildings and shops around the water, it is just beautiful. We had to be back for our chauffeur, who took us to the desert. From there, we piled into our Toyota Land Cruiser and began the off roading fun. We had the best, not to mention most daring driver. He showed no mercy as he whipped through the hills of the desert outside Dubai. After we all suffered a bit of whiplash, we arrived at our camp for the night. They did an incredible job with coming up with activities for all ages. We were able to ride a crazy camel (SO.much.fun), get a detailed henna tattoo, try on traditional Arabic dress, smoke shisha, hold a falcon (one of Dubai’s most credited animals) and watch an Arabic magician and belly dancer. It was such an amazing deal to be able to see a completely different side of Dubai, while having a blast every second of the way. It is a MUST DO if you ever make your way to the UAE.

A holiday to Dubai wouldn’t be complete without a brunch. It is slightly different than what we are used to in the States. I’m talking unlimited food AND alcohol. Yes, this calls for a great day. We set off for the Wearhouse to enjoy their Asian Fusion menu and get our drink on. As always, it was a blast and such a nice time to reunite with everyone. The only thing I would have changed was my shoe selection…Megan was so kind to lend me her heels. It would have worked out much better if they were 2 inches shorter. I wiped out completely–several times. Battle scar on the knee and bruised toe makes it a fine reason to remember all of the fun we had 🙂

The 5 days flew by, and we are so thrilled that we were able to make the trip to the UAE. We decided to finally make the climb to be “At the Top” of the Burj Khalifa. This currently remains the tallest building in the world. We rode the elevator to the 124th floor, where the 360 degree view and observation tower sit. I was so proud of John for facing his fears and making the trek up. It had some of the most amazing views of Dubai. After we returned to ground level, we walked over to the Dubai Mall which is also the largest mall in the world. Can you tell this city loves breaking world records? Sophie and Terry met up with us afterward and we made the journey to another emirate, Abu Dhabi! Dubai and Abu Dhabi are both part of the UAE, which contains 5 other Emirates. We made the trip to see the Grand Mosque, which might be one of the most exquisite buildings we have ever seen. To bring everyone up to speed, a mosque is the holy place Muslims go to worship. It is extremely important to the UAE’s culture and everyday living. Even if you are a tourist visiting, you must be fully clothed and ladies have to enter wearing a hijab that covers their head. Shoes must be removed upon entering the building as well. We hope you enjoy the pictures and footage as much as we did. These buildings are some of the most detailed and amazing places to witness. Our evening and time in the UAE ended back in Dubai, at the Burj Al Arab- another one of the city’s famous spots. We sat outside and ate dinner while reminiscing about our time here. Sophie would not let us leave with the perfect picture in front of the Burj. Thanks to the four of you for everything, you made our trip!!! xxx