High Tea with the Queen

One of the highlights of my trip to the UAE was going to High Tea at the Burj Al Arab. This beautiful motel shaped like a sailboat is even more spectacular in person. I took this photo at dusk and it really is outstanding.

I attended High Tea at the Burj Al Arab on the 27th floor. Above it on the 28th floor is the Helipad. It's much larger than it looks. Tiger Woods played golf up there last spring! This next photo is the Jumeira Club and private beach, taken from the 27th floor. On the other side of this floor you look over the new palm shaped development but it was very cloudy with sand the day we were there so I was unable to get any good photos of that landmark.

My sister, Lavina, surprised me the day I was scheduled to leave by telling me we had reservations for high tea. The custom of high tea at this luxury motel started when Queen Elizabeth was young and would ride in the early afternoon. She would return from her ride and would be hungry so she would go into the kitchen and make herself something small to eat. She did this so she would not be caught eating between meals. She would get hungry again soon as the small amount she ate would act as an appetizer. So she would eat something tiny again. When she was finally discovered it brought her embarrassment and she decided to start having high tea every afternoon when she would return from riding. Chefs would prepare her little sandwiches and sweets and she could eat them leisurely as she wished. This custom is now one of the most lavish treats in the UAE. We started our tea with a glass of fine champagne and berries in cream. Then we were treated to finger sandwiches. The main course was beef wellington and although I live in beef country, I can honestly say I have never tasted a finer piece of beef. (It was NOT local beef as I did try that, and it was not a treat.) After the main course we were served a fresh sorbet to cleanse our palate and then warm scones with fruit jams and clotted cream. Following this course was an exquisite selection of french pastries and finally hand-crafted Petit Fours. Putting the finishing touch on the experience we selected a specialty coffee or tea. During the tea, food was constantly replenished. If we ate a certain type of finger sandwich it would be replaced by a fresh one quickly. Fancy pastries appeared instantly! I was especially impressed by the Petit Fours. Each one was a miniature work of art. They were as much fun to look at as they were to eat.

Better Late Than Never

In July of last year I had the opportunity to travel with my sister to the United Arab Emirates. She lives in Sharjah and we travelled over together and I spent 10 days with her there. The Emirates are fascinating. I could have stayed much longer as there is so much to see and so much to learn in the UAE. I'm going to share some of my trip with you but there is so much to tell that I will have to do it in pieces.

The first word that comes to mind when I think of the UAE is contrast. You see some of the richest people in the world and living right beside them are some of the poorest people in the world. The immigrant workers who make so little working for the Emiraties feel rich, as they come from impoverished lands and are thrilled to have the opportunity to make such good money. These laborers make what amounts to about $200 to $300 US Dollars a month and they are sending most of that home to pay for the care of their families. And they continue to come to this land for this opportunity from many countries. I met people from many different countries who all came to the UAE to live out a dream. A lot of these workers reach a time where they are able to bring their families to the UAE to live with them. These are workers who have better jobs, in business and education. But the majority of immigrants have service jobs and will continue to support their families from afar.

Another big contrast that I found amazing was the housing and buildings. In the UAE nearly every large building has a crane on it's roof because it's still in construction. There is some of the most modern, high tech architecture in the world at home in the Emirates. And property right beside these wonderful buildings can be run down apartment buildings and shops where the immigrants live and work. My sister lives in a wonderful modern apartment building. It has marble floors, huge windows, lots of decorative artwork in the design, and a very modern gym and indoor pool. Upon leaving the building and crossing the street you come upon run down buildings with many people living in one room apartments. Next to that can be a laundry with no ventilation and the windows all foggy from steam and worn from blowing sand, or a small grocery store with goods all crammed together tightly to allow for the most merchandise in the smallest space.

And then there is the contrast between the lavish green lawns and the dessert just miles away. While in the city I was just amazed by how green all the vast lawns were and how spectacular the large flower gardens and trees. But when driving out of the metro area it is no time at all before you are driving through desert and seeing camels walking around freely or finding cover from the hot sun and blowing sand.

I'm including some of the photos from my trip. I have many to share with you and I would have more, but that's a story for another post!