United Arab Emirates - mostly Abu Dhabi

20 - 25 May, 2014

So much construction! We were in Munich the year before the 1972 Olympics and we counted 50 cranes on the horizon. In Abu Dhabi we counted 50 cranes on the site of the airport terminal extension alone. Everywhere there is construction, not of single houses, flats, commercial buildings but of multiple buildings wherever you looked, almost. That is probably the most overwhelming difference between home and the places we visited in the UAE. Development is the name of the game.

Most impressive, perhaps was what has been done with water and greenery, to turn the vast, flat plains of desert into a 'green and pleasant land', to quote Blake of England. Where there is no watering system, you will find sand, more sand, and the occasional scrappy growth.

Better known for shopping than sand, Abu Dhabi and Dubai both sport numbers of enormous malls. Not only is every famous brand available for the discerning shopper, (and imitations for the less discerning) but you will also find the French supermarket chain Carrefour, numerous English and European shops (Marks and Spencer, H and M, Zara, Sephora for example) and vast entertainment areas including fun fairs, ice rinks, and in Dubai, the world's largest indoor ski slope.

On the road out of Al Ain, is a huge mall (400 shops), with ice rink, fun fair and a set of slides lined with snow which you can, for a price, slide a toboggan down. Not at all unusual.

And all this massive development has taken place in our lifetime, since the 1960s.

Our time with Melanie, Jim and Madeleine passed very quickly. We rested on day one, although Scarlett the dog did get a slight excursion between our naps. Over the next few days we explored places we hadn't seen before, starting with the old fort, Qasr al Hosn, which is undergoing serious 'rehabilitation' but has an interesting display on the history and accomplishments of the ruling family, the Al Nahyan family. 

The Heritage Village  shows us a little of what has now been 'developed' out of existence - a reconstruction of a typical oasis village, with local crafts such as metalwork and pottery, small shops selling craftwork, the old desert dwellings, both winter and summer. In the 42° heat we could appreciate the shade offered by the traditional dwelling but it was still pretty hot in there! We also took in an exhibition or two, and passed through areas currently being developed (there will be a Louvre and Guggenheim there in a few years' time).  And we rested.  

One day we visited a couple of very different hotels -the seven star Emirates Palace Hotel, ultra luxurious, incredibly expensive, built as an 'icon to Arabian culture and hospitality' about 10 years ago in a style designed to give visitors the experience of staying in a palace -totally over-the-top, totally amazing. It is normal for ordinary people like us to walk around the lobby and wings to east and west, as if in a museum or a chateau and all the staff are welcoming. 

A short taxi ride took us to the ultra-modern (2011) Jumeirah at Etihad Towers hotel, with a view across the water to the city and an interesting water feature which had similarities with Rotorua's mud pools. This hotel is much less accessible than the Palace, though we were told that Ray's Bar, would have given us great views but did not open until late afternoon. (Note for next time.) There is also a lift up to a higher floor, for a price, but the mixture of dust was pretty thick and it didn't seem worth the expense for a hazy view. 

In total contrast to all this ostentatious luxury, and on the other side of town, are the blocks of accommodation for immigrant workers. A male world, tens of thousands of immigrant workers housed often 10 or more to room, taken by bus to their worksites daily. There are many stories of bad conditions and grossly inadequate pay - but this is not what we are able to observe - just the acres and acres of residential blocks and the squalor surrounding them. An article in the paper said that 80% of money earned is sent back to their families but other articles say they have to work long hours with few rest days just to pay off their recruitment agents fees. Such enormous, if visionary, development has its cost in human terms.

The trip to Dubai is not too long. The road is flat and with few curves, one way all the way, multi-laned and at a certain point follows the new, driverless, fully-automated elevated metro which goes underground in the city. Reminded us of the line which took us to Odaiba from Central Tokyo (when Julian and Susan lived there).

We went along for the ride when Melanie went to pick up her sister and husband from the Dubai airport. Just enough time to swing by a huge mall for a coffee, check out the sky-scraper opposite, the tallest in the world, spend a few minutes at the aquarium in the mall watching a diver descend and wonder at some people in a cage - plenty of fish to watch as well - snap a few photos of the ice rink and the waterfall, and then continue on to the mega-large and ultra-modern airport, the largest and second-busiest in the world.

