Last day in Abu Dhabi

Yep, home tomorrow. Sitting in the airport now jut waiting to go. We've just seen our flight get delayed so it won't leave now till 11.30 rather than 10.30.

Today we had a late check out so just hung around doing things. The thing we found we could do was check in at the City International Terminal right in the heart of the city. Take the bags and complete the check-in there and they take care of everything. You pay a little for the privilage but being able to get it all done 8 hours ahead of time was worth it.

We spent the rest of the afternoon seeing the new Sherlock Holmes movie.

See you in Melbourne.

First real full day in Abu Dhabi

Wow, today we all slept in and I mean slept in. 9.30 for me and Don. The boys would have been later if it hadn't been for us calling them to let them know we were going down for breakfast, since it closes at 10.30.

Don, Marcus and  I travelled to the Mariner Mall this time to see it all. It is huge but we saw it all. In the tourist areas like this nothing is cheap, especially electronics where they are cheaper at home.

At 3.30 we all left to go on our sand Safari tour. It is a half day of racing over sand dunes at amazing angles and speeds. Sliding along the sides of the really steep dunes and running along the rims of the really big ones only to then drop off the edge and down the side again. Then we pull in at the camp site and go for a camel ride. That is fun especially the getting up and the going down. Marcus and Nicholas both had a go  at the sand boarding with Marcus doing quite well and then having a spectacular roll.

In the camp there is entertainment of a belly dancer and a barbecue for dinner. All of us had a lot of fun and i highly rcommend it. We were a little worried whether it would be worth it as we had booked it on-line but it was very good.

Apparently the Volvo around the world racers are arriving tonight so we might see what is happening over the next few days.

Hello Abu Dhabi

Flights are long and hardly anyone sleeps, Donna and I get some but not the kids.

We arrived in Abu Dhabi this morning around 7.30 and to the hotel around 8.30. The weather is beautiful, sunny and warm. We are all fairly tired, especially the boys however we can't check into the hotel until around midday. So we hang around  in a Burger King, have some brekky there or the others did not me. We can get wifi there for free.

Later we headed down to the Marina Mall, the largest shopping mall in UAE. Just to kill some time and to get some munchies for later. Finally we checked into the hotel and the boys decided to stay in and sleep while Donna and I decided to do looking around near th hotel. Gold is everywhere here. Shop after shop of it. Across from the hotel on one side is a park which we can see from our window. Donna and thought it woul be good to go for a wander around it but couldn't work out why all the entrances to it were closed. Once we got to the main entrnce we understood why. You have to pay to get into it. It was only a single Dirham which is about 30c, so we did. It is a very peaceful park.

There is construction work going on all over the place. The architecture here is so beautiful even the new buildings look awesome.

After dinner we convinced the boys to go for a walk witth us over to the water. Turns out we can't get across the road, there must be a secret passage or something. Anyway between us and the water is a park with these little garden sections in it.

Last day in Europe

Today we travel from Budapest to Frankfurt and then on to Abu Dhabi. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it we have a fair amount of time to kill as our flight doesn't leave until 6pm.

So we decided to walk around, firstly to the "big shopping centre" around the corner from our hotel. The directions were a little vague and after a fair walk we couldn't find it. So we decided to head into town. Maps, who needs them when you have a vague recollection of what it looks like and a single conversation of what train to take. Anyway the nearest bus won't take us there and we don't have enough coin for the train. Walking it is, how far can it be?!

Apparently a bloody long way. After an hour or so of walking and not really getting much of any view that looked familiar we decide to head back and have lunch at the hotel. Over lunch we get out a map. Turns out we remembered quite well, we were on the right raod heading in th right direction. What no-one had managed to tells us was just how far it was. Well beyond walking distance!

This will be it now until Abu Dhabi. We fly Buda to Franfurt at 6pm, then Frankfurt to Abu at 10pm arriving at 7.30am. At least it is nights we are losing.

New Years Day

Donna and I decided to do the "Hop on Hop off" tour of Budapest today. The boys have had enough and are quite tired from last night. Outside to get on the bus and what happens, SNOW! YES it actually started snowing quite lightly. Everyone, in particular the Australians, were quite excited. A number of the group come from Queensland and had never seen snow. We all walked around in it for a while. We tried to call the boys but their phone was off. It was still snowing when we got off the HOHO for our first stop in Hero's Square. It kept lightly snowing for about 2 hours. We enjoyed it.

From Hero's Square we walked over to the Zoo. Check out Donna walking on the snow covered track. The reason for going to a zoo being, throughout Budapest we kept seeing this sign of a wombat advertising the zoo. They have quite a large Australian section in the zoo. Some of the animals looked quite cold, especially the kangaroos and wallabies but the rest were mostly indoors and kept warm. It is quite a large zoo for one in the middle of the city.



Budapest is a city built on the Danube around hot mineral springs. They are throughout the city but here next to Hero's Square and opposite the zoo is the city baths. An extraordinary building with this hot steam coming from it. This is a shot from behind it looking across a small lake of hot spring water.

From there we walked over to the castle complete with mote (although empty at the time) in the middle of the city. It isn't medieval or even really old apparently. It was built only a hundred or so years ago to look old and now houses a museum.





Budapest is a city that still remembers the communist era. There are signs of it all of the place but none more so than the "House of Terror". This is not a fun ride or a side show but the actual building, now museum, where under the communist regime citizens were taken for interrogation and never seen alive again. Along the exterior walls are photos of people who disappeared in here. Unfortunately it was closed but outside is a great sculpture depicting the "Iron Curtain".

Donna and I walked all of this because every time we went to catch the HOHO bus we just missed it and watched it driving off. So after quite a few hours walking we finally decided to find a way to catch it. This took more walking as we had just missed another one but worked it if we walked quickly across the city we could cut it off at the pass. We just made it and luckily for us although there was a crowd of people waiting they were a group who didn't want to be split up and since there weren't enough seats for them all we managed to get on. Later tonight we have our final boat trip and dinner on the Danube. Can't wait they are always good.