Destinations
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Tour of the Royal Palace of Madrid: Facts and decor
The Madrid sky is grey, as if trying to complement the classical façade of the Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio Real de Madrid). Even on this pale day, Plaza de la Armeria, the open square that adorns the entrance of the palace looks uplifting. In Western Europe’s largest palace, in front of the marble walls and pillars, standing on a dais, wearing a toga, a Romanesque statue of King Charles III of Spain welcomes me at the base of the staircase. The tour of the Royal Palace of Madrid features at the top of every Madrid itinerary and rightly so. The palace contains 3418 rooms and covers a total area…
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Santiago Bernabeu Stadium tour, Madrid: The cult of football
From the top-most tier, I see a panorama dotted with 81,044 seats gradually smudge with the green velvety field. The four tiers below me that successively converge into the pitch is empty. Maintenance workers are busy tending the grass; these are painstakingly obtained from northern Europe. I am at one of Madrid’s top tourist attraction—the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium tour—football club Real Madrid’s home turf. Many would casually call this the Real Madrid stadium tour. Even people who are obscurely aware of the football (what Americans call soccer) world know Real Madrid by name. The club holds the highest number of championships for both La Liga (the Spanish football championship), and UEFA…
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An offbeat place to visit in Madrid: Santoña Palace
Across the 6-metres long wooden table, officials from the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Services of Madrid are giving us, the Indian media, a presentation. My concentration, though, is divided between the speakers and the resident elements of the room— a Renaissance inspired ceiling painting, a voluptuous chandelier and an elaborate Baroque décor. This is no ordinary conference centre, but the Luis XIV Room in Santoña Palace of Madrid in Spain, an offbeat place to visit in Madrid city. A tour to the past The building’s history goes back to 16th century Spain. For a brief period around 1593, it was the residence of the exiled Prince of Morocco of…
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Geography, culture and history of Spain: A quick introduction
The broad streets, the statues in the city squares, the architecture, the yellow leaves drooping wearily from the trees along the two-way lane and the people dressed in winter garments of black, white and grey shades— right before my eyes is the Europe I had read about in books and watched in movies. Madrid, the capital of Spain would forever be that special city that introduced me to Europe. I am writing this quick note focused on the culture and history of Spain, not just for readers of the blog but also for myself, so that when my memory fades, I can quickly come here and read this up. I…
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5 days in Abu Dhabi Itinerary
Lying at the coast of the Persian Gulf, Abu Dhabi is one among the seven emirates that form the country of United Arab Emirates(UAE). The city of Abu Dhabi, which is within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, is the capital of the country. The city of Abu Dhabi comprises of the Island of Abu Dhabi and several other islands like Reem, Yas, Saadiyat and many suburban areas on the mainland. In this article ‘5 days in Abu Dhabi itinerary’, I craft an itinerary focused mainly on Abu Dhabi city and a little bit of the experiences outside the city as well, but still within the boundaries of the Emirate of…
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Emirati House Experience Abu Dhabi: In a majlis at an Emirati’s home
Modern Arabs like drawing boundaries. They prefer living a private life, one that is often deemed as a refusal to communicate with strangers. Maitha Essa, an Emirati woman, has taken upon the task to dispel all myths and misunderstandings about the Arab society. Three days a week, she hosts expatriates and tourists for 3-4 hours at her home in Abu Dhabi for a dinner preceded by a candid chat session—the Emirati House Experience. I attend one of her sessions along with five other Indian women, my colleagues. Under the beams of streetlights, I walk in a peaceful neighbourhood in Abu Dhabi city clustered with several beige coloured houses. Maitha answers…
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Mina Date Market Abu Dhabi: The cheapest and best date souq in the city
Modern Abu Dhabi is defined by swanky high-rises that would sweep one off their feet, high-end entertainment zones, broad streets and multicultural dining experiences—a cocoon of luxury. Every indoor space here is temperature controlled, even the tiniest of the shops. Open souks (open air markets), a typical feature of the Middle east, have been improvised and lumped together inside posh structures, giving them the anonymity of modern times. So yes, I am right to be surprised to find a market that deviates from the usual. The Abu Dhabi Date Market or the Mina Date Market is a wholesale market for dates, fruits and vegetables near the fish market at Mina…
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A visit to Yas Island Abu Dhabi: Theme parks and shopping
Since coming to Abu Dhabi I have been stunned a number of times by what human ambition can achieve. Building a futuristic city on the fringes of a desert in a country that was formed just a few decades back is no small feat. Midway into my trip, on the third day, just when I was thinking that it couldn’t get any more bizarre, here I am standing, beneath an artificial sky in Warner Brothers World in Yas Island of Abu Dhabi. Yas Island used to be an extension of mainland Abu Dhabi before a part of it was dredged and a canal was cut to separate it from the…
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The Arabian Nights Village: Among the sands of the Empty Quarters desert
Curves of sand fringe the polished highway. In the dearth of life here, the austerity of the planet seems haunting. Ever-changing dunes move to the rhythm of the wind. Suddenly in my horizon is a settlement that rests in the valley of the desert dunes—the Arabian Nights Village—a resort in the middle of nowhere. I step down from the vehicle to enjoy the pre-booked half-day tour offered by the resort. The Arabian Nights Village was established in 2012 in the Empty Quarter desert or Rub’ al Khali, 123 kilometres away from Abu Dhabi city. Generosity and hospitality have always been the bedrock of Bedouin culture; imbibing that, the resort goes…
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Louvre Abu Dhabi Collection: Piecing history together in the Louvre Museum
“The Louvre Abu Dhabi collection is mindblowing,” I have heard that from art enthusiasts before arriving in UAE. Under the blue sky, in the company of some date palm trees, rising from the white façade is a chaos of shiny metals intricately weaved into one another forming a hemisphere. I am at the entrance of Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi, the largest museum in the Middle East. The azure water of the Persian Gulf touches the walkway to the entrance. The sophisticated white lattice screens, better known here as mashrabiyas, border the walkway. The screens cover the roof of the walkway too, exposing the visitors to an interesting play of…