The waterfall covers the whole height of the mall

The airport

Moving back to moderation in size, we spent our last day in Al Ain, where Jim and Melanie had lived during their first stint in the UAE. It's somewhat over an hour from Abu Dhabi and the road takes you through farming areas, not just desert. There are also wonderful dunes, sometimes rising up behind date palms. Very pretty.

Al Ain was one of the original oases where people could be non-nomadic, as there was water available all the time and people could grow enough for their needs. It still has a huge date plantation which is open for visitors and displays the watering system that has worked for centuries.

Our first stop in Al Ain was for a restorative coffee in the light and airy lobby cafe of the fairly enormous and sumptuous Rotana hotel. Totally recommended -although Al Ain is less humid than Abu Dhabi and maybe slightly cooler, it was still about 42°. 

Onwards then, to the local landmark, Abu Dhabi's highest mountain at 1240 m, Jabal Hafeet, bordering Oman. The spectacular road, called by some 'the sheik's driveway', as it leads to the former president's palace at the top, is carved through limestone and paved with top quality asphalt. It reminds you of the European roads that are closed off and used for racing circuits and is apparently similarly used by some of the locals. 

Virtually no native vegetation is found on the road up and at the top there is a more craggy limestone, a small snack bar and large parking lot with wide views over the countryside. 

Near the top is a hotel from where there there are different magnificent views and they have a created their own little oasis in the middle of arid nothingness, with palm trees, grass, trees and a swimming pool. 

The sheik's palace is on the edge of a ridge a little further up and has not quite so much lushness but enough to be comfortable. On the top of an arid mountain in the middle of nowhere. The views were hazy, due to dust, but it is nonetheless a spectacular place to go. This was our second visit and no less interesting for that.

Back on the flat again we visited the camel markets. Not just camels - sheep, goats, cattle - apparently they just stay there until they are sold. Plenty of shade and all in the fresh air. On to the oasis - not for long in the heat - just long enough to take in the watering canals really. We'd been here before too but at the beginning not the end of May. It makes a difference! There is a National museum close by, with lots of interesting material on the Bedouin way of life, among other displays. 

Bedouin cradle, very much like the one we made for our second son Chris:

So lovely to have spent time with our friends and interesting to spend more time in this part of the world, so different fom our own. Thanks to all for making us so welcome.

Iranian Fast food in Mall

Burj Dubai

Stopover: Abu Dhabi

20 - 21 October 2013

For us, the first not-to-be-missed attraction in this stopover was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque .

The mosque is recent, initiated by Sheikh Zayed and built between 1996 and 2007. He is buried on the site. 

It is spectacular, massive, opulent - carpet and chandeliers, walls and floors defy description.

It uses materials from a large number of countries, including NZ (paua shell). 

Inlaid marble adorns walls and courtyard.

Reflective pools add another dimension and it is surrounded by beautiful grounds. 

Secondly, the Falcon hospital.

The taxi driver got lost taking us to the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital but with help from his base we got there and are glad not to have missed the experience. 

All you wanted to know about falcons and falconry and maybe a bit more. Falcons have their own passports - issued by this Falcon hospital -  they are strictly controlled so that wild falcons cannot be captured and used for falconry. And they need to travel for hunting. The birds are expensive and breeding is restricted to registered breeders in a limited number of countries. There are a number of different breeds and also mixed breeds.

Falcons have to be taken out for training in catching prey every day, and can have accidents which require treatment. A feather out of place affects their stability - luckily replacement feathers can be glued in, as are radio transmitters, which allow lost falcons to be found, opening up different kinds of hunting. 

Pedicures and beak sharpening are all part of the service. In addition birds will all get an annual check-up.  About 6000 pass through the hospital each year. 

The trip through the hospital includes the museum, treatment room, where visitors get to watch the treatments close up in real time, the free-flying aviary where falcons can, as suggested, fly free, and an opportunity for those that want to, to have a falcon sit on their arm. We were entranced!

