Parts 3 and 4, A New World

Before I really get going.... the best part of visiting Dubai was getting to spend six days with my son and daughter-in-law.  They were the main reason we went to Dubai and they will be the only reason we go back.  Dubai is a place like no other place I have been.  It is a cross between Las Vegas and Disney World with a little Europe thrown in all set in the Middle East.  It is a dichotomy.  On the outside it looks very modern, shiny, fast moving and rich.  If you dig deeper it is a very conservative country with strict rules about public behavior, alcohol, drugs and crime.  Everywhere you look you can see extremes.

Traditionally dressed camel rider next to Speedo man, French Riviera or Dubai? 

The long bridge in the background is the runway for FlyDubai Skydiving, so you can either ride a camel or go sky diving, all within a mile.  Almost everywhere you go in Dubai opposite choices are available. Shop at the souks or at the largest mall in the world?  Wear clothing that covers you from head to toe or clothing that is form fitting and revealing?  Even the landscape is a study in contrast.

The green golf course is an oasis surrounded by skyscrapers!

 Dubai is opulent.  I don't live with opulence so I found myself gawking occasionally and at times I even felt uncomfortable.  You see, I'm not one of those people whose life goal is to stay at the finest hotel, eat the finest food, drive the most expensive car and wear the finest designer clothes (do they even come in my size?).  BUT, there are many people in Dubai who love that lifestyle and actually live it.  Don't get me wrong, I like good stuff just as much as the next person, I'm just realistic enough to know I don't live in that income bracket....and never will.  It was nice to admire/gawk from afar though.

We were treated to brunch on Friday, our first day in Dubai.  Friday is the first day of the weekend in Dubai or the Middle East, it's the new Saturday.  Our brunch was one of many across the city.  It is a "thing"!  Four hours with hundreds of food choices and just about any drink you can think of all set in a swanky hotel, because hotels are one of the few places you can buy alcohol.  It was overwhelming!  I had no idea how we were going to last 4 hours eating and drinking in one place....but we managed!

Brunch....from one end of the picture to the other end, inside and outside!

An interesting tidbit... when we would leave the table my daughter-in-law said we did not need to bring our purses, no one was going to bother them.   I looked around at all the other tables and noticed all of the women left their purses when they walked around.  We were not just going from the table to a buffet in the same room, we were going from building to building!  She said you can even leave all of your stuff on the beach, take a walk and come back and no one will bother it.  Nice!  I found Dubai to be very safe.

After our "over the top brunch" we wanted to watch the sunset from a good vantage point.  There are any number of high rise hotels on the water to choose from for this venture.  We tried to sit outside on the rooftop deck but we were very chilly!  We had not prepared to be chilly in Dubai.  It was windy and cool by sunset and we were all in short sleeves or no sleeves, I did have a scarf but it was not nearly enough to keep all 4 of us warm!

If you look closely you can make out the Palm Island in the distance
 with FlyDubai runway right in front of it.

And the sun sets over the Persian Gulf....notice any oil tankers on the horizon?

Our first day in Dubai was wonderful.  There are several others that were just as great but one day, in particular, stands out to me.  The day we went to Abu Dhabi!  I figured it would be about the same as Dubai... it is and it isn't.  Abu Dhabi is the richer, more conservative sister or cousin to Dubai.  We were meeting an old friend of TJ's in Abu Dhabi and he volunteered to show us around.  It was great to have someone drive us around, especially someone who has lived there for over 15 years and knows where to go and how to get there.  The absolute highlight of the trip was seeing the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.  I expected it to be grand, I expected big, I expected beautiful.  My imagination is so limited, it was all that and more!

From the outside it is very big....but it's what's inside that is amazing!

The main prayer hall,
home to the largest hand knotted rug in the world, over 60,000 sq. ft.
Glad I'm not the one who has to vacuum this!

My favorite room!  I loved the inlaid marble flower walls!  The colors were so lovely.

The ceiling in my favorite room.  Beauty everywhere you look!

Everywhere!  

