Arabia!: Part V

This is the last of the UAE posts!

If you missed posts I, II, III, or IV in the series, be sure to check them out!

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{Awesome girls night out with Reem and Angelina at the Dubai Mall for some fancy shopping and fantastic Indian Food!}

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{The trip home!}

If you’ve followed along with these posts for the past several weeks, you’ve probably noticed that I mostly showcased photos and talked about a few of the things we saw or experienced. I wanted to clarify that there was SO much more to our trip than the few exciting or beautiful moments that the photos show. So, SO much more that I couldn’t possibly put into words on this blog. So many feelings and lessons and stories and people and ideas and joys and challenges and excitements and difficulties. This place and these people and our journey cannot possibly be defined by a few pictures and a few words. I have so much to say and so much to share, but it’s all best done in person. I’ve already shared many of our adventures and observations with those who I’ve seen since we returned about six weeks ago. But, if you’d like to know more about our time in the UAE, please let me know and I’d be happy to share!

Thanks for following along! Hope you’ve enjoyed the small slivers of our trip that we chose to share here!

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Arabia!: IV

In case you missed parts I, II, or III

Our day of exploring Sharjah!

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{Authentic Emirati breakfast at Fenyaal Cafe in Al Qasba. I had some superb Egyptian coffee with thick, savory, bread-like pancakes that are seasoned with spices and seeds that you top with a smooth, spreadable cream cheese and drizzle with honey. They were absolutely INCREDIBLE. Definitely one of the most interesting and unique dishes I ate in the UAE and it was delicious beyond words! Ted ordered a dish that consisted of sweet, warm noodles (think shredded crepes) and a flat omelette, which he also loved! We really enjoyed this cafe, the atmosphere, the food, and the views!}

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{Eye of the Emirates and Al Qasba}

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{Hop-on-hop-off bus tour = best and most inexpensive way to see Sharjah, learn about the culture and landmarks via audio-tour, and get around the city – an excellent form of transportation!}

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{Browsing the wares at the Blue Souk in Sharjah. It was enormous – almost overwhelming! Thousands of shops selling gold jewelry, Persian rugs, evening gowns, abayas and hijabs, electronics, spices, traditional trinkets, and anything else you could possibly imagine. There were also men’s and women’s prayer rooms for when the ‘call to prayer’ sounds. At every stall entrance someone was standing at the door urging you to come in to their shop and see what they have for you – a very bold style of shopkeeping we are generally unaccustomed to in the US. It was definitely an experience!}

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{Fruit and vegetable market & fish market – we arrived at the fish market after they’d closed for the day. Most markets and souks are open in the morning, shut down between 1 and 4pm, and reopen again in the afternoon/evening.}

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{Museum of Islamic Civilization…it was full of amazing, gorgeous things! Sharjah is a cultural capital and has many, many awesome museums to visit…and they cost hardly anything! We’re really looking forward to checking out the classic car museum and the airplane museum next!}

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{Back to Al Qasba for a beautiful sunset, a wonderful ‘pick-your-own-fish’ grilled seafood dinner at a lovely restaurant, some late-night ice cream along the water, steamy glasses (because that’s what happens when you step outside – it’s so hot and humid that you glasses instantly fog up), and the most terrifying taxi ride I’ve ever experienced and lived through – the driving there is no joke….but we got home safely!}

The last of our trip is up next!

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Arabia!: Part III

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Check out Parts I and II if you missed ’em!

The adventure: Our first non-essentials-shopping-related day trip into Dubai for some relaxation and sightseeing, and an afternoon in Sharjah.

We left Sharjah bright and early on a Friday morning, which is an ideal time to be out and about for shopping or sightseeing purposes because the first ‘call to prayer’ of the day isn’t until about noon, so most people are home with their families and at the Mosque until 1pm, so there’s no traffic on the roads (read: You get to feel marginally safe on the roads!!!) or crowds of people to contend with, so you can really soak up the experience in a leisurely way.