Grateful thanks to Melanie, Jim, Madeleine and Scarlett.

Last days - Lyon, Orléans, Paris

8-19 October 2013

Bourges

Lyon still has enough attractions, as well as our friends, to keep us there another few days. Then it was the ‘slow’ train (intercity) up through the high country and over to the Loire once more. We broke our journey at Bourges, where we had had a happy day with Chris, Mathilde and Madeleine some years ago, and found it still a very interesting place to wander through. 

Combleux

In Orléans we celebrated Mathilde’s birthday a few days early with a meal at Combleux, on the edge of Orleans, where a canal and the Loire meet - a place we had passed through and had coffee with Julian and Susan - at La Marine, a restaurant run by a friend of a friend in Wellington. Excellent food. recommended! 

Our last stop was Paris, where we had a few frantic days catching up with friends for both the midday and evening meals. We may not see our friends all that often but we do appreciate seeing them again. 

We’d booked our last night at one of the airport hotels - a sound plan if the check-in is relatively early. It takes out all the stress of wondering if there will be a train/bus strike or delay on the metro at the very time you need them to be functioning! 

Nîmes - Alzon

4th - 7th October 2013

Not so easy to get across to Alzon, our next destination, from Embrun, with one of the train lines being upgraded. The bus was forced to climb up and over the range, instead of tunnelling through like the train, and we arrived too late in Valence to make the TGV connection. However, the railways came up trumps, rebooking all the late-comers and putting us into several taxis to get us to the TGV station. There were several available trains and we took an earlier train than we were booked on, arriving in time to eat outside AND walk around before it was too late. 

Station, left, hotel centre

We had opted for a night in Nîmes, a city we have been to a number of times but which never fails to charm us. We even celebrated being there by taking a more expensive room in the Ibis range, right beside the station, with room to swing several cats at one time (had one wished!), and a shower with double doors! As luck would have it, they were celebrating their first year of opening with champagne and savouries, to which we were invited. La vie est belle!

There is a big project to restore the arena and stop it from crumbling away. Apart from the experimental stage (2009-2012), the work started in 2012 and is projected to finish in 2025. Opposite the arena there is to be a new museum to display the Roman artefacts not yet on display, for lack of room in the current museum. In fact the new Musée de la Romanité (2017?) will be much more than a mere museum and will show off 21st century architecture to rival (maybe) the architecture of the arena. 

We took the local bus from Nîmes to Le Vigan, for some amazing price - maybe two euros for a trip of more than 2 hours. It’s a good trip, in a comfortable bus - and Patricia picked us up at le Vigan - where we had time to visit one of my favourite museums, le Musée Cévenol. In a smallish space which used to be a silk factory, beside a 12th century stone bridge, there are wonderful displays depicting the history, geography and economy of the Cévennes over the years - essentially agricultural/pastoral - how they used to live, what they manufactured or produced, grew or raised, documentation of their religion and culture.

A little gem of the region’s history.

From Le Vigan it is not too far to Alzon, the antipodes of the Chatham Islands, where I have had connections for over 15 years. I’ve stayed here a number of times, with various people as well as the Chatham Islanders, and it all feels very familiar.

La cirque de Navacelles

Together with Patricia and Robert we visited old friends - Martine and Rémi, Françoise, Dédé.  SO good!

It's great to see new facilities at the lookout point of the Cirque de Navacelles, from where you can view the natural pyramid formation far below. This is now a UNESCO World heritage site.

A highlight was walking the old railway track to a point where we could leave the track, with its tunnels and viaducts, returning to Alzon via the old “Paris track”, which must belong to a fairly distant past, so narrow and undulating is the pathway. 

Le chemin de Paris

The same local bus took us back to Nimes, connecting with the TGV to Lyon (SO fast!). 

  Thanks everyone!

Around Embrun

27 September- 3rd October 2013

We met Léo through Warm Showers, an organisation that welcomes travelling cyclists into private homes. Leo stayed with us in Wellington, as he passed through with Yannick, who we will catch up with next time. Eager to show us his fabulous region of France, he invited us to stay with him at his parents’ home in Embrun, as he was freshly back from NZ. 