I really can't say enough about the grandness of this mosque.  We were there during one call to prayer.  At first I didn't know what was going on, there was a soothing, calm voice doing a chant on the loud speaker.  Later, I noticed all around town you can hear various calls to prayer during the day if you are near a mosque, and you are always near a mosque.  It was very cool to hear the call to prayer in such a peaceful beautiful place.  I prayed....and the walls did not fall down!  I also got to wear an abaya for our visit.  The rules to enter were clearly posted and if you were not loosely covered from head to toe you were given a black abaya to wear, free of charge.  I always wondered what it would feel like to wear one, especially in the Arabian heat.  I wondered if I would suddenly feel oppressed or hidden or just plain hot.  I felt like a girl in a Catholic school wearing a uniform just like all the other girls but I can in no way imagine wearing one in the summer heat!  I was more than happy to shroud myself out of respect.  It is not my religion but I can respect it while I am in their place of worship just as I hope others would do in a cathedral or basilica.

The rules....click on the picture to see a closer view.

Me...following the rules

Enough about the mosque...the rest of the visit had a lot to live up to!  While we were in Dubai, I played the most expensive (did I mention that almost everything is very expensive in Dubai?) and decadent round of golf in my short lived golf life.  I noticed at the golf course there was a crew of men setting up for an event, an event my son would be attending later in the week.  It was going to be quite the extravaganza!

Everything is a big deal in Dubai!  Lights, fireworks, music!

 We started talking about the laborers in Dubai.  There is a lot of construction going on in Dubai and I noticed buses on the highway full of workers.  Men are bused to their work site every day and then bused home at the end of the day.  The buses have curtains on the windows, presumably to shield them from the hot sun or to block light and let them sleep!  I had heard that these workers do not make much money, cheap labor has helped to build such a big city so quickly.  For some reason this troubled me.  I am not so naive to think this is a unique situation.  Still, it disturbed me that these men, and yes, they are all men, work tirelessly to build all of the grandeur.  Many of these men have left oppressed countries in search of work.  Their life, however hard and unfair, is better than the one they left behind.  Many have sacrificed their passports and are stuck.  The ones with families have left their families behind.  I felt almost guilty, must be the Catholic in me, enjoying the luxurious surroundings.

One day we visited the souks and Old Dubai.  Very different from Jumeria beach and the Marina area we had been enjoying.  I even did my first haggling at one of the souks.  I successfully bought a silver bracelet for half of what the shop keeper had it listed.  The key, in my amateur opinion, is to start walking out of the store and say you are going to keep looking.  The souks felt more authentic, even a bit cheesy but you had the feeling people go there regularly to buy spices, nuts, gifts and of course jewelry.

Water taxi ride!

need spices?

After our trip to the souks, I rode home with my son, a rare and special moment for just the two of us, and he showed me the "other side" of Dubai.  The side that is not on any tour map.  He drove me through the machine shop area; rows of large warehouses and metal shops.  He said he buys equipment there on occasion.  We talked about the working and living conditions of the laborers again.  I am constantly amazed by the person he has become.  He deals with all types of people, all nationalities, all income and education levels and seems to be able to do it with grace and confidence.  I always knew he was a people person.  As we drove farther into the area he told me, "Mom, whatever you do, do not get out of the car." .  OK.  He showed me where the laborers live and it surprised and saddened me.  Five to six men per apartment.  No women.  No families.  I think this may have been what bothered me so much.  It wasn't the obvious crowded conditions or the simple conditions,  but the fact it is all men.  I find that sad.  It is one thing to be poor but to have no family is even sadder.  Their life is work and only work.

A far cry from the swanky hotels and skyscrapers

Yes, I guess all those shiny tall buildings, Maseraties, designer shops, lavish hotel lobbies, and expensive meals eaten outside looking at crystal blue water made me think of the disparity between the labor force and those of us fortunate enough to enjoy the fruits of their labor.  I guess every country has their rich and their poor, but for some reason it just seemed different here.  Our ride together ended with two heavy hearts.
We needed something to cheer us up after our drive.

