Our second day in Abu Dhabi was just as productive as the first. Fresh from another great breakfast, we had to get ready to visit the Great Mosque, our first stop on the tour.
Our mornings at the Marriott Courtyard World Trade at the Bistro started us out each day. It was a great place to discuss the previous day’s activities and the places we would visit that day.
The proper breakfast starts the long day of touring.
Everyone was looking forward to the visit to the Grand Mosque that morning. The ladies were comparing notes to prepare for the morning. We had to follow all cultural protocols when visiting the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, so men had to be dressed up in conservative clothing and I wore proper slacks and a long-sleeved button down.
It was hard to go out in that hot sun with no head gear. We were lucky that we went early in the morning when it first opened for touring, and we did not have to wait long. It was very impressive.
The entrance to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. This is when you show your respects to another religion.
My review on TripAdvisor:
The entrance to the Sheikh Zayad Grand Mosque.
The Courtyard at the Sheikh Zayad Grand Mosque.
The mosque was so beautiful with every detail attended to as you walked around the building. The lighting fixtures, the details in the pillars and the chandeliers were just so elegant and impressive. There was no expense spared in the detail work of this building and the sheer respect of the religion and the way it was depicted. Even I was ready to covert.
I was in awe of the religion and the power of the symbolism that this building has on the people that visit it. It is like the great cathedrals of Europe that I visited. A new history was being written here.
The hallways were mesmerizing.
The rooms were so beautifully decorated.
Even the chandeliers were sparkling and dazzled in the light.
Every room and hallway built on the other and gave me such respect for the architecture of the building. This was a mosque that was meant to show the great respect for Islam.
Every room the details were so fantastic.
I have to say that I was blown away by the great detail and care that was put into this building, and it was one of the highlights of the trip. What was also nice was that we were the first ones on the tour in the morning, so we got to see it without all the crowds, so we never felt rushed.
Even when exiting the mosque, from inside to outside the whole complex was impressive.
We were all so impressed by the Sheikh Zayad Grand Mosque, and it is something that everyone should experience when they are visiting Abu Dhabi.
Our NYU Group shot at the Sheikh Zayad Grand Mosque.
Talk about a dazzling city.
After our tour of the mosque, off we went to the city of Al Ain to visit the Al Jahili Fort.
The Al Jahili Fort at Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan St – Al Jahili – Abu Dhabi
https://visitabudhabi.ae/en/what-to-see/iconic-landmarks/al-jahili-fort
My review on TripAdvisor:
The Al Jahili Fort is in the lush garden city of Al Ain, which is part of the focal point of philosophy and the cultural heritage of Abu Dhabi. It was built in the 1890’s by Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan (known as Zayed the First) as the home of the ruling Al Nahyan family (Tour guide).
The sign describing the fort.
The interior of the courtyard of the fort.
The interior of the fort.
The fort was built of sun-dried mud brick and restoration work has been done on the fort in 1985, 2007 and 2008 (tour guide).
The fort has received the prestigious Terra Award for Internal Design and Layout in 2016.
It was an amazing tour through the fort and what was nice is that we got here so early that we had the site to ourselves and got to see it at our own pace.
After the fort visit, it was off to lunch at the Ayla Bawadi Hotel’s Sedra Bawadi Restaurant. The had the most wonderful lunch buffet with authentic Arabic and Indian dishes. The selection was extensive and there was a vast variety of salads, soups, entrees and desserts.
Sedra Bawadi Restaurant in the Ayla Bawadi Hotel in Abu Dhabi:
https://www.aylahotels.com/ayla-bawadi-hotel/dining.html
My review on TripAdvisor:
The selection of entrees.
The fresh fruits made a perfect start to the meal and for dessert.
There was so much to choose from the dessert station.
I had my favorites on the line and the Vegetable Samosas were delicious. I went up more than once with these.
I was attracted to the sweet dessert which I found addictive. One of my classmates said they were of Southern Indian origin. I loved these colorful sweet treats and was in a sugar high for the rest of the afternoon.
My lunch at the restaurant:
My starter was the rich Cream of Broccoli soup with fresh croutons.
