März 2015 - airberlin magazin - Abu Dhabi entdecken

13
12:00 14:45
Geschäftsführer David Juillet
und James Simmons (v. l.)
heißen ihre Gäste bei einer
Weinverkostung im Boa Steakhouse
herzlich willkommen.
General Manager David Juillet
and James Simmons (from
left) welcome guests to a wine
tasting at the BOA Steakhouse.
Die neue Shopping Mall auf
Yas Island bietet auf 200.000
Quadratmetern alles, was das
Herz begehrt und der Geldbeutel
erlaubt.
The new shopping mall on
Yas Island sells everything
you could wish for – and more
– on 200,000 square metres of
floorspace.
48 hours in
paradise
Wilderness and water, sports and spas: you can take
your pick from all kinds of activities on a short break
in Abu Dhabi. The only problem is deciding what to
leave out.
he broad sunshades gleam brightly as they jostle for
attention with the even more prominent sun loungers;
but neither can match the sparkling white grains of
sand at our feet. It’s a Friday morning and the beach
on the Persian Gulf is virtually deserted. Many people
prefer to attend one of the numerous brunches held on the
first day of the Abu Dhabi weekend. We fall onto our sun
loungers and allow the droplets of cool sea water to dry in
the sun. It takes a little longer than usual: the sun’s rays
feel pleasantly warm, rather than burning hot – an ideal
temperature, in fact. Louis Armstrong is crooning into our
earphones, and we can only concur with his sentiments:
“And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.”
We arrived in Abu Dhabi on Thursday morning, eager
to experience as many facets of the Emirate as we could
on our 48-hour break. Thursday evening is spent on the
terrace of the Shangri-La, one of the city’s most popular
hotels. The name Shangri-La, taken from a novel by the
British author James Hilton, refers to a fictional paradise
on earth – and the panorama before us is certainly
idyllic. The incredible view extends out over the pool,
whose water appears almost to lap at our feet, across to
the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. During the day, it is a
dream of white marble and gleaming gold leaf. But now
that the lamps – and there must be thousands of them
– have been lit, its four minarets and numerous domes
are bathed in a mystical light. The scent of cherry shisha
smoke assails our nostrils as we lie back and sip at our
(alcohol-free) mocktails. Our 48 hours in Abu Dhabi have
begun.
The next morning we make for the beach on Yas
Island, as described above. The island is renowned for its
Formula 1 racing circuit and Ferrari World theme park,
but we head towards the city and the Abu Dhabi marina
after our dip at Yas Beach. This little harbour is situated
between the Emirates Palace and the Presidential Palace,
the ruling family’s latest major project. We’re about to
take a sailing trip, but not in any old yacht: “Welcome
aboard a real round-the-world vessel,” says skipper
Philippe, who goes on to inform us that the Assa Abloy
took part in the Volvo Ocean Race 2001. “Took part” is
stating it modestly: the yacht was narrowly beaten into
second place in one of the world’s most challenging races.
These days Philippe from Pindar Sailing – a member
of the 2001 race crew – offers all kinds of sailing tours
aboard the Assa Abloy. As the vessel picks up speed in the
gusty breeze, Philippe’s face lights up in a huge grin as
he shouts: “Wind, sunshine and a boat: what more could
you possibly want?”
What more indeed! But there’s no time to dwell on the
morning’s activities just now. It’s mid-afternoon, and my
adrenalin level has peaked sharply. I take a deep breath
as our car lurches to the side before shooting forwards,
lurching to the other side and sliding down another dune
which appears to be even higher than the last. “Now let’s
really give it some welly,” says an unflustered Said, and
we have to trust him implicitly. As he informed us at the
outset: “Dune bashing is not for sissies.”
This hair-raising activity forms part of the desert safari,
which also includes camel riding, sand boarding and