On the opposite end of the spectrum of hope I have a small world story.  My daughter-in-law kept saying that Dubai, in spite of its size, was a small city.  She said you run into the same people all of the time.  One night we went to dinner a bit late, 9:00, which is late in my book.  The restaurant was relatively empty.  Around 9:30 a family came in and sat right behind us.  I noticed this family, they were an Arab family and one boy was in a wheel chair and appeared to have no lower body.  He was smiling and joking with his brother and mother and father.  My daughter-in-law also noticed how happy the family was and how the boy kept joking and smiling.  Later that night I was checking my Instagram page and as I had just started following the Dubai crown prince, per my son's suggestion, I saw none other than the boy in the wheelchair receiving an award from the Sheikh himself earlier that same day!  The next morning he was on the front page of the newspaper with the Sheikh!   What an inspiration....in a small world.

Front page news in Dubai

We also celebrated St. Patrick's Day in Dubai.  Who knew there was an Irish Village in Dubai?  There is everything in Dubai!  It was a legitimate Irish celebration with great music, plenty of beer, lots of green and orange and white and even real Irish people.  We absolutely enjoy sitting outside for a few hours enjoying the weather, the music and the beer.

Luck of the Irish!

A good time was had by ALL!

One more story and then this will be over!  On our last night we went out to dinner, of course!  We sat outside, because we could.  Much to my dismay, one thing there is not a lot of in Dubai is wine.  What wine they serve is expensive and the selection is limited.  It would be hard for me to drink too much there given the limited choices and the prices!  I really wanted a glass of wine with dinner that night and TJ, being the gallant husband he is said to just go ahead and order whatever I wanted.  I looked over the menu and found a glass of wine I'd like.  It was something I would expect to pay $10 or $12 for a bottle at home.  One glass of this wine on the menu was 125 dirham or $35 USD!   I couldn't do it!  I could not pay $35 for a dinky glass of mediocre wine.  We had just come from Croatia where a delicious glass of Croatian wine was the equivalent of $2 USD!  Yes, Croatia and Dubai were just as different from each other as the prices of their wine.  I ordered a $15 gin and tonic.

Dubai was beautiful.  The city is very clean and very safe.  It is a feast for your eyes, everywhere you look you can see beauty and grandeur.  It is like living in the future.  A city that just popped up in the middle of the desert and has become a major center for business and tourism.  About 85% of the population are expatriates.  It is an international mecca.  The population is also very much male, 75%.  For some reason this city fascinated me to the point I was compelled to research it and learn more about it's culture and history.  This does not happen to me everywhere I travel.  To quote Forrest Gump, "and that's all I have to say about that.".

A few more pictures, because why not?

Abu Dhabi

A fountain full of flower petals

That silver tube is the indoor ski slope in the Dubai Mall.  That's as close as I got....

Because Tim Hortons is everywhere!

Burg Khalifa, go big or go home!
The world's tallest building!

Thanks to our most excellent tour guides!

Because Sometimes Life is not Perfect

I thought I'd take a brief commercial break from the travel blogs and catch you up on real life.  This post is so you don't think my life is all beautiful sunsets, clear skies, gallivanting around the globe and eating delicious gourmet food.  Sometimes life is not perfect.

We celebrated Easter last weekend,(yes, I started this a long time ago!) along with the rest of the Christian world.  We also celebrated the 7th birthday of one very special boy.  My daughter and her family were here for the week of their Spring Break, the last time they were here for Easter we did the limbo.  We had a great week together!

We remembered the Alamo!

We went to the aquarium and discovered that Daniel is the bird whisperer.

We were having a great time together and things were seemingly perfect until.... a little stomach bug crept into our house.  Man down!  We did a lot of washing...carpet, sheets, pillows, comforter, and clothes.  I forgot, because that is God's way of insuring propagation of the species, just how much ground vomit can cover!  Our patient recovered in time to enjoy Easter.  My favorite part of Easter happened with my new best buddy, John.  I dressed him in his Easter clothes and told him, repeatedly, how handsome he looked.  After I dressed myself I picked John up and he patted my dress and said, "Gigi, handsome!".  So, maybe my life is perfect!

We are so handsome!

Easter was over and the grandsons and their parents headed back to the cold north country.  I collapsed on Monday.  Some time during the night that pesky stomach bug crept back into our house and struck me.  Three days later I was finally able to drag myself off the couch and join the human race.  That was a rough way to lose a few pounds, which sadly I instantly gained back with my first bite of solid food.

Just when I thought life was going to be normal again I woke up and my eyes looked like I was wearing red eye liner and they felt like wet sandpaper.  That was over a week ago.  Two trips to the eye doctor and 3 prescriptions later I am hopeful my eyes will no longer scare people when I look at them.