His parents are great walkers and accompanied us on Day 1, when we parked at a ski station (Réallon 1560m) and walked up a ridge route (past cows chewing away) to the viewing point a little beyond the top of the ski lift at 2146m. 

Great views of mountains and lake. A little like Queenstown/Wanaka region. 

It was more sheltered for our picnic nearer the lift and we made the descent by a more direct route, following the ski slopes - rather steeper as well. We saw a large marmot hole on the way down, but no marmots! Such is life!

Rain the following day (Sunday) sent us off in another direction, again with Léo’s parents, to a restored abbey, Boscodon, 12th century Romanesque, settled in a pine forest under the mountains at about 1150m. After a period of decline and abandonment, the abbey was bought by a religious community in 1972 and restoration was begun. This took 25 years to complete and the abbey is now once again inhabited by members of the community who manage the site. 

Embrun itself has a stunning cathedral, built on foundations from the 9th century, largely Romanesque (1170-1220)  with a Baroque high alter and an outstanding organ donated by Louis XI and still in working condition. Although it is relatively dark, the dimensions and the detail are quite overwhelming, especially since this is not a large town (between 6-7000 people).

An hour or so of driving from Embrun takes us into a totally different area, equally beautiful, the valley of Mélezet (mélèze is a mountain larch). From the parking at Pied de Mélezet (1700m) we climbed up to Lac Sainte Anne at 2415m. 

The lake is a clear turquoise, very pretty, with a small chapel alongside. An excellent lunch spot with views both up and down the valley. We followed a different route down, coming across ski lifts and a mirror lake. 

The car was parked at Pied de Mélezet (1700m). This whole area is devoted to skiing, both downhill and cross-country, in the winter; in summer, hiking is the preferred activity. We were late-ish September and saw few people, though we had a great conversation with a couple of locals in a small village on our way out (by car). The village of Ceillac is well set up for summer and winter tourism. we were between seasons, so not a lot going on then, but a pleasant atmosphere and nice to walk around. We even saw some sheep! 

On our return, not far from Embrun, we explored the fortified town of Mont Dauphin, masterminded by the genius of defensive engineering for Louis XIV, Vauban. Constructed from 1692 to block entry into the Durance valley from Italy, the fortress, constructed on a hilltop with the walls extending the natural defences of high cliffs, lost its advantage and usefulness when the border moved east to Briançon in 1713; thus no battle destroyed the ramparts nor the military buildings and they, together with the village within the walls, still stand today. 

With either steep cliffs or high ramparts on all sides, the fortified town stands separated from the valleys that surround it. With the withdrawal of the army in 1975, the fort came into the hands of the Ministry of Culture, as a National Monument and since 2008 has been a Unesco World heritage site. We found it a stunning place, and far removed from the present day, even though people live there. 

When I taught in Besançon in 1971-72, the Ecole Normale (teachers’ college) I taught in was a Vauban fort, overlooking the old part of the city of Besançon, with a Vauban citadelle on the other side. Somehow, these were both incorporated into the present day in their own way. Mont Dauphin isn’t incorporated into anything. It stands alone, still essentially military-like and seeming to belong to the past.

Chapelle des Seyères - 2056m, under Mont Guillaume. By driving uphill past Léo’s parents’ home you reach a convenient parking area in the larch forest at 1537m. From there several tracks lead in various directions through the forest. The one we took led us up through the forest to alpine meadows with grazing animals. 

We stopped at the Chapelle des Seyères, where there is a chapel, a sheltered fountain and picnic tables, with a great view over the valley below and to the ridge line above.The track continues up another 500m to the summit of Mt Guillaume but we have left that for another day.

Risoul was our next destination. This is a large ski resort dating from the 70s, with a purpose-built village and large parking areas. From the village there are many paths for summer hikers. 

We followed a fairly steep ridge up to the top of some of the lifts and ate lunch with a fantastic view up the valley. We came down by a different route, also with great views. Five and a half hours there and back.

Our warmest thanks to Léo and his parents for all their hospitality.