Sandance Take 2

Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Thursday, May 9th to Saturday, May 11th, 2013

New Year's was a pretty decent success so I decided to hop on board with a few other people from King Faisal and catch another addition of Sandance at The Atlantis in Dubai. I once again had heard pretty much nothing the main acts had played but everyone raved about how good they are so I thought it couldn't hurt to go. There seemed to be a mass exodus of nurses from King Faisal going as everyone you talked to was going. Not sure anyone was working at all.

 

Most of us flew out Thursday morning.......0930 flight with Fly Dubai. Dubai has a different weekend than Saudi (Friday-Saturday) as does most of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council.......plans are in the works for Saudi to change their weekend to align with the rest of the GCC, but it hasn't happened yet). If you wonder why Friday-Saturday it's to try to balance the Islamic and western worlds. Friday is of course the Muslim holy day so you have to have that day off but moving the other weekend day from Thursday to Saturday you better match up with the weekend in the western world. But back to my point, because of the weekend, concerts get held here on Friday nights.

 

So we flew in Thursday. The large group of us were staying in different locations and all had different ideas of how Thursday should look so we mostly went our separate ways at the airport. Lola and I headed to our hotel and then it was off to Dubai Mall. We did a bunch of shopping and then had some dinner, bought out a large supply of the Hershey store's supply of premium white chocolate chips (we can get them so inconsistently in Riyadh and they really are the best) and then caught a movie (Iron Man 3 .......in 3D). I'm sure you know we don't get movies in Riyadh so it was a nice treat. Plus last time we were here there were no good movies playing so we were excited for a few action options.

 

The Moscow Ballet was in town performing Swan Lake. I would have loved to have been able to check it out but this little show in the mall would have to do.

 

For Lola and I, it was an earlier night, although many of the other girls were out and about for most of the night. Sandance is a very long day and we didn't feel the need to head into it tired. We grabbed a few items from the grocery store and then it was back to the hotel for some sleep.

 

Overnight a few more people joined us in our apartment so we all got up and had some breakfast, opened a bottle of champagne and then headed off to a restaurant to meet up with a bunch more of the group. The plan was to meet for some pre-Sandance food and drinks and then head to the show around 1700 (it starts at about 1500 but we normally skip the first few bands.) The group got much bigger and at about 1630 a few of us headed off.

Sarah, Kate and I enjoying some pre-Sandance food and drinks. Always a long day, so always important to go into it with some food in your stomach.

 

Pru, Lola and I on the way to the show.

A few of the buildings you'll find in the Jumeriah Beach Area of the city. No matter where you find yourself in Dubai, you'll find lots of tall shiny buildings.

 

This time around the headliner was Florence and the Machine. I had heard of her but never heard any of her music until about a month ago. I did some quick downloading and had been very much looking forward to the show. I had heard nothing but good things.
 

A look at the view of the stage from the VIP area. Most of us went with VIP tickets again. It was just so much nicer than being stuck down in the crowd all night.

 

As expected the place was packed and the atmosphere was great. And the show......well let's just say I wasn't disappointed.
 

Florence and the Machine.

Security trying to get that guy down. I think he figured it would be a good spot to view the show. I assure you, it did not appear to be very easy to get him down.

 

A little sample of the show. It was really good.

 

A few of us decided that once Florence and the Machine had played we were done for the night  (and hungry and the food line was like an hour long) so at about midnight we headed back to our respective hotels.
 

It is Dubai.......never know what you might find on the streets.

 

I had to leave on Saturday (back to work on Sunday....I only took one day of leave) although most peole took the extra day. I had a few things planned to do on Saturday however before my evening flight.

 

I got up nice and early.....before mostly everyone else had even started stirring, and headed back towards Dubai Mall.  I thought I would do at least one touristy thing this time around and really wanted to check out the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. My timing worked out perfect as entry to the tower is by time only and I got there with about 20 minutes before the ending of the only available entry of the day. I got myt ticket bought, my suticase stored and then I started my way up to the observation desk . It is a pretty spectacular building.
 

