June 1, 2015

San Francisco: USS Pampanito, Musée Mécanique, Aquatic Park, Palace of Fine Arts

After the boat ride on San Francisco Bay, I kept walking on Fisherman’s Wharf towards the Golden Gate Bridge. I visited the USS Pampanito, a submarine built during WW2. There is also a Liberty Ship nearby (the SS Jeremiah O’Brien) but I didn’t visit it. After that, I entered the Musée Mécanique, a free museum of mechanical games, some quite old. Most of the machines are coin operated and still operational. I then passed through Aquatic Park and Fort Mason on my way to the Palace of Fine Arts, built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition.

May 19, 2015

San Francisco: Market Street, Ferry Building, Chinatown, Coit Tower, Pier 39

A couple of months ago, I had to be in San Francisco for a few days. On my first full day, I went for a walk: Starting in the morning from my hotel near Union Square, I walked down Market Street to the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero. I then went through Chinatown on my way up Telegraph Hill to the Coit Tower and its observatory. After the Tower, I walked down the other side of the hill to Pier 39. At that point, I boarded a boat to have a closer look at the Golden Gate Bridge.

May 17, 2015

Jordaan at sunset

The Jordaan is a neighbourhood of Amsterdam located west of the center. It is home to many modern art galleries, as well as speciality shops and restaurants.

May 3, 2015

Walk in Amsterdam Zuid: Beatrixpark, Zuidas Business District, Vondelpark

Starting in De Pijp, I went on a walk, first to Beatrixpark then went on to the Zuidas Business District. On the way back, I walked through Vondelpark and Museumplein.

April 21, 2015

Walk in Amsterdam: Vondelpark, Canal belt, Jordaan, Muziekgebouw aan't IJ

Starting in De Pijp, I went for a walk through Museumplein, Vondelpark, the canal area, the Jordaan and, finally, walked to the Oosterdokseiland and the Muziekgebouw aan’t IJ concert hall near the Passenger Terminal.

February 13, 2015

Fog in Amsterdam

Above, pond in Sarphatipark.

February 7, 2015

Walk in Amsterdam #2

I walked from De Pijp to the canals at the center of Amsterdam. I then headed to Vondelpark. After leaving the park, I walked south towards Beatrixpark then completed the loop.

February 4, 2015

Walk in Amsterdam

Starting in Museumplein, I walked to the canals in the center of Amsterdam. Near Amsterdam Centraal, I took a free ferry across the IJ to Amsterdam North (Noord). I went inside the EYE Filmmuseum then walked along the shore for a bit. I then crossed the IJ again and walked towards the Science Center NEMO.

January 31, 2015

Abu Dhabi: Corniche, Emirates Palace, Marina Mall & Abu Dhabi Theatre

In December, a few weeks after Dubai, I came back to the United Arab Emirates, this time in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the country. It was just a single day layover on my way to Amsterdam but I was able to see a lot.

After I arrived at the airport in the early morning, I took the shuttle bus to downtown Abu Dhabi. I then walked along the Corniche, a pedestrian path along the coast, until I reached the road that leads to the Marina Mall. Instead of going there, I continued along Corniche Road to the Emirates Palace, a 7-star luxury hotel. Part of the hotel is open to all visitors, so I got inside. It was indeed quite nice… After that, I took the bus to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which was actually pretty far away. It was a bit of an adventure so I will make a separate post about it later. After the Mosque, I took a taxi to the Marina Mall and had a quick look inside. Then I headed towards the Heritage Village nearby but there was an event for the Volvo Ocean Race so I went in. It hadn’t really started yet so it was not very interesting. I continued on the road, past the Heritage Village, until the Abu Dhabi Theatre. There was a great viewpoint on the skyline of Downtown Abu Dhabi from there. Finally, I walked on the road towards the Etihad Towers but stopped at a café for sheesha and diner until it was time to go to the airport.

January 30, 2015

Dubai Creek, Bur Dubai & Deira

On my last day in Dubai, I checked out from my hotel early and headed to the Dubai Creek area. I started first in Bur Dubai, where the original inhabitants of Dubai settled in the early 19th century. I walked along the Creek (the promenade is interrupted by construction work though). I then visited the Dubai Museum and walked in the area. I crossed the Dubai Creek using one of the many abras and arrived in Deira, where I visited the souk next. I crossed the Creek again: I had to be at the Burj Khalifa to visit the observatory (the ticket was tied to a specific time) so I left the area for a few hours. When I came back, I continued at the same point as I left and visited the Heritage Village in Bur Dubai. There was not much activity there, maybe because it was a bit late. I walked along the Creek until I reached the mouth, then settled at a café, smoking sheesha until nightfall. After that, I crossed the Creek again to visit the spice and gold souks of Deira at night. Then it was time to go to the airport to catch my plane back to Lahore.