Day 8 - Abu Dhabi -The Grand Mosque and Etihad Towers

We sailed into Abu Dhabi and took a Taxi for the 20 minute drive to the Grand Mosque.  Words are hard to find to describe this beautiful building, the Mosque stood gleaming in the early morning sunshine with its bright white marble facade.

After passing through security, where Mandy was given a long black robe that all female visitors mush wear we made our way up to the  main building. The detail of the interior was stunning with its arches, pillars and comes of white marble standing out. We then entered the main prayer room with its 3 magnificent chandeliers taking center stage.

We both took so many photographes because there were so many beautiful sites. We spent well over an hour wandering around the Mosque and both agreed that it was the most beautiful building that either of us had ever 
seen.

Next stop was the Etihad tower, were we took the lift up to the observation deck on the 74th floor, the views of the city up there were simply breathtaking, we toured the 360 degrees of the deck snapping away like two excited kids.

We were lucky in the fact that the deck was not at all crowded and included in the entry price was a drink and snack, so we found a table and ate our lunch with those wonderful views in front of us.

We then strolled over to the Emirates palace for a photo stop before walking along the corniche with its stunning views of the city's impressive skyline. We made a quick stop at the Marina mall before catching the shuttle bus. Back on board the Celebration it was time to pack our bags and sail back to Dubai for the next stage of our adventure.

Day 7 - Khor Fakken - UAE

Our next port of call was Khor Fakken which is in the United Arab Emirates.We took the East coast tour, visiting Fujairah fort, Haddiq  Mountains, the Friday market and the old mosque.



















In the evening we went to the Horizon bar and met up with our Geordie friends for drinks and dinner in the Lido. We then saw the show, The Brit awards followed by the very funny Scottish comedian, Anthony Scott who had us in stitches.

We finished off the night in Hemingways bar with a little music and dancing
. 

Day 6 Port Qaboos - Muscat - Oman

We berthed in Port Qaboos, we went ashore, met up with Kim and John and took a taxi for a tour. Our first stop was the Grand Mosque which was a twenty minute drive from the port, our driver Mohammed, provided the four of us with the correct dresswear for entering the Mosque.

 The mosque was quite spectacular with a huge chandelier in the main prayer hall. We were then invited to share Omanie coffee and dates before heading off to visit the local souk for a little light shopping.

We then drove through the old town of Muscat  before arriving at the Royal palace. Our final stop was the old fish market on the port.

In the evening we had dinner in the Meridean restaurant where we sat with a Johnny Vegas type who told us all about his hernia operation.
We then saw the comic , Anthony Scott followed by the crew show.

Day 5 - Muscat - Oman

We spent another day at sea weather was still a bit unfavourable but we were looking forward to visiting Oman.

 We arrived at Muscat at 2.00pm but a strong wind stopped us entering port. We sat at anchor just outside the port, qite frustrating..

Day 4 -Choppy at sea

We were supposed to dock  Doha in Qatar, but due high winds were unable to enter the port, so in gale force 8 winds we sailed towards Muscat, Oman. 










To pass away the time we went to Minstrels for quizzes and musical bingo.

In the evening we dined in the Meridean restaurant and saw Rocky horror show, we then  had a glass of Rum in Hemingways bar. 

Day 3 Dubai - Old Town

It was a short taxi ride from the ship into the old Town of Dubai and our first stop was the Gold souk, the array of golden jewellery on show was quite staggering. We then moved onto spice souk with a huge variety of spices and dried fruits. 

We moved onto the Dhow wharf where all the merchant Dhows berth with their wares from all over the Gulf states.

We then hopped on a Abra (water taxi) for the short trip across the Dubai creek and quick visit to the Dubai museum, we then strolled over to the Arabian tea house which is situated in a Lovely, shaded courtyard. We ordered the Arabian breakfast, a selection of sweet and spicy dishes served with Arabic bread, washed down with a lot of refreshing mint tea. 

























There was just time to buy a few souvenirs before heading back to the  ship.

Thirty  minutes before we departed Dubai we attended the mandatory Lifeboat drill dressed in our life jackets.

In the evening we went to the ship's show lounge to watch a superb musical show that was based on an African themem quite apt regarding our future plans.

Day 2. Dubai - Joining the Thomson Celebration

Early in the morning we took a taxi to Port Rashide and managed to join the cruise ship Thomson celebration with our cabin 494 on deck 3.

We just sunbathed and slept in the day. At night we had a quick drink in Hemingways, had dinner in the Lido. Later that evening we saw the Queen tribute show in the Broadway show lounge and had a nightcap in Minstrels lounge.

Time to get on our Travels : Day 1.

To Escape the cold Winter weather in Cyprus we decided to pack our bags and head for warmer climes. We had a couple of last minute hiccups as the car due to take us to the airport broke down, but we managed to get a replacement.

Last night we found out that  a last minute change to our itinery had been made by the tour company, so it was a flurry of last minute emails and phone calls to sort it out and make the changes...a bit stressful to say the least.

We boarded the Emirate flight on a Boeing 777-300ER to Dubai at 19.30 and this was the first time we had flown with Emirates and we were very impressed withe the standard of service, entertainment and the standard and quality of the plane.

The flight to Dubai took just over 3 hours and was extremely comfortable.  Mileage was 1503 Miles

A Cold Snap

The Month of January ends with a cold snap  hitting the Island of Cyprus  with temperatures hitting close to zero here in Pissouri and heavy snow in the Troodos mountain.











Due to the Cold mornings, Rob had to don on his Winter training gear for his early morning circuits.

Mandy's Birthday Lunch

The day began with a visit to The Vintage Cafe to attend the regular meeing of the Paphos Scooter club.

We then made our way up to the village of Nata and had a lovely Lunch at The Periklis Tavern. The one thing we all noticed on the way up to Nata was the colour of the countryside, after all the recent rain the usually bare land has  turned into a sea of colour.

Our final stop of the day was The "Grape and Grain" in Pissouri bay and the sounds of Glen Barnes

After the Rains

Well, 2017 started off with a week of wet weather with some heavy storms hitting the Island. As soon as we got a break in the weather we headed down to Pissouri bay to blow away the cobwebs with a walk along the seafront.

2017 A New Year Begins

So here we go with Another New Year, We would like to wish all our Family, friends and vistors to the Blog a very Happy, Peaceful and Healthy New Year.