ප්රකාශිතයි: 23.12.2018
Impressive, decadent, exaggerated, luxurious - all of these words describe Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates, pretty well.
In December, like many others, we asked ourselves what we could do for New Year's Eve. We had a limited amount of time and didn't want to fly too far, but we also wanted to go to the sun. Plus, we had to be able to afford the vacation first.
After a long search, we chose Dubai. And so, last Christmas, we sat in the plane on our way to the long-awaited sun. I have to say, Jannik would have gone to the snow too - but I'm a sun child and especially last winter, I was fed up with the snow and the cold.
The first surprise was already at the airport in Abu Dhabi, where we landed. Christmas decoration. The last thing we expected. And the decoration was practically everywhere. Even the palm trees in Dubai were adorned with fairy lights.
Beforehand, as usual, we had informed ourselves about Dubai and had an image in mind of a strict and predominantly Muslim country where we didn't expect anyone to care about Christmas at all. Wrong thinking.
One thing I have learned on our travels is that absolutely everything is different from what you imagined it to be. Especially because it is often portrayed incorrectly.
From Abu Dhabi airport, our transfer took us to our hotel. Even the transfer was an adventure, because our driver felt provoked by another driver and therefore had a race with him. It wasn't particularly important to him that we were with him, which we noticed when he finally braked the other driver quite radically, which could have resulted in an accident. But it got us to Dubai in less than an hour. In one piece. And Jannik had his fun. 😅
When we arrived at our hotel, another Christmas tree greeted us. Besides that, Christmas music was playing in the lobby and in the breakfast room, as we found out the next morning. That didn't change over the holidays. So, if you're planning to escape before Christmas, you're definitely at the wrong address in Dubai.
In the pictures you can see the decorated palm trees that we already mentioned. You can also see one of many decorated balconies and me in front of a Christmas tree at about 25°C.
It seemed like every second person called out 'Merry Christmas!' to us and smiled at us happily. Until today, we find that not only confusing, but also pretty cool. That's definitely how you can celebrate Christmas!
So, before this gets too long, let's make a cut for now. In the next posts, we will not only talk about the best New Year's Eve we have ever experienced, but also about the numerous things you can see and experience in Dubai and the surrounding area.
Just a heads up: one week was very short. There is really a lot to see and do in Dubai. Plan your time! You'll need it! 😊
And at this point, we would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas! Enjoy the holidays and the good food! 🎄💛
Tags: travel, vacation, beach, sun, wanderlust, Dubai, city, skyline, city trip, Christmas, New Year's Eve, luxury, wanderlust