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{Our first stop: The Dubai Mall – home to a gigantic aquarium, the world’s fastest indoor roller coaster, and Ski Dubai. Snow is a beautiful, beautiful sight when it’s 114 degrees out! I wasn’t really sure Ted was ever going to leave this magical place…}

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{Window shopping and square donuts at Al Qasr at Madinat Jumeirah}

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{The gold dispensing ATM…yes, it exists…for everyone who asked me to verify the rumors}

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{We strolled around the gorgeous waterways of Madinat Jumeirah. In the first picture you can see the luxurious Burj Al Arab hotel and in the first two pictures you’ll spot the beautiful wooden abra “water taxi” boats. The slotted openings at the tops of the buildings are how traditional Emirati homes back in the pearl-diving days were designed – they serve as a cooling system that sucks in the “cool” gulf breeze and redirects it down into the interior of the home}

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{Can’t ignore a good photo op location!}

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{Then we took in the Jumeirah Beach. We walked down the pier and out over the water for a better view of the beach, skyline, and palm tree and world islands….and we all instantly melted into disgusting puddles of sweat}

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{Lunch at Lime Tree Cafe. I had an incredible plate packed with the most delicious roasted and curried cauliflower, spinach, and chickpea salad, two salmon and asparagus risotto patties topped with dill cream cheese, a freshly-squeezed beet-pineapple juice smoothie, and a slice of their carrot cake. Seriously, you want to eat here immediately. I actually cannot wait to savor/devour their amazing food again…ASAP!}

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{This shark had plans for me…}

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{And this friendly eel mugged a big old smile for the camera}

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{Back in Sharjah, Fereh accompanied us to the Sharjah Aquarium….which clearly has the best aquarium signs ever, as evidenced above}

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{Sharjah views from outside the Aquarium}

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{After the Aquarium, we shared dinner at a traditional Emirati cuisine restaurant. It was located right on the river downtown so it had beautiful water and sunset views, as well as really awesome outdoor seating…so, naturally, I decided we must be like the locals and sit outside, in the stifling heat and humidity, and eat hot food for two hours. I’m not sure what I was thinking. Ted still isn’t sure what I was thinking. But, aside from sitting very, very still and trying not to move at all throughout dinner so we didn’t melt into our food, it was really serene, the food was delicious, and I think it was a really great and memorable experience! Ted got some sort of pita, yogurt, and lamb kebobs and I shared a totally delicious Iranian baked fish and saffron rice dish with a pregnant cat – which was pretty much the highlight of my day! You can see her in one of the pictures above – and topped off the meal with a steaming hot kettle of amazing Arabic coffee, which is flavored with cardamom and tastes like a hybrid of coffee and tea}

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{The restaurant had a beautiful view of the fountain show and the Al Noor Mosque at night, which was simply stunning, as you can see! Click the photo to enlarge – it’s worth it!}

More to come later! :)

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Arabia!: Part II

Missed part 1? Check it out here!

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IMG_8722{Lots of meat – mostly lamb – and cheese pastries and sweet breads…yum!}

IMG_8760{Banana, date, and honey smoothie – a very UAE treat}

IMG_8752{Our trip to Ikea-Dubai yielded two more pillows for Ted’s gigantic bed, a Tupperware set, a strainer, a kitchen rug, and a handful of other household and kitchen necessities….plus a bottle of lingonberry syrup and a bottle of rhubarb syrup that you mix with water to make sweet cocktail drinks. These were clearly added to the cart by yours truly.}

IMG_8761{Just so you know, when you order a sausage, egg, and cheese croissant on campus….”sausage” is really code for “hot dog.” Obviously, this did not stop Ted.}

IMG_8759{Interior of a domed building on campus….American college architecture has some catching up to do!}

IMG_8767{This country is packed with the most AMAZING desserts….I can’t tell you their names or what’s in them aside from honey and pistachios, but I still dream about these gorgeous, delicious delicacies!}

IMG_8766{Currency}

IMG_8781{Blueberry and mango ice cream balls}

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IMG_8819{Oh, the spices!}

IMG_8822{and the nuts!}

IMG_8821{and the peppers!}

IMG_8820{and the dates! DATES GALORE!}

IMG_8788{Si makes a second appearance among the palm trees on the bus from campus to Matajer}

IMG_8791{A little bit of library fun with Cari! Not that either of us are in any way involved with the performing arts or anything…}

IMG_9074{Front porch: Day view}

IMG_8811{Front porch: Sunset view}

IMG_4656{Tropical birds everywhere! On campus. And pretty much only on campus. But what a great surprise!}

More to come in a day or two! :)

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Arabia!: Part I

Ahhh yes, the trip pics finally emerge! These image-heavy posts will be coming for a while, so stick around if you’re interested!

