Long time no see

I love living in a place that the rest of the world comes to explore! So many people travel here for holidays or stop by during their journeys elsewhere, which means - I get to catch up with said people, sometimes friends I haven't seen in a really long time.

This week, I was actually booked to do a tour for an old guide colleague of mine from my Lefkas days, Therese, and her family. They are in Dubai for the week, but wanted to come see the museum and explore Abu Dhabi, so I helped them arrange a driver for the day and got to give them a tour.

They also went to the mosque, and did a bit of a drive around in the city center, and then Nathan and I met them for Taco Tuesday dinner down in Yas Bay before they head back to Dubai. A quick but such an enjoyable catch-up!

Helios family visit

In the beginning of February we had a visit from the Helios family from Denmark. 
Mads has been a friend of ours since our Copenhagen days, for about 25 years, and he came with his wife Barbara and their three daughters, to experience the Middle East for the first time. 
Safe to say - they loved it!

They didn't do a lot of sightseeing, as they mostly just wanted to enjoy the sun. They spent a week with us (which is like living in a resort, with the beach and the pools, and the supermarket all within walking distance); and the last few days of their trip they had booked a villa on Maya Island. 
They did a desert tour, Ferrari World and spent a day on a yacht, and Mads went to see the mosque by himself. We also of course took them to Craft, which was a super evening.

 Thank you for coming Helios family, see you next time!

Back to normal

So, I sent Mum home early Thursday morning. She was a bit anxious about traveling on her own, but at least she was in Business Class, so traveling very comfortably from here to Copenhagen to start with. 
They had warned for snow and traffic disruptions on all the trains in South-West Sweden, but all her three (!) train trips went without a hitch. 
It took her most of the day, but she got home no problem, and the house was still standing, so all good!

Now she has done the trip once, it will be easier next time.

I was back at work straight away, no time to loose. We have the Picasso opening in only two weeks, so lots of work ahead!

Jubail Mangrove Park walk

To get a change from our neighbourhood walks we went driving back up to Jubail Island this morning, to take on the Mangrove Park walk.

We managed to hit the park at high tide, which was quite different to how I have seen it before. Some parts of the walk was actually under water!

We still made it the whole way around.

And up into the viewing tower. 

We didn't see many crabs, birds or fish this time, but the walk was lovely.

Only in the UAE

In the name of getting out and about, Mormor, Linnea and I went on a small excursion today. I wanted to go discover something I had read about, Abu Dhabi's first air-conditioned park!

And yes, this new park has a 700-meter air-conditioned walkway, completely climate-controlled!

This is the King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa Park. Apart from this air-conditioned path, it also has a playground, lots of picnic spots and elevated tracks for skateboards and scooters.

We were a little bit curious as to what this sign meant though, so we followed the path to check it out. 

Turns out it was a wellness zone adapted for people of determination.

The park felt extremely lush and green. Apparently it features over 1100 mature Ghaf trees that have been planted here. Really creating a nature-filled escape in the middle of the city!

Unfortunately the café in the park wasn't open yet, so we couldn't have lunch there as I had planned. Instead we drove across to the Art Café, tried and tested, for a yummy fika break.
A nice little girls day out. 

Sunny walks

To enjoy the weather Mormor and I went on sunny walks around the neighbourhood. One day all the way to Al Bateen for a mid-walk refreshment, some lemon mint, mmm:

We also walked to Al Muneera, discovered all the surroundings.

Julafton 2025

It sure was a different Julafton than Mormor is used to. Blue skies and sunshine with palmtrees outside the window, not her usual Christmas surroundings.

But the Christmas food was mostly imported from Sweden, so all the same there!

We even had a fire going!

And I managed to convince everyone to spend some of the afternoon playing some board games:

In the evening we were invited for some Christmas snacks at Linda & Johans place. Got there just in time for 'Kalle Anka':

The Natural History Museum

The day before Christmas we went on a family excursion. I had waited to go visit the National History Museum, even though it opened at the end of November, because I wanted to experience it all with the family.

Already in the entrance, you are greeted by the first dinosaur skeletons! A whole heard of sauropod dinosaurs. Quite impressive!

This museum takes you on a journey, from the very beginning of the universe to the formation of earth, and to the origin and evolution of life. It is covering 13.8 billion years of history.

There were plenty of dinosaurs! Fossils of T-Rex, Eoraptors, Smilosuchus, Stegosaurus and Camarasaurus... and much more!

Much to see, much to read about, much to learn.

The era that we are living in now is the Cenozoic Era, which began 66 million years ago. Here you get to take a closer look at the Miocene Period, where they present what happened right here in Abu Dhabi 7 million years ago, and who lived here then. F.e the giant four-tusked elephant Stegotetrabelodon. Interesting!

Lucy is currently on display here too. She is one of the most famous fossils ever discovered, a 3.2 million-year old early human ancestor found in Ethiopia in 1974.

We found our way up to the mezzanine, to see the big gallery from above. Spectacular!

Mormor found some cool crystals:

And Linnea found a cute hat in the souvenir shop. Roar!

What a great addition to Saadiyat Cultural District!