Dubai, United Arab Emirates, April 2, 2023

We arrived at the port of Dubai at around 7:30 am in the morning. We already saw the Palm Islands and the famous hotels during the entry. The weather is very pleasant. The temperatures are between 21 and 23°C and the air is quite dry.

After breakfast, we took a tour that we booked ourselves on the internet. It was definitely worth it again. First, we went to one of the Palm Islands (Jumeirah, with exclusive hotels like Atlantis The Palm and Atlantis The Royal), and then to the Blue Mosque (Jumeirah Mosque). Although everything here is only a few years old and very artificial, we liked Dubai better than Abu Dhabi right from the start. The Palm Islands are beautiful and the mosque leaves a lively impression.

On the way, we were able to catch a few glimpses of the King's or President's Palace (strict no photography policy) and the Madinat Jumeirah Resort, a hotel with its own river and horses gilded with gold leaf on the hotel driveway.

After the Palm Islands, we visited the recreated old town of Dubai, Al Fahidi. It is, of course, an artificial world, but still beautifully and informatively built. After that, we were able to see a small photo exhibition about the history of Dubai and in a historical restaurant, we were served coffee, a traditional pastry, and excellent dates. The restaurant seems to be on its way to collecting Gault & Millau points to become the best restaurant in the country.

Afterwards, we took a water taxi across the Dubai Creek and drove to the Burj al Arab by car. There we were received very courteously, guided through the hotel, and finally able to see the most expensive suite in the hotel at a height of about 200m. There we were served coffee again and even better dates.

After a short stop on our ship, we took a taxi to the Miracle Gardens in the late afternoon. Countless flowers, over 150 million flowers, form figures, animals, people, objects, and landscapes. It is very impressive and the blossoms have a fragrance. And all this in a city that gets all its water from desalination plants.

After that, we were quite exhausted from all the impressions and drove back to the ship.