And now….the our time in the United Arab Emirates: Part I.

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{Traveling on Emirates Airlines – free drinks, Frozen on my personal TV, a cozy blanket, oodles of leg room, and lamb with saffron rice with a side of lentils and feta, and a roasted Mediterranean veggie spread that blew my taste buds out of the water. In the morning they served a crazy tasty breakfast with an absolutely delicious croissant and, deep in the night to anyone who was awake, an unexpected midnight snack of a steaming hot cheesy pizza, a fresh pear, and a gin and tonic. They win.}

{Our first campus walk and tour of our new Home Sweet Home!}

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{You know, what all college campuses look like}

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{Domes and palm trees and fountains and marble}

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{For my sister-in-law, Kate}

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{Proud wifey!}

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{The toastiest marble my buns will ever touch…and never touch again because, lesson learned, sitting on 120 degree marble is not pleasant}

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{It only looks like it’s 75 degrees. Really, it’s about 115 – we were just wearing it particularly well at this very moment}

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{Campus is a lush desert paradise….with tons of handsome stray kitties who were lured into the University City gates by tons of equally handsome tropical birds, who were lured here by the promise of the tons of water it takes to keep this place lush and green. Totally wild and unexpected, but a very welcome surprise!}

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{Architecture of the new casa}

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{Our first trip into Dubai}

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{Burj Khalifa – the tallest building in the world}

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{Incredible Lebanese eats for dinner at Wafi Gourmet in the Dubai Mall, with a perfect view of…}

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{….the world’s largest fountain show!}

More to come soon!

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Triumphant Return!

It has been 42 DAYS since I blogged. 42 DAYS. Holy crap. I bet you thought I was a goner! I think I thought I was a goner too. Alas, I am slowly starting to resurrect myself from the joy and turmoil of a life that has been changing nonstop in major ways since May. Some of our adventures I’ll share on this blog, and some I probably won’t. Simply put, 6 months ago I never dreamed our life would be what it is now. Clearly, we have a lot of catching up to do! Most notably, we took a 2.5 week visit to the United Arab Emirates at the end of August/beginning of September.

What. A. Whirlwind. It was wild! I have many, many photos, stories, experiences, observations, and memories to share, which I’ll happily do here over the next few weeks. So be sure to check back often if you’re curious about our adventures and are hankering for an epic photo overload.

But, first and foremost, I found this image the other day during a particularly rough day for me and I thought it was a perfect, stunning example of how to care for a friend who is going through a difficult time. My friends (and of course family) in Rochester, Texas, Vegas, Ohio, Chicago, the Emirates, and everywhere in between have been so absurdly wonderful to me lately, and I don’t know what I would do without them as our lives continue to change and we try to adjust and cope with all the amazing and frustrating things, but this is still a great reminder to anyone who wants to comfort a friend in need.

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Before we left for the UAE, amid all the insane packing and incredibly detailed planning, Ted and I both celebrated our birthdays. The night before we left, which was my birthday, we went out for a “last supper” of sushi, salmon teriyaki, and ice cream.

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IMG_8658{it’s blurry, but I love this guy}

A few more fun Rochester shots from after we returned from the UAE:

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IMG_9302{Ted discovered us a new favorite Rochester diner!}

IMG_9303{Snuggles with this guy :) }

IMG_9353{Girls night with Katie, Janice, and Jessica….delicious margaritas and my first Rochester Garbage Plate! I don’t know if I’ll find myself craving something like this, but I’m glad I finally got to try it and hang out with these awesome ladies!}

IMG_9351{Crimson Crisps….they’re back! My favorite local NY apple is finally back in season! This is going to be one tasty fall}

IMG_9404{The apple crisp Chelsea and I made amid a wonderful night of wine and excellent company and conversation}

Stay tuned for UAE pictures coming soon….I’m glad to be back in the blogosphere! Thanks for waiting an absurd 42 days without giving up on me!

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