I took a little taste of everything on the menu and went back again and again.
I loved the desserts. The perfect combination of sweets and savories.
I was so impressed by the food and service at Sedra Bawadi Restaurant. The staff did not know what to make of us but I could tell they loved the tip. We left a combination of AED and American dollars and not knowing what to leave we all left something so there was this giant stack of bills I gave to our waitress for the staff to share. This is when I see people love Americans. Did she have a smile on her face when we left!
After the wonderful lunch, it was off to the Camel Souk market to see where people traded and bought camels of all ages. I could tell the staff there had not been exposed to many Americans before and looked at us the way we looked at the camels with curiosity. I found out later on they never see that tourists at the market though the TripAdvisor reviews tell a different story.
The Camel Market in Abu Dhabi
https://visitabudhabi.ae/en/what-to-see/historical-and-cultural-attractions/al-ain-camel-market
My review on TripAdvisor:
The camel market was one of the most authentic experiences we had on the trip with meeting local citizens. I never really knew what all the stares were about until later, but they were amused by us being so thrilled to see the camels. The camels just ignored us.
I loved the looks they gave us.
The camel market was such an interesting experience in that you would never see something like this in the States. We were talking about this for the rest of the week. The market was hardly touristy.
Next we were off to the oasis and another palace. We stopped at the Al Ain Oasis to visit the inside of the grove of palm trees and the city that has been built around it. It is interesting how the city has developed around it over the years.
We arrived at the gate of the Al Ain Oasis Gate and were the only ones there that afternoon. I could not believe how quiet the place was on a Tuesday afternoon.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/al-ain-united-arab-emirates
My review on TripAdvisor:
It is hard to believe that this whole place was built around a water supply. It hard to believe that a crack in the earth created all of this. It was really lush on the inside.
The oasis was really lush with palm trees growing at various stages. We were even treated to by one of the tree trimmers climbing the tree in record time to show us how trees are cleaned up.
The tour guide told us that there was over 100 varieties of vegetation in the oasis. The ancient irrigation system called ‘falaj’ is still being used in the oasis and according to him was one of the reasons why it is a noted UNESCO Cultural Heritage site. It really changed my perspective on what an oasis is and does for the environment.
Our next stop on the tour was Al Ain Palace, one the most important and historical sites in Abu Dhabi. Our tour guide told us that this was the home of the Founding Father of the United Arab Emirates and the first President of the country, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The family had lived here until the late 1960’s until he moved to Abu Dhabi.
Al Ain Palace Museum at Hessa Bint Mohamed St – Central District – Al Mutawaa – Abu Dhabi
https://visitabudhabi.ae/en/what-to-see/historical-and-cultural-attractions/al-ain-palace-museum
My review on TripAdvisor:
The palace he added gave us a glimpse into the lives of the family before oil was discovered and transformed them into nation. The oldest building on the property dated back to the mid 1930’s (Tour Guide).
He explained that the palace is a series of rooms and courtyards and was meant to engage and delight visitors.
The started going through a renovation in the late 1990’s and was open to the public in 2001. Our tour guide said it was an interesting contrast of the past and present.
The rooms were tastefully furnished and reflected the tastes of the Royal family.
I was most impressed by the Diplomatic Meeting Room and the old pictures from the 1950’s and 60’s of the Sheikh getting foreign diplomats and leaders in a very tasteful and respective way.
The outside of the palace was most impressive. I just found the contrasts between the old and new palace in Abu Dhabi to be startling. What money, innovation and creativity can create.
It was getting late when we left the palace and the oasis grounds and we were just settling in for our long ride back to the hotel when we heard a giant thump and the rumbling. Part of the tire came loose. We thumped along to the side of the road. We were all exhausted from the traveling and had to wait on the bus to find out what the step was going to be.
Getting a new bus was going to take too long so our tour guide, Nimesh, had us drive slowly into the next town to have the bus tire changed. This is when we took advantage of ‘going local’. Since it was still the early evening and it was going to take about an hour to change the tire, we had to find a local place to eat. That is when thirty of us walked in the small cafe restaurant, Al Bait Al Shami Restaurant & Cafeteria near Al Yahar North.
