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Published: January 24th 2023
Tuesday 9 May 23 - Dubai Transfer from Venice City to Venice airport went smoothly. Picked up right on time and shared the water taxi with three other couples. bit crowded but it worked.
Biggest surprise was at the airport - but keeping in mind it is about 9 years since we last flew out of Venice. Previously when we have flown out of Venice, there was an open air pier area and about 500 metres of walking on uncovered pathway to the Terminal. Now there is significant infrastructure with covered piers and an elevated, covered walkway all the way to the Terminal building. Very well done !
The Terminal area has also ben upgraded.
Late afternoon flight from Venice to Dubai - departed Venice 3:35pm - arrived Dubai 11:25pm local time. Smooth flight.
Loooong walk from the Gate we arrived at to the Arrivals Hall and Baggage pickup - literally about 1.5km !! Huge terminals !
Taxi from airport to Ramada Downtown Hotel (65 Dirham - about AUD$26. AUD$1 = about 2.5 Dirham)
Front desk and Concierge staff at the Ramada could not have been more helpful in getting us into
the room, having arrived at about 1am local time.
Finally to bed about 2am local time in a room that has a view of Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall.
Woke about 6:30am - already 25 degrees with a high of 38 forecast.
Breakfast included in the tariff - adequate but not spectacular.
Took the complimentary bus from the hotel to Dubai Metro Station for the ride down to Ist Bank Station - 8 Dirham one way (about AUD$3). Next surprise, the station names have changed - the one we wanted is now Equity Station - the home of the Gold and Silver Park. Roz visited her jeweller Vijay to make up for the missed 50th wedding anniversary present last year. they had an important informative discussion and business was done. We have to go back on Thursday afternoon to pick up the bits and pieces - and pay for them.
The jeweller kindly provided transport to the Mall of the Emirates and we had a late light lunch and a look around. Not much has changed since our last visit.
Return to Dubai Mall by the Metro and eventually found our way home to
the Ramada by about 5pm. An hour or so of putting the feet up and then retraced our steps to the Dubai Mall for dinner ll. Found a Turkish restaurant that had a very good salad and a spicy lamb kebab. No alcohol is served in Mall restaurants - probably a good thing given our intake over the past month or so !
Huge crowds watching the Dubai Fountain light show - which we can see from our room. It is spectacular.
Return to the Ramada - after 9pm. Shower and bed.
A good 20,700 steps today - about 16km !!
Wednesday 10 May 23 - Dubai Up at 6:30am - 30 degrees outside already !! a cooler day forecast - 36 degrees.
Roz not feeling the best - the air conditioning has prompted a return on the dry asthmatic cough we are both prone to. She has been coughing a lot through the night and needed a sleep in to catch up - solo breakfast with the transport of a couple of pieces of toast back to the room. Almost like being back on the ship !!
Late start out of the
blocks and due to the heart, decided to play safe and confine our day's activity to the Dubai Mall - which never ceases to amaze in terms of its size and ability to transform and modernise. It is interesting that in a place so large there are no vacant shops, other than those where new construction is taking place. The most significant chine there is the addition of an area known as China Town, which is a very new development. It is another huge extension of what was gigantic (over 4000 shops) in the past.
Lunch at a favourite, Pauls restaurant chain, and dinner at another chain Le Pain Quotidien. In between, we met Max Lohe for afternoon tea at Jones The Grocer (an Australian company operating in Dubai).
We had met Max, an Australian physical education teacher working in Dubai with his wife Kelly on a previous visit through mutual friends. In another connection, Meaghan had worked for Max's father, Conrad, in Queenland's Crown Law years ago - small world. In yet another twist, in the conversation, we found out Max's first teaching job after university was a Hilder Road Primary School in The Gap - where
Adrian, Meaghan and Renee all went to school and we lived directly over the road from the school !! Max was there after our kids departed but we were still living at The Gap address while he was there. Max had also spotted me back in Indooroopilly on my morning walk last Xmas when he back home visiting his family in Brisbane.
Pleasant walk home in relatively cooler evening temperatures (26 degrees) via the Al Manzil Hotel where we had stayed some years ago (now considerably upmarket pricewise). It had a useful Souk under the hotel including an "Aussie themed" sports bar .
Bed by 10pm
14,800 steps for the day.
Thursday 11 May 23 - Dubai 37 degrees forecast - 30 degrees at 5:30am.
Repack day in preparation for departure tomorrow. Our flight tomorrow is at 10:35am so will have to leave the hotel around 7am and be well organised for that early start.
Roz seems to have had a better night but still enjoying her sleep in. - why not ? It is a holiday !! Not sure what we will end up doing today other than a return to the
jeweller to pick up "bits and pieces" later today. Mr Vijay has advised he will send his driver to pick us up (as one does) when the "bits and pieces" are ready and will get the driver to drop us back to wherever we want to go afterwards. He is very good that way (of course he is.....).
Packing commenced and received word from Vijay that his driver will pick us up at 2pm from the Ramada. Went around the corner for alight lunch at Charlie Chaplins Cafe to share a steak sandwich. On the way, found a Bosporus Turkish restaurant, same as the one we went to on Tuesday night. Looks like that is the dinner venue tonight.
Jeweller visit done and dusted. Secret women's business transacted. and dropped back to the hotel by Vijay's driver.
Revisited Neze Australian themed sports bar under the Al Manzil Hotel and had our only alcoholic drinks in Dubai. And they are not cheap - AUD$25 for an Aperol !! Quickly changed to the Happy Hour red and white wine which was only AUD$10 a glass !!
Back to the hotel for a feet up before heading to dinner
and we will go to the Turkish place on the corner.
Today is done, as is the holiday.
We have enjoyed our time away and specially the time at Adrian and Vanessa' place with Sophie and Isaac. We do think 7 weeks was a stretch for us and we are feeling the effects of the travel. you tend not to take the end of week rest days that you should and, cumulatively, that has tired us out somewhat. We have met some nice, interesting people on our travels and seen some beautiful places. That is what travel is all about.
While I may append some final thoughts if anything interesting happens between now and getting home, this is the end of the road and the holiday done !!
Remember, the purpose of the blog is to remind us of what we have done, where we have been and who we have met along the way. If it sounded a bit simplistic or inward looking - apologies for that. for those who were interested, thank you - and I hope you enjoyed the journey.
Total 22,748 words and 767 published photos later (many more taken).
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Denise
non-member comment
Dubai
Happy to hear all went well in transferring Venice to Dubai.. safe travels home. 💕