All month since we got back from our trip I have felt like there is a force preventing me from living my life.  I have not been able to get any traction on my normal routine.  No regular exercise, no regular diet, no regular golf games, no blogging and I have even had to call in sick twice for my ESL class....first time in 5 years I've called in sick!  Yes, I know, I'm whining a little.  I never whine!  What has happened to me?  8 days of scratchy eyes will mess with your psyche, take my word for it!

Anyway, that's what's new with me....I'll now try to finish my post about Dubai which I've been working on for a month, in between company, stomach bugs and eye infections.  It should be a doozy!

The Tale of Two Worlds, Part 2

As we drove away from Rovinj I wondered if there could possibly be another town as lovely and charming down the road.  Had we hit the jackpot first and now everything else was going to be a let down?  The drive was long....4 hours.  The roads in Croatia are surprisingly good!  No kidding, they are wonderful, easy to drive and well maintained.  There are many toll roads but paying $10 for two hours on a beautiful road is a small price in my book.

Time flies when the view looks like this!

I seriously hoped I had not built up this Sea Organ in my mind only to be disappointed when I saw it.  I wanted the iconic sunset with the music of the organ in the background.  I wanted the tour book experience!  I wanted to be impressed!  I wanted the fact that my husband drove 3 hours to matter and to be worth it!

We found the "nearby" parking and our apartment.  This one was next door to a local bar and owned by the bar owner.  We met our new best friend in Zadar, Joe the Bartender, and he showed us our studio apartment.  Once again, better than the Internet representation!  I admit, I was a bit concerned about noise and smoke since it was on top of the bar but no noise was heard and the air was clear!  Joe was very helpful and hospitable and invited us down to the bar for a drink "on the house".  I love this place already!  After our drink we made our way to sunset central.

I'm so easily entertained!

The Sea Organ.
The waves hit the holes in the steps which have pipes in them and it sounds like an organ.

It was a bit windy!  Hopefully you can hear the organ sounds over the wind!

Happy.....and cold!

Zadar was the city I was looking forward to the most.  I just knew it would be a great place.  It happens to be a university town which meant that we weren't the only people in town for a change.  We may have been some of the older people in town, but who cares?  There were more cafes and restaurants open for business and the city was much more lively at night.  Our new best friend, Joe the Bartender, was always ready to chat and have a drink with us. He would just pop out of the bar to say hello every time I went back to the apartment.  It was nice to have such a friendly person around!  Zadar was also more commercial than any of the other towns we visited, there were real stores there!  It was nice to visit a place that has a life outside of the tourist season, especially since we weren't there during tourist season.

Greeting To The Sun
daytime.....

The Greeting To The Sun   at night.
Glass tiles that light up randomly at night near the Sea Organ.  Very cool!

Five Wells

St. Donatus Church

We were only going to spend one night in Zadar, our plan was to play the next day by ear.  We had a couple of options and decided we liked Zadar so much we would just "stay on" another night.  I've always wanted to have the option to "stay on" someplace.  Of course, I wanted to "stay on" for weeks instead of hours but I'll take what I can get.  Having an extra day to do whatever we wanted, or nothing at all, was a luxury.  I chose to explore the town a bit more while TJ chose to catch up on some work and sleep.

I went in search of the Hitch Bar (Alfred) and a bit of inspiration.  I found it on the beach and was unimpressed.  I'm sure on a sunny, warm, summer day this place is full of bikini clad tourists sipping tropical beverages but today there were about 4 people wearing jackets and sipping hot coffee.  I really need to come back to this country when it is warmer!  I could also tell this was a prime place to watch sunset on a sunny day, but that day was not today.

Thanks for nothing Hitch....no sunset and little inspiration

Our last supper in Croatia was a first.  TJ and I were the ONLY people in the restaurant.  We were waited on diligently and served a delicious meal but it was very weird to be the only people there!  We were also running out of things to talk about at this point.  This was our fifth day alone together.  We usually travel with friends or family.  We usually meet people and strike up random conversations.  We usually have more distractions!  Our wish was granted when we got back to our apartment and Joe the Bartender popped out of the bar and invited us in to meet the original owner of the bar and his son, who runs it now.  We braved the small, smokey bar for a nightcap....or two.  It is amazing what one will do to have a little human interaction, cough, cough.  I'm sure we took a few hours off our lives from all the second hand smoke we inhaled that night.  It's been a long time since we hung out in a smokey bar!  Ahhhh, the good 'ole days.