This small place was dead quiet at 8:00pm and the owner looked shocked to see thirty American students walk through the door. We were first greeted by this friendly little cat.
The front of the Al Bait (Bayt) Al Shami Restaurant and Cafeteria in Al Ain at Al Yahar North.
https://www.zomato.com/al-ain/al-bayt-al-shami-restaurant-and-cafeteria-al-jimi
My review on TripAdvisor:
The restaurant has the most delicious type of gyro looking layered roast meat on a large skewer that was then sliced and served on a sandwich. This unplanned meal was excellent.
We started off with a selection of crisp vegetables and dip and then they brought out freshly made hummus. Everything was so colorful and the food was so fresh.
The Vegetable tray is how we started our meal.
The Hummus was delicious.
I was still stuffed from the buffet lunch so I just had a half chicken sandwich with fries which was more than enough. The food and service was excellent and it ended up being a very positive experience for everyone involved.
Nimesh kept his cool and got the tire changed and took charge of the situation, we had a wonderful meal. We made the best of the situation without complaining and the owner of the restaurant and the surrounding coffee shop, bakery and retail stores got the benefit of thirty American customers who bought dinner, baked goods and coffee not to mention a gift shop that benefited from all that extra business on a quiet Tuesday night. I could tell all this by the reaction of the owner of the restaurant owner when we left that evening. He was so happy.
We got back on the bus about an hour and a half later and were back at the hotel two hours later than we thought but had a nice little adventure to talk about for the rest of the trip. It was nice to do something in a small town and meet people who may not see too many tourists pass by. We made a lot of business owners happy that night.
We finally got to bed late but had a great day touring around another section of Abu Dhabi.
Our class at the Palace at the end of the tour.
Places to eat:
Courtyard World Trade Center, Abu Dhabi
Hamdan Bin Mohammed Street (5th Street), Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates
Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-11:00pm
https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/auhcy-courtyard-world-trade-center-abu-dhabi/overview/
https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/auhcy-courtyard-world-trade-center-abu-dhabi/dining
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review of the Bistro on TripAdvisor:
Sedra Bawadi Restaurant at Ayla Bawadi Hotel
5R64+JCM Bawadi Mall Area – Zayed Bin Sultan St –
Mayzad – Al Noud – Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates
Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-11:00pm
https://www.aylahotels.com/ayla-bawadi-hotel/dining.html
My review on TripAdvisor:
Al Bait (Bayt) Al Shami Restaurant and Cafeteria in Al Ain at Al Yahar North.
https://www.zomato.com/al-ain/al-bayt-al-shami-restaurant-and-cafeteria-al-jimi
971 3 781 1718
Open: Sunday-Saturday
My review on TripAdvisor:
Places to Visit:
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Al Rawdah – Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates
971 2 419 1919
Open: Sunday-Saturday 9:00am-10:00pm
Admission: Please see the website for individual and group rates.
My review on TripAdvisor:
The Al Jahili Fort
Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan St – Al Jahili – Abu Dhabi
971 3 711 8311
https://visitabudhabi.ae/en/what-to-see/iconic-landmarks/al-jahili-fort
Open: Sunday-Saturday 9:00am-7:00pm
Admission: Please check the website for individual and group admissions.
My review on TripAdvisor:
Al Ain Oasis Gate
Al Tuhaf Street
Central District – Abu Dhabi – United Arab Emirates
971 3 711 8251
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/al-ain-united-arab-emirates
Open: Sunday-Saturday 9:00am-5:30pm
Admission: Free
My review on TripAdvisor:
Al Ain Palace Museum
Hessa Bint Mohamed St – Central District – Al Mutawaa – Abu Dhabi
971 3 711 8388
https://visitabudhabi.ae/en/what-to-see/historical-and-cultural-attractions/al-ain-palace-museum
Admission: Please check the website for Individual and Group fees
Open: Sunday-Saturday 9:00am-7:00pm
My review on TripAdvisor:
mywalkinmanhattan 
The trip to the Oasis, the historic palace and the camel souk are the things people relate to the Middle East. I found them to be a cultural contrast between the past and the present and how far the country has traveled.
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