1001 Arabian Nights …. Not Quite!

1001 Arabian Nights, not quite it was 12, yes the gods of travel got their act together and we jetted off last minute to Abu Dhabi! I had mentioned to an old friend that after 3 years of no travel, I'd even be excited about getting to an airport but no, I got further. Having had a bit of bad luck with the weather on occasion my husband decided we needed sunshine guaranteed and we certainly got that aplenty in the heat of Abu Dhabi, temperatures around the mid 30's. 

We landed in Dubai and the transfer meant that we got to see some of the major sights of Dubai, the fabulously beautiful Museum of the Future (a silver oval decorated in Arabic handwriting), the Burj Khalifa, the Burj al Arab and the Frame. I have to admit that all of the skyscrapers competing for superlatives really don’t do much for me but this holiday was more about shaking off three stressful years and being pampered, fed deliciously and just kicking back rather than revelling in history, and for that Abu Dhabi's perfect.

Lying on a beach in the middle of a city is quite new for me so time for a sketch! Never really sketched skyscrapers with all that tinted glass and the temperatures meant my watercolours dried almost before I could get my brush onto the paper, this tower is in fact empty. The boom here  seems to be over and there are numerous incomplete towers where construction has ceased or buildings like this one that are completely empty. 

The finished sketch was very satisfying but it doesn’t change my mind about cities that are created out of nothing and I really wonder whether in 50 years city planners won’t be frustrated by the jumble of different façades and heights. 

Well, I suppose that’s their problem for now I'm just enjoying the feeling of being away from home and all of those chores as Facility Manager of our home. What a great feeling to get up from a table after wining and dining and not have to fill the dishwasher …… amazing! Completely forgotten how good that feels and I am so grateful to the gods of travel you did a great job.