Looking up. Due to the building's design, you can't actually see the top from down here at this angle.

 

The top figure in this picture is the original six petalled design of the building. The lower figure is the current design. The architecture features a triple-lobed footprint, an abstraction of the Hymenocallis flower.....which I find pretty awesome, that something as delicate as a flower could be the inspiration for a building design such as this.

 

I know I've listed some of the specs of this amazing building in a previous post, but so you don't have to go looking for it I've listed the records it holds again:

1. Tallest building in the world (828 metres or 2716.5 feet)
2. Tallest free-standing structure in the world (a record previously held by the CN Tower in Toronto).
3. Highest number of stories in the world (160).
4. Highest occupied floor in the world.
5. Highest outdoor observation deck in the world.
6. Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world.
7. Tallest service elevator in the world.

On the observation desk. This observation desk sits on level 124. The high speed elevator that brings you here travels at 10 metres per second. As you expect, you don't really feel it......but your ears will certainly pop. It's a long way in a very short amount of time.

Not much to look at other than the city but considering Dubai sits in the middle of the desert I guess that is what you would expect. Visibility is not that great on this day. Lots of dust blowing around out there.

From the observation tower, looking down at the Dubai Mall and the Dubai Fountain. This early on a Saturday the fountain is not on but there were some little boats out there performing some maintenance.

The water does look a little inviting on this day. Of course being this high up, the only thing obstructing the view of anything was the sand.

A big building will cast a big shadow.

 
If you want to read a bit more about it, check out the website: http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/
 

Once my Burj tour was done I headed to the mall, found myself a seat at a table at a little outside cafe and had a nice leisurely brunch. It's things like this that I really miss in Riyadh. I just love sitting around with a cup of tea relaxing.

 

Not a bad brunch time view if I do say so myself.

 

Ok yes, and then I went and did some more shopping....mostly for shoes....for work. I needed them. Eventually I made my way to the airport and then it was back to Riyadh. 

 

A very quick, but a really fun weekend away.

 

Julie

The Great Walls of Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik, Croatia
Sunday, June 24th, 2012

After my water tour yesterday, today was slated as an old town tour day. Once again like the other cities I have visited in Croatia, the old city of Dubrovnik is the cultural centre and where you will find most of the tourist attractions, the biggest being the walls of Dubrovnik. They surround and protect the old city....and you can walk all the way around them, well on top of them.

Because I was staying a bit outside the city centre....at my fabulous 5 star hotel, I needed to take a bus into the city. Easy to do since they actually sit outside the hotel and head into the city every 15 minutes or so. Really convenient as it is also less than 15 minutes to the Old city.

Once there I decided to get a Dubrovnik Card. Basically this gives you access to several attractions, including the walls and a bunch of museums for one low price. When I went to purchase it, they recommended that I wait to walk the walls until later in the day (around 6pm...it was about 11am at that time). I soon noticed that they told that to everyone so I chose to chance the heat and head to the walls early to avoid the crowds. It was pretty warm.....ok down right hot and humid but it was also nice and empty so I didn't mind.

Looking out on the Adriatic from the top of the walls. I will never get over how beautiful the water looks.

The main street or Stradun (officially named Placa) of Old Dubrovnik from the walls. It is about 300 metres long and until the 12th century it was a sea channel. On the left hand side you can see the bell tower of the Franciscan Monastery. Built inside the walls starting in 1317 this monastery housed the third oldest pharmacy in Europe and a library, which is considered to be one of the most significant old libraries in Croatia and the world. It was destroyed in the great earthquake of 1667 and then rebuilt on the same spot. The only original structures that remain are the southern doors and a sculpture of the Virgin Mary.

 

The fortress you can see is St. Lawrence Fortress. Interesting to note that the walls facing the sea are 12 metres (39 feet) thick while those facing town are only 60 centimetres (2 feet) thick.

