Last Posting!

Jean writes:

We're home now after a wonderful two months.  

It seemed "normal" to be at an airport (Dubai) and on the move - but here we are back in FOG.

We said a fond farewell to Marie, Craig and Harris on Thursday​ morning - but should be with​ them in the not-too-distant future at Dave's 70th birthday gathering so won't have to wait too long before seeing them again.  

We took coffee on Thursday​ morning at one of the "Baker & Spice" cafes, a favourite of Marie's, beside the fountains.  Although they weren't in operation, the maintenance guys were.  I believe they are out every morning in the lake, tweaking things or giving major repairs if nec​essa​r​y.  I counted twenty of them and is a conservative estimate.  Some of them are divers in wetsuits who have to descend to the jets on the bottom.  

The flight back went without incident and we arrived back at Gatwick on time, to be greeted by Ian, who kindly met us and transported us home - a definite improvement 

​o​n waiting for the train!  Thank you Ian.

​I can't reduce my highlights down from thirty to ten, so won't post them here!  ​Suffice it to say that it's a mixture of landscapes, wildlife, views, people, buildings, gardens and sports.

Super finale

Dave writes:

Italian restaurant overlooking the fabulous Water Fountain in Dubai was a dazzling way to mark the end our trip on Wednesday night.

Grandstand view of the half-hourly evening displays which are a visual and audio delight.

Our thanks to our brilliant Dubai hosts Marie and Craig - and young Harris, who slept through it all!

Writing this at Dubai airport with only my top 10 to follow and, cheating, I'm making it a top 12.

1. Bottle-feeding Harris
2. Halong Bay
3. Sydney - from 61 storeys up
4, New Zealand v Australia cricket at Hamilton
5. Ho Chi Minh tomb
6. Ferry crossing from Picton to Wellington
7. Running round lake in Hanoi
8. The Great Ocean road
9. Last night in Dubai by the Water Fountain
10. St Kilda
11. Hobbiton
12. Kaikoura

Dubai 3

Jean writes:

It was good to be able to have a swim this morning.  

Apart from the pool Marie uses and where Harris has his lessons (a fitness club), there are also "public" pools dotted around some residential areas where anyone living locally can turn up and swim.  The one we used is just a few minutes from the apartment, is at least twenty metres long and has loungers with palm trees for shade.  I swam twenty lengths, which 

was refreshing, although I was a little sluggish after a gap of about two weeks.

We took a taxi to the Old Dubai and, after a visit to the museum, took lunch at a cafe beside Dubai Creek, which separates Bur Dubai from Deira.  

We were slightly perplexed at the ingredients in Dave's Greek salad,  and even more so at the non-appearance of my Bourekas.  Eventually two dishes arrived and we realised the vegetables and pancakes had been starters provided on the house!  

The food was great, but we were a little disturbed by some people feeding the gulls, who squawked, squabbled and bullied each other every time something was thrown over on to the creek side.

Top of the charts

Dave writes:

I plan at the end of our trip tomorrow !! to put on the blog my top 10 of the last few weeks.

I'd made mine up a few days ago but a new entry has come straight in at number one.

Enter Bottle-feeding Harris.

I've not done such a task for well over 30 years when Marie and Chris were babes in arms.

Glad to repot the old magic is still there!

Museumed in again

And talking of top 10s, Lonely Planet makes the Dubai Museum in the old part of the town its number one so off we went.

Previous attack of museumoutedness (qv) now a thing of the past, we took a taxi and were dropped off outside.

It's in an old fort in fact with plenty of interest but some of the material and information from days of yore was down below and the narrative not greatly lit for my eyes at least.

Most fascinating though Is the dynamic rise of the city from the 50s and 60s into the wondrous economic powerhouse it has become.

Sport too with the world's richest horse race, the Dubai World Cup, on again at the end of the month.

Maybe I should stay on a bit longer!!

Dubai 2

Jean writes:

Three highlights for me today in a largely relaxed atmosphere today.

1. Watching Harris having his swimming lesson, which involved a fair Amount of dunking/dipping.  What a star!

2. Watching the Dubai Fountain on the Burj Khalifa Lake.  We saw them yesterday too, but today managed to position ourselves in a more advantageous location.  The fountain jets or "shooters" are choreographed to music so they sway and swirl appropriately twice in the middle of the day, and every half hour in the evening.   A great show.

3. Marie bought me an early Mothers' Day present, and what a present!  A pedicure and massage.  I came back to the flat fully relaxed with lovely painted toe nails.  

Dubai

Jean writes:

Had a low key day, just going out for brief walk and snack.

Took meal this evening at local sports bar, where Harris slept and someone else paid!