In the morning we wiped the dust of Zadar off our shoes and headed to the airport in Zagreb, another 3 hour drive.  Once again our trip looked like this....

We left sunny skies and headed into that cloud bank on the left, through the mountains again.....

It was much colder on the other side.....

And yes, it was snowing!   Time to leave Croatia!

Time to wake up to sunshine and the Persian Gulf in the distance.

Some final observations about Croatia, because this post isn't long enough...

-A lot of people smoke!  They have not gotten the memo it is bad for your health.
-they love coffee!  Every day the cafes are full of people sitting outside, regardless of the weather, sipping coffee and smoking.  Around 5 they shift from coffee to beer.
-Everyone speaks English and they speak it well.
-the roads are excellent!
-they love visitors!
-the wine is excellent....and very affordable!
-the food in the northern part of the country is more hearty and near the coast is more Mediterranean and it is all very good.
-Croatia is a beautiful country, full of history....go visit!

Next on the agenda, Dubai.

A Tale of Two Worlds, Part 1

Our trip to Croatia and Dubai was the tale of two very different cultures, several different climates, two different economic conditions, and two very different worlds...the old world and the new world.  There are things to love about each world and maybe a few negatives about each.  Here is my attempt to entertain, educate and re-live.

A room with a view, Croatia.

 We arrived in Croatia "early".  Not early, as in 7 o'clock instead of 8 o'clock, but early as in March instead of June!  The streets were empty!  Many restaurants were closed for the season.  The wind blew and the temperatures were cool and sometimes cold.  In spite of the cool weather and empty streets Croatia was absolutely beautiful and fascinating!  One other bonus for us was that our dollar bought a lot in Croatia!  Dinner every night was cheap, the delicious wine was cheap, hotels were cheap.  Our rental car was $65....not per day, per week!

A room with a view, Dubai

We started our Croatian adventure in Zagreb, the capitol and largest city.  I had done a lot of research about Croatia and was ready to explore.  After looking at pictures on the Internet I wanted to see it all in living color.  We were blessed with beautiful weather.  Planning a trip these days is so easy and I sometimes wonder if it takes some of the surprise and excitement out of the trip because you can see all the sights from the comfort of your own kitchen table by looking at your computer.  I was almost a little afraid that all my research would backfire on me.  What if that cathedral wasn't set against the clear blue sky like it is on the pictures on the Internet?  What if the pictures of that hotel were not quite representative of the real thing?  What if those descriptions I read were mere embellishments?  What if that town is dingy and dirty and the the pictures on the Internet are featuring the only two highlights of the entire town?  Had I built it all up in my mind and set myself up for failure?  That is the question that ran through my head on our drive from the airport to our first stop in Zagreb.  Luckily, TJ did not do much research and it was all new to him, he had no expectations and for some reason trusts my planning skills.

Arriving at each new accommodation is like a box of chocolates, "you never know what you're gonna get".  We choose not to stay in high end luxurious hotels.  I like to mix it up and stay in a small boutique hotel or an apartment.  I like to "think" this gives us a more authentic experience.  Our first place was a small hotel.  Score major points for location on this one!  Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes!  Parking in any European city is a challenge.  We were told they had parking "near" the hotel.  One way to shake off jet lag is to find an obscure parking lot in an unfamiliar city and then drag your roller bag four or five blocks over cobbled sidewalks to finally arrive at your hotel.  We did this same ritual at more than one of our stops.  Gotta love the loose definition of "parking nearby".

Even better than the pictures on the Internet!

After dropping our bags and freshening up we went to explore the city.  This is where the adrenaline kicks in!  Wandering around a new city, being awed at the beauty and amazed that it is even more beautiful than I expected.  We had no agenda we were just wandering.  Walk a bit, sit and have a drink, wander a bit more, take a million pictures, check out potential dinner spots, wander more.  We took refuge in church before dinner and went to mass.  No clue what the readings were or what the homily was about but we were there.  Our only bad dining choice was made that night.  I consider the fact that our server left the restaurant midway through our dinner and failed to inform anyone else a negative.  Can't say I recommend Baltazar wholeheartedly, the food was decent but not great and the service wasn't there.  I'll just blame our decision on jet lag.