Ok staircases like this don't help my vertigo at all but necessary to climb them if you want to walk the walls. 

A look at a portion of the wall. This portion runs along the mountain.

 A portion of the wall that overlooks the sea. Such beautiful water. It really is a long way down.

Another look at the outer wall. Such a great view. These walls of course would have protected the city for hundreds of years. They were asked to play the role of protector again in 1991 and 1992 when the city was hit by about 2000 shells during the war. There was extensive damage to the old city....none of which you can see today. I just always think of old walled cities protecting citizens from advancing armies as an ancient necessity. Hard to believe it wasn't that long ago that these ancient walls again served this purpose.

Inside the walls you will find all kinds of things including hotels and restaurants and stores but people also live there so you will find apartments and schools and basketball courts.

One of the canons that would have been used to protect the city. Now it sits around the corner from the Maritime Museum. The Maritime Museum (which I couldn't take pictures inside) is accessed from the walls and entry was included with my Dubrovnik card. It was all about the history of the trade routes along the Adriatic and Dubrovnik. There were lots of pictures and items from ships (some that would still be sitting at the bottom of the Adriatic) and gave a great run down of the evolution of navigation. The building was also air conditioned so it was a nice cool place to spend sometime before heading back out onto the wall.

This is a very good example of the little narrow street in the old city as well as how the locals use the little space that they have.

The view of Dubrovnik Cathedral from the Walls.

Taking a look through one of the peep holes along the wall.

On the wall overlooking the city. You can see the big cruise ship in behind me. Dubrovnik is a very popular stop for ships. No surprise because it is such an amazing city.

Looking down one of the streets. Lots of stairs to get up there but also lots of little restaurants and cafes to discover.

Another look at the old town from high above on the wall.

And back down the steps. Eventually I made it all the way around.

 

Once I made it all the way around the wall I then headed into the old town to check things out. Lots of things to see within the walls as well.

This is The Great Onofrio Fountain. It has sixteen sides (with sixteen drinking fountains) and was built in 1438 by Italian engineer Onofriodella Cava to celebrate the completion of the aqueduct that supplied water to the city from the Dubrovnik River (about 12 kilometres away). The 1667 earthquake heavily damaged the beautiful sculptures and ornaments that decorated the fountain. The functionality was also impaired but it is still a favourite place from people to refill water bottles.

This is the Church of the Holy Saviour built from 1520 to 1528. You will find it right next to the Great Onofrio Fountain. Luckily it escaped damage in that great earthquake of 1667. It has been very well preserved.

This is Sponza Palace. Construction began in 1516 and was originally used as a custom's house. Goods were brought here from all over the world to be taxed.  It was a meeting place and trading centre for the business people of the republic. One section was also used as a mint. Near the end of the 16th century the palace became the cultural centre of the Republic. The first school in Dubrovnik was organized here and it was a place where educated citizens of Dubrovnik met.

The courtyard of Sponza Palace. The building is now home to the city archives and houses a small museum. It was  very interesting place to wander through. Lots of very important history from the region including many items from one of the first pharmacies.

A look inside St. Ignatius Church. On this day it was almost totally empty. It seems the other churches in town get a bit more foot traffic as this one is a little bit out of the way.

 

This doorway gets a lot of sun so only seems natural that people would use it in food production. I think those are olives in those jars so I'm guessing they are brine curing them but I actually don't know. 

A look out from a bar built into a cliff. This is Buza Bar and is a very popular spot to grab a drink or two.....so popular in fact that they built a second one, Buza 2 a short way down the cliff.

 

The rest of my day was spent wandering the streets of the old town and visiting a few other museums. Eventually I made my way back to my hotel where I spent sometime just relaxing in the pool and then watching the sun go down.

A beautiful sunset.

And another look.

 

After sunset I headed back into the old town and back to Mavasija Wine Bar. I enjoyed it so much the night before so I couldn't think of a better way to enjoy my final night in Croatia. Eventually I went back to my hotel to finish packing. I would be back on the road the next day.

