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.
walk
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dubai Marina, Atlantis The Palm, Burj Al Arab & Dubai Fountain
On my second day in Dubai, I had to be at the Marina early for a boat tour I had booked (I will write a full post about it later). After the tour, I continued walking through Dubai Media City to the Palm Jumeirah Monorail Gateway station. The Monorail leads to the Atlantis hotel, built on the artificial Palm Jumeirah Islands. A small part is open to the public. Besides the hotel, there is also an aquarium (The Lost Chambers), a waterpark (Aquaventure) and a dolphin park (Dolphin Bay), where you can swim with dolphins.
Dubai: Jumeirah Beach, Dubai Marina & Jumeirah Lakes Towers
After Burj Khalifa and the Emirates Towers, I took the Metro to the Dubai Marina, then switched to the newly opened tram, in order to get to Jumeirah Beach. There were a lot of people there. I walked along the beach for a while, then on the path bordering the canal of the Dubai Marina. I boarded a waterbus at some point. Finally, I made my way to the Jumeirah Lakes Towers, on the other side of Sheikh Zayed Road from the Marina, then walked to my hotel near Lake Almas West.