St. Mark's Square

The Cathedral of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The next day I had scheduled a walking tour, I figured we would be wiped and needed someone to just point us in a direction and tell us what to do and what we were seeing.  Plus, we only had half a day to spend and wanted to use our time efficiently.  Our guide was knowledgeable and we now know more about Croatian history than we ever expected.  She was on a mission to educate us and impart her experiences.  It is interesting to talk to someone who has experienced so many political and economic changes in their short lifetime.  Makes me really appreciate our stable life here.

Louisiana food begins with "the trinity",
Croatian food begins with "the green bundle" sold in markets all around the country.

We left Zagreb and headed for the coast with hopes of making it to the shore before sunset.

We drove through the snow banked highway,
and tunneled through the mountains

until we found this on the other side!

From this point on my heart started beating very fast and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.  The water was so blue and the towns were so picturesque.  We both needed a kick of adrenaline to get us through the next hour.  We made it to Rovinj on the Istrian peninsula just in time!  We found the "nearby" parking with only one phone call to our host and drug our bags to our apartment.  After meeting our very nice host who told us the best place to see the sunset, we headed to the top of the city.

The best view is from the church at the top of the city.....and it's a steep city!

All the way to the top!

We made it!

The sidewalk to sunset

Totally worth a 3 hour drive followed by a climb to to top of the city!

Luckily, our host gave us the name of the 3! restaurants open in the off season.  We chose one and made our way there.  We chose well!  The chef at the restaurant was none other than the Croatian Master Chef my good friend Anthony Bourdain fished, cooked and ate with on his trip to this fine city.  Needless to say, dinner was delicious!  We were two of about 10 people there that night and were treated to live music in addition to the fine meal.

We fought our way home through the crowded streets....

to our brightly lit apartment, where we slept fitfully that night.

Yes, this was the night our jet lag caught up with us.  The cute windows with the sheer curtains and bright street lights outside kept us up much of the night.  It didn't matter though because our next day was probably one of the best travel days we've ever had together.  We drove to the town of Porec, about an hour away.  I'm not sure what we were searching for we just wanted to see if we could find some good wine and some truffles.  We found both!

Rovinj in the morning!

outside an ancient church in Porec

We left Porec and headed to Motovun.  I heard it was famous for truffles and was a small town perched on top of a mountain.  There is nothing I like more than going to the top of places with great views!  TJ on the other hand is not big on heights.  Our drive was lovely and when we turned the corner at the little cafe and saw our destination in the distance we were both giddy like kids.  It lived up to the its reputation!

but first a cup of espresso at the cafe for our driver

You always get a great view from the top!  Climb those hills!

One of us is not too crazy about being at the top!

The day was a success and we were back in Rovinj in time for another chilly sunset.  We were thinking of just going back to our favorite restaurant again for dinner but found it was closed on Monday and Tuesdays.  We patted ourselves on the backs for our excellent decision to eat there last night and had pizza for dinner, we were tired and done making decisions for the day!  Sometimes you just have to eat pizza.  TJ was very proud of his solution to the brightly lit bedroom.....

We slept like babies!

More of Rovinj

I loved this place, it was stunning!

I want to come here in the warmer season
 and sit outside at this cafe and sip wine all afternoon!

Goodbye Rovinj with your friendly trees, until we meet again!

We said goodbye to Rovinj the next morning and headed south.  We first stopped in Pula.  One of the things it is famous for is its ancient coliseum.  We did not explore much of the city past the coliseum.

You've seen one Coliseum......

After Pula we had to make time!  I was on yet another sunset mission.  We were heading to Zadar, home of the famous Sea Organ and Alfred Hitchcock's favorite sunsets.  We drove through mountains and plains and a few more climates.  I am still amazed that in one day we went from the sea shore through the mountains and snow and to the sea shore again.  You really can have it all in Croatia!

That's all for now, I'm going to drag this out for at least two or three more posts.