 

Croatia in summary was fantastic. I could easily say it is one of the greatest countries I've ever been to. It offers so much of everything. No matter what you like I assure you, you will find it here. And the people are so nice. Highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

 

With that being said it was time to head over the border and visit another country. So much world to see, so little time.

 

Julie

The Greatest of the Ocean Roads

The Great Ocean Road
Victoria, Australia
Thursday, April 7th, 2011

If you ever make it to Victoria (and I'm talking about the Australian State and not the Canadian City) you have to visit the Great Ocean Road. It is about 330 kilometres (205 miles) long. On this day I only traveled about 280 kilometres (174 miles) of it but I assure you that was more than enough. Many people would recommend that you take 2 or 3 days to travel the road but as I am on a bit of a schedule I decided to make the trip in one day.

There are many ways to enjoyed the road. After checking them all out I decided that taking a small tour was the best. This allowed me to sit back and relax while someone else did the driving. Lucky for me I managed to hit The Road on a beautiful day. Here are a few pictures from my day.

We stopped for morning tea at this little beach. A very nice first stop and technically not even a part of the Great Ocean Road.

Surf school....actually a subject in school. Not quite the same old Physical Education class I remember.

The Memorial Arc.......the entrance to the Great Ocean Road and a memorial to ANZAC Troops. In fact the road itself is considered to be the world's largest war memorial. It was built by returning WWI servicemen. It provided them (around 3000 of them) with gainful employment during a time when there wasn't much. The road took about 13 years to complete.

No you are not mistaken. Those are some cute and cuddly little koalas. You will find them at Koala Cove (not just a cleaver name). If you haven't seen one elsewhere in Australia, you're pretty much guaranteed to see one here.

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The black carnivorous snail.....another one of Australia's horrible little animals. It has been known to drag dead flesh into the woods and devour it. And I am told if you let one sit on your foot......it would start eating away at your skin.

Ignoring the little black snails we went for a wonderful little forest walk. Thank goodness for the boardwalk.

One of the giant trees you will find along the way.

Look up.....way up.

Some of the amazing rock formations you will see along the way, some of the most famous being the 12 Apostles (and I'm nearly positive this is one of them).

The staircase down to the beach to check out a few of the 12 Apostles. Now the 12 Apostles......not so cleverly named. There were only ever 9 of them.......one of which has fallen into the sea....lost forever. Eventually the other 8 will follow.

Walking along the beach checking out one of the 12 Apostles close up.

They look so close but you can't swim to them. The water is a little cold, a little rough (whirl pools and stuff) and a little shark infested. Many a ship, shipwrecked off this coast as they were bringing Europeans to Australia.

Hahaha. Don't stand under the cliff.

It's a lot bigger than it looks.

See I look tiny.

A few more of the 12 Apostles. The sun was very,very bright but I think made for some great pictures.

The same rocks.....just without me.

OMG!!!! I might die. Better stay behind the fence. Still makes me laugh.

When looking away from the sun you can see how pretty the water is....but you still can't swim in it.

An amazing coast line.

Heading towards the end of the day.

London Bridge. You use to be able to walk all the way across but the centre piece fell into the water one day. It actually fell while a couple of people were on it. They were stranded and had to be rescued by helicopter. The story goes that a man called in sick to work so that he could take his girlfriend on a picnic. They got stuck on the rock and when the helicopter showed up with a local news camera he was not so happy about it. Neither was his boss......or his wife.

The view from our restaurant. A great end to a perfect day.

The trip home was a lot less scenic and a lot quicker (we took the highway). I spent most of it watching a classic Australian movie, Crocodile Dundee. So much funnier now that I've lived in Australia and in particular the Northern Territory.

It was a great day. And once again I highly recommend it to anyone who visits the area.

http://escapediscoveryadventures.com.au/

Julie