Abu Dhabi

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16 November 2007.

We left the car at the camping at Islamabad and found a taxi to the airport: the 4-week visit to South Africa to see our sons and to have a break from travelling had started. Flying is not something you can dwell on extensively. The most remarkable experience was the 8-hour stopover in Abu Dhabi. Not so much the waiting and lack of proper conveniences as well as the construction of the International flight hall.
It is a large shopping centre cum waiting room. There are only chairs to sit in, not to lie on, hence my remark about the lack of conveniences. But the way it is constructed - and finished - deserves a remark.
The ground floor houses shops, restaurants and other niceties all along the outer walls. In the centre is a circular area taken up by jewellery counters and show windows. From the middle of that expanse a stone column shoots up, like a fountain, gradually widening and reaching through a large open area of the floor above to become first ceiling and later side-wall.
That is one part of it. The finishing is even more spectacular: irregular pieces of glazed tiles, immaculately fitted next to each other and gradually changing from green to blue to the side wall, cover the hole area. It’s a shining see of green and blue, impressive architectural design and workmanship combined.

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