Dave writes:

Lovely day but stayed local after tiring flight.

Dubai as pristine as ever.

Dubai Arrival

Jean writes:

We left Auckland with some sadness as we hadn't seen enough of the city, but the flight to Sydney and then Dubai went without a hitch.  It was just rather long!  

The entertainment on Emirates is first class, though, and for once the person sitting in front of me on the plane did not recline her seat right back into my face! 

Arrival in Dubai was at 05:10 and we took a taxi to meet Marie at a hotel almost next to her flat.  

It's the first time we've seen this flat, and the balcony has a great view of the Burj Khalifa.  

Harris has grown a lot since we saw him in December and is, of course, a little poppet! 

Homeward bound

Dave writes:

Three-hour flip from Auckland to Sydney then 14 1/2 hours to Dubai on Emirates A380.

Great service as ever and time passed quite quickly thanks to five movies and two episodes of The West Wing.

In at 0515 and made it to Marie and Craig's an hour or so later.

They had got back only a few hours earlier from skiing/snowboarding in the Alps.

Harris looking super at breakfast before being taken out in warm sunshine. big contrast to the minus 10C of last week.




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Botanic Garden - again!

Jean writes:

Always a good bet for us!

We had little time to see much of Auckland today so plumped for an attraction near us, and what a pleasure the Gardens were!

Lots of interesting sections: 

Native Plants

Perennials

Edible Garden

Threatened Plants

Palms

Rock Garden etc

Lovely combinations too, in terms of colours.

Just the right amount of information as far as I was concerned, as well.

For instance, I didn't know (or hadn't remembered!) that tea comes from a camellia plant, the Camellia Sinensis.

The Nikau is New Zealand's only native palm, and grows as far south as Akaroa.  

This is on the beautiful peninsula South and East of Christchurch which we visited and thoroughly enjoyed.  The fronds of the palm were once used as thatching material.  

Farewell NZ

Dave writes:

Last day of super trip in NZ.

Managed to fit in another Botanic Garden after spotting it was not far from our motel.

Returned car to Europcar at Auckland airport, remembering to take Ken with us. He's coming back to England where we hope to find work for him!

Currently in the airport lounge (my card accepted here) watching England's cricketers trying to
beat Sri Lanka.

Flying on to Sydney in a couple of hours en route to Dubai where we are set to arrive at 0515 local in the morning !

Shades of Birmingham

Jean writes:

We went for a drink in the centre of Auckland after the New Zealand v Australia match this evening.  

The match, by the way, was thoroughly absorbing, and we were delighted that any break in play, even a small one, was not used as an excuse to play snippets of (loud) music - as at the Saxton Oval.  There were some, of course, but at least the boundaries and wickets were marked with four blasts of flames as opposed to music.

Dave and I had got on different trains from Eden Park to the centre and I was waiting for him outside the Britomart station.  There was quite a police presence, which I put down to the cricket match, but actually, it might just have been trying to pre-empt any Saturday night high jinks. 

On our way back from the bar, we saw many scantily clad females, looking as though they'd filled up with booze before venturing out - very similar to our observations on Broad Street In Birmingham when we've been there for the All England badminton championships! 

It was also the first example of beggars on the street since we left Vietnam. 

Looking confident?

While waiting for Dave at the bus stops outside the main Auckland station, somebody approached and asked which stop was for Albert Park.  I explained that I was a visitor so didn't know, and she admitted that she was a local so was rather embarrassed!

Integrated Transport

We bought an AT HOP card for Auckland transport - train, bus and ferry.  We've only used it on the trains, but it seems to be an efficient way of paying for journeys and saves queuing up to buy single tickets which, incidentally, only last for two hours after purchase.  

No idea what AT HOP stands for!

The stations we've used are pretty modern.  We only wish we had longer to use the system to get us around to all the locations we've not been able to see in Auckland.  Another case (there must have been at least ten already!) of saying, "We'll have to do that next time we're here"!

Kaned!

Dave writes:

Privileged to be at one of cricket's greatest games with New Zealand edging Australia by one wicket in front of a capacity 80,000 crowd at Eden Park in Auckland.

A big six by Kane Williamson back over the bowler's head clinched a famous victory.

New Zealand had managed to bowl Australia out for just 151 and thanks to Brendon McCullum's half century looked to be coasting at 131-4.

But Mitchell Starc, highlighted in an earlier blog of mine!, took six for 28 to reduce the Kiwis to 146-9 only for Williamson who ended  on 45 not out, to close  it out in the best possible way.

Great match but if the two meet in the final - in Melbourne - my money is on Oz.

I don't think they'll bat as modestly again and their pace attack, with Starc at the top of his game, is very impressive.


Sent fr my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone