Holiday Season in the UAE

Sorry for the delay....

In America, the holiday season runs from Thanksgiving through New Year’s.  While neither Thanksgiving nor Christmas is officially celebrated in the Abu Dhabi, the sheer number of ex-patriots (non-residents account for a whopping 75% of the population) ensures that all the usual holiday accouterments are available.  Because our workweek is Sunday through Thursday, we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving on the Friday (An aside: due to Dubai winning the World Expo 2020, Sheikh Mohamed, our favorite sheikh, cancelled school on that Thursday – we found out on Wednesday night after 10:00 p.m.).  

Congrats to Dubai! - Make your reservations now

I planned a traditional dinner with turkey stuffed with sausage and cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin soup, carrots, green beans, a fresh herb and green salad with grilled shrimp, rolls, and homemade cranberry sauce.  Before dinner, appetizers consisted of cheeses, olives, mezzas, and really yummy shrimp roll-ups.  Apple pie, pumpkin pie, and dark chocolate brownies concluded the meal.  Shopping was interesting.  Our Abu Dhabi teacher Facebook pages were  on fire for weeks with people looking for this and that ingredient.  I was able to find fresh cranberries, fresh pumpkin chunks, and frozen sweet potato slices (not like we are used to in American, but still not bad).  I was disappointed at not finding Karo corn syrup.  I would have like to have made a pecan pie.  The best surprise was the fresh pumpkin chunks:  they made a great fresh pie and delicious soup. 

Fresh apple and pumpkin pie

Table set and ready for guest!

With a small kitchen, a lot of pre-prep was required.  Steve was a great help and I discovered that a convection oven is a great way to cook the turkey.  It took less time and the turkey was moist and delicious. 

Lots cooking on the stove!

Salads prepped!

Turkey with sausage cornbread stuffin'

We invited a couple of friends over to join in our celebration.  Philly Steve is an American and Ronell hails from South Africa.  We had a delightful time and even laughed that while the girls finished the cleaning the boys took the long overdue, traditional after-turkey nap.  

Girls Washing... Boys Nappiing!

With the use of technology both Steve and I were able to connect with our families back in Maryland and Kansas City.  Time differences make it challenging, but well worth the effort.

Steve's Girls in KC for Thanksgiving

Dan with a mustache for No-shave-ember

Rebecca and Kids at the table in Maryland

Family in Maryland 

Added into the holiday time is the celebration of the UAE National Day – December 2^nd.  The United Arab Emirates was formed in 1971 through the leadership of the far-sighted Sheikh Zayed.  Preparations for National Day Celebrations began weeks before with flags, lights, sign posts, pictures of leaders, etc., popping up all over the Emirates.  The people here are exceedingly patriotic.  School celebrations were planned with pageants, dancing, singing, and other displays of patriotism.  (This aspect was a little frustrating when trying to finish curriculum, but flexibility remains key.)  Steve’s school celebrated National Day early due to the fact his boys finished on November 17^th to prepare for exams.  My girls had to delay their celebrations until the Thursday after National Day due to the cancelation of school on the Thursday before (Dubai Expo Victory Holiday).  My students came dressed in traditional dresses and fancy dresses in red, green, white, and black (UAE colors).  The celebration was a very festive occasion.  Official National Day Celebrations took place on December 1^st and 2^nd.  Parades, fireworks, and concerts were held throughout the UAE.  The most interesting was the parade of decorated cars with the winner receiving the equivalent of $120,000.  Decorations went from simple flags to extensive models, pictures of the royal sheikhs, to whole cars covered in the UAE colors.  I bought a scarf displaying the colors and Steve wore his tasteful 42 National Day pin through the celebration time.

Large UAE flag

Decorated Car!

Ready for the car parade!

Ersatz Burji Khalia on top of the car!

From my time in Bahrain, I knew that some Christmas decorations could be found, but were understated and simple.  We figured that in the UAE it would be similar.  Boy, were we wrong!  In most grocery and other stores, you could purchase Christmas decorations right along side National Day decorations.  Christmas trees were in most malls.  The indoor amusement park Ferrari World had a huge winter wonderland, complete with an igloo and skating rink.  All hotels and assorted restaurants hosted extensive holiday meals and activities.  Christmas craft fairs and bazaars were held throughout the city of Abu Dhabi.  I bought the cutest camel ornament to represent our first Christmas in the UAE and as a married couple. 

Our 1st Christmas Ornament

Steve and I returned from our Turkish Adventure late on the 23^rd (see previous Turkey Adventure Blog Entry).  I returned ill with a wicked head and chest cold.  There was no way that I was up to grocery shopping and cooking for Christmas.  Steve heroically made reservations to have Christmas brunch at the Fairmont.  What a lovely experience!  We entered the hotel and had our picture taken in front of a beautiful Christmas tree, received welcome cocktails (sangria and holiday PIMS), and were seated outside in the gardens.  Picturesque:  the temperature was in the 70’s with a gentle breeze blowing.  British Christmas crackers decorated the table and the champagne flowed throughout the meal.  The hotel had a large variety of foods, including traditional turkey and prime rib.  We started our meal with a variety of fresh delicious seafood and salads.  Steve followed with traditional turkey while I enjoyed the prime rib and Yorkshire pudding.  We shared a plate of cheese, fruit, and small desserts to sample a little of everything. 

Fairmont Christmas Tree

Steve's First Cracker!

Merry Christmas to all of our family and friends

Even Santa and his elves made it to AD

Our Christmas gifts to each other consisted of two Turkish carpets.

Hall runner

Represents Noah's Ark

Boxing Day is also Steve’s Birthday – December 26^th.  Steve chose to spend the day at Ferrari World (FW) – a much touted amusement park in Abu Dhabi. 

Ferrari World

In addition to all of the Ferrari memorabilia, FW had decorated the park as a winter wonderland including fake (bubble) snow upon entering! 

Merry Christmas from Ferrari World

We opted not to buy the fast pass tickets and just go with the regular tickets (not recommended for the future).  We spent far more time waiting for rides than actually riding the rides. We rode a roller coaster that has been reported to be the fastest coaster in the world.  The workers insist you wear goggles for good reason – you shoot out of the station and accelerated to 150 mph in seconds (240km/h).  The g-forces are intensive.  It was definitely a “been there, done that” coaster. 

Like the car, the coaster was super fast!

Our favorite ride was a relaxing drive through the Italian countryside in a 1958 convertible Ferrari.  It was sweet and simple!  Steve remarked he felt like Mastroianni in La Dolce Vita.

Steve and I  in a 1958 mock Ferrari

This will have to do until our real trip to Italy.

The rest of the holiday season was spent quietly.  I made homemade chili and French onion soup for us to enjoy.  We caught up with our blogs, the English TV-series MI-5, and even a little schoolwork.  Neither of us are big New Year’s Eve people, so we had a quiet evening.  We were in bed by 10, but awoke to the sounds of fireworks and cheers.  While not Dubai, the fireworks that we saw in Abu Dhabi were lovely.  Dubai, on the other hand, had a spectacular display to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for most fireworks.   Check out the link.  They were amazing:  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gbarFvsHNI).

My cold lingered for an extended period of time so no additional adventures were had prior to returning to school on January 5th.  

With an eye toward my Louisiana heritage, my next holiday season is Mardi Gras beginning on January 6th.  Never did I imagine being able to host a Mardi Gras party complete with decorations in Abu Dhabi, BUT on one of our numerous trips to Al Wadha Mall we found Mardi Gras decorations.  Now with King's cake recipes supplied by friends, fresh seafood from Meena Port, and festive purple, gold and green decorations let the planning begin.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Turkish Holiday

Turkish Alison & Steve

Before Christmas, we spent over a week in Turkey, an inexpensive six-hour flight from the U.A.E.  We divided our sojourn between Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, the seat of both the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires; and Selcuk, a stone’s throw from the ancient Greek-Roman metropolis of Ephesus.  Remember all of those second readings from Paul to the Ephesians?  Well, Turkey is the place (also the former site of Old Testament Sumerian and Hittite rule). 

Harem and Sultan Quarters at Topkapi Palace

In Istanbul, we played tourists at the sites everyone on Trip Advisor visits, including the Topkapi Palace, the Aya Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, the Grand Bazaar and a Turkish bath.  Constructed in 1459, the grand Topkapi estate once housed 4000 officials, military, and servants, including a friendly harem and assorted eunuchs.  With indoor plumbing and a harem, the sultan had it pretty good, at parties tossing gold coins along “the Golden Path.” 

Outside of the Aya Sophia

The Aya Sophia, which you might remember from your history books as either the Sancta Sophia (Latin) or Hagia Sophia (Greek) was begun by Emperor Justinian in 532; the structure served
for almost a millennium as The Great Eastern Orthodox cathedral (then the world’s largest) before its conversion to a mosque in 1453 after the conquest of the Ottoman Turks.As such, the edifice comprises an amalgam of traditions, with bundled angels, various Byzantine Christ-figures, and assorted huge, black Arab-script medallions.   

Inside Hajia Sophia - Angels

Inside Hajia Sophia - Names of Allah

The Blue Mosque is blue, and still functions as a mosque today. The interior sports intricate blue tiles from Isnik, formerly Nicea.  Alison would like to visit there in the future and purchase some tiles; no doubt I will play the pachyderm.

On our way to the Blue Mosque, we met a Kurdish Turk who had lived in Louisiana and South Carolina.  He gained entrance for us into the mosque and provided an “insider’s perspective” right before the mosque closed for afternoon prayers. 

Blue Mosque - Clouds enhance the blue

Inside the Blue Mosque

After the tour, we scurried back through the drizzle to his family’s carpet shop to learn about carpets.  We sipped tea, discussed the city of New Orleans, explored different types of Turkish rugs, and left with two new tribal Kurdish carpets, which I carried for the remainder of the trip.

Runner for Entrance Hall

Influenced by Noah's Ark

We enjoyed the hidden gem of the Basilica Cistern, an underground water structure, begun by Justinian (with the help of some 7000 slaves).  You may remember Sean Connery paddling a canoe through the dingy columns in the James Bond film From Russia with Love.  Alison, a modern scientist, wants me to note that all of the columns were recycled from other haunts around the empire.  The Medusa head was the best, even if it was in the dark and flipped on its side.

Cistern

Medusa - turned sideways

Although the Grand Bazaar did not sell a giant Medusa head, it had everything else.  In a hidden, upstairs room (which caused me to flashback to “Midnight Express”), Alison purchased a black-leather “Prada” purse for herself and a nice leather school satchel for me. In addition, I got a red fez with a black tassel, which makes me look, with my goatee, like a precursor to Atatürk.

Purchases secure!

Steve with fez

The Turkish bath was outstanding. There are no photos allowed of course, so Google image provides a glimpse inside for you. 

 The outside light enters the bath just like it did 500 years ago.  While our ancestors in Ireland, Scotland, and other parts of Europe were busy avoiding water and the plague, the Turks were living in humidor of luxury.  My massage had none of the niceties of the West:  no Windham Hill instrumentals, low lights, or endless convo about avoiding past injuries.  Instead, my masseur wrenched my joints and cracked my sternum. Monty Python alum Michael Palin had an Turkish bath experience similar to mine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij8YuHIpOjw.  On the hand, Alison found herself pampered in the hefty bosom of two Turkish grandmothers who sang lilting Turkish songs as they bathed and then massaged her like an Ottoman princess.

The weather hovered around 35° F, about a forty-degree drop from Abu Dhabi, forcing us to don light jackets.  Near our hotel at the Crowne Plaza, we found a restaurant with great schnitzel, and belly dancers of both genders.   After several moderately priced taxis, we successfully transitioned to ultra-cheap public streetcars with ease.

Crown Plaza decorated for Christmas

Trolleys - easy to navigate

After five days in Istanbul, we flew Turkish Air to Izmir (No, we did not see Barcelona’s Messi or the injury-ridden Kobe on the flight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhFqSlvbKAM) before renting a car to Selcuk.  Alison managed the stick shift like a pro.  Anyway, the pace in bucolic southeastern Turkey was relaxed, a nice respite from city life. 

View during our drive to Selcuk

The Rebetiki Hotel abutted the entrance of St. John’s Church, where the beloved disciple is buried. The hotel was simple, but functional and included drinks on the roof and olive tea.  The vistas from the roof were amazing, especially the sunsets.  We had a singular view of three religions: Ruins of the Temple of Artemis, St. John’s Basilica, and the Isa Bey Mosque. 

Artemis, St. John, & Isa Bey -3 Religions

Sunset from hotel roof

Steve eating oranges we bought

Rebetiki Hotel in Selcuk

After a steep mountain drive, we visited a prayerful shrine to the Virgin Mary, where she is said to have spent the last years of her life.  While the Roman relics in Ephesus are consistently impressive, the façade of the library stood out.  We made the right call in catching a taxi to the top and walking downhill to our rental.

  

Alison with Statue to the Virgin

Chapel to the Virgin Mary

Terraced Houses in Ephesus

Celsius Library at Ephesus

We had lunch at the restaurant between the mountain and Ephesus

Because we seemed such gentle yet spirited souls, the innkeeper Suleiman hosted a going-away barbeque for us on the Aegean Sea.  We had intended to fish, but mostly drank raki (Alison stuck with water and coke).  Like its Greek cousin ouzo, raki is a licorice-based liquor, called “Lion’s milk” because it turns cloudy in water (A tidbit I learned from reading the contemporary Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk). On the Winter solstice, Alison spent a little too much time with her toes in the water and caught a chill.  How did yours truly manage to stave off illness?   MORE Yeni Raki of course.

Shopping for beach BBQ

Amazing how good food taste when cooked on the beach

Taken from a sand bar back towards guys cooking

Alison wading in the Aegean (Paid for it with a wicked cold)

Suleiman, Steve, & Tony 

Raki, anyone?

Sun setting over the Aegean and on our adventure

Though our next adventure looks to be Malaysia this spring, another visit to Turkey is in the offing down the road.

Miscellaneous Pictures:

Aquaduct in Selcuk - men playing backgrammon

Steve buying tangerines on the way to Selcuk

Mosaic in Chora Church, Istanbul

Street from Palace to Archeological Museum

Steve and Alison at grave of St. John the Beloved

Mosque near Crowne Plaza

Female Belly Dancer - The guy was a better dancer