• Trip Around the World 2025
    In the courtyard of Qasar Al Watan
    Lunch smoothiesAnd pistachio filled dates!Qasar Al WatanVideo of the courtyardChelsea enjoying her audiobook tour of the palaceThe center of the palaceVideo of the interiorAmazing domed ceilingWhat a chandelier!One of the palace meeting roomsAnother palace meeting roomA huge conference room in the palaceBeautiful mosaic workThe water features at the palaceThe old palace, now a hotel!We found this mosque dwarfed by huge buildings in downtown1A full Arabic spread for dinner

    Dubai to Abu Dhabi

    May 20 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 100 °F

    Today we traveled from Dubai to Abu Dhabi.

    We started our day with packing and actually skipped coffee for once! Rather than have breakfast, we opted to wait to eat until we got to Abu Dhabi. We took a private car from Dubai, and it took roughly 90 minutes through a very empty desert. Once we arrived in Abu Dhabi, we grabbed some fantastic smoothies and dates filled with pistachios for lunch at our hotel.

    Next we traveled to Qasar Al Watan, or the palace of the nation, which is a massive palace complex that is used for diplomatic meetings. The place was opulent, with massive gardens surrounding it, a huge marble courtyard, and an interior lined with mosaics and artwork.

    Following Qasar Al Watan, we went to the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental. This was actually the old palace used, until the completion of Qasar Al Watan. This building is now a hotel open to the public, so we enjoyed looking around and seeing the contrast with the new palace. This one was much more dated and smaller, so when we’d had our fill we headed to a dinner of authentic Arabian food in the heart of town.

    After dinner we called it a night, with a big exploration day ahead of us tomorrow.    Read more