The Souq at Central Market

For quite some time, I have been wanting to have a look at The Souk, at the new Central Market in Abu Dhabi city.

That's Central Market, the highrises way in the background there....

The site has been one of construction for what seems like ages (since we've been living in the UAE anyway).  There used to actually be a Market, or Souq, there years ago until there was a fire which destroyed the whole thing.  So now they've been building three skyscrapers in it's place which are going to house a hotel, a 'High Street' shopping Mall, apartments, office space and a Souq.

The Souq is the only thing completed at the moment and inside it is rather beautiful.  The design is lovely, made from some type of wood, concrete, and gorgeous stained glass windows letting in loads of natural light but still quite cool on the inside.

It's kinda like a modern house you see in films, truth be told.

Not a lot of little shops open at the moment but I imagine in a couple of years time it really will be a hub of sorts.  But the ones that are open are selling an assortment of Arabic goods...

I particually liked the signs to the toilets, as I haven't seen ones like this before;

Worth a little visit if you're in the city, just for a sticky beak if anything else.  And plenty of car parks (always a plus) because it is paid parking and no one (it seems) likes paying for any type of parking in this part of the world.  (If they can park on the pavement or on a roundabout for free, they will!)  Just getting into the car park was a little tight with cars parked on the both sides of a one way lane, making it a little hairy getting to the actual Central Market car park (lucky MrL was driving!)

Hodariyat Bridge Project

MrL and I love watching television shows on how they build certain landmarks around the world.

I don't know how many times we've watched the construction of the Burj Al Arab, Ski Dubai or the bridge (we will see one day in southern France), the Millau Viaduct.  So we've been a little excited to find out they are constructing a new bridge in Abu Dhabi, we're a bit nerdy like that. =)  We are hoping that someone is making a documentary on the Hodariyat Bridge Project because so far....

...it is looking pretty awesome (if you're into these kind of things!)

Now, I 've taken these photos through the car windscreen and it was a bit hard to capture the construction of the bridge (that we could see through the fences).  I would've loved to have got out and taken some photos but mid-morning on a Saturday when there is lots of people milling about the site didn't seem like the right time.

And because I know some construction lingo, it looks like they are doing the precasting on site.

It's going to be a beautiful bridge when it is finished (due for completion in late 2011) and is the first bridge to be heading off Abu Dhabi Island in a westerly direction.  It is going to join up to Hudaiyriyat Island where lots of housing for local Emiraties is planned (amongst other plans) and part of the 2030 project.

Awesome seeing a plan coming together.  Love being here at the right time too.

Abu Dhabi Golf Course

Back in February this year, we had MrL's parents fly over for a couple of weeks. (Not only was it their first trip to Abu Dhabi, it was also their first overseas trip.)

Whilst they were here, they saw many new sights. So did I. I had never visited the Abu Dhabi Golf Club in person. I had seen many a picture, seen it on the telly, seen the top of the club house (from the busy road alongside the course) and driven past it hundreds of times, but I had never physically seen the whole building with my own eyes.

The club house is actually quite a famous structure and no wonder - look at it!

If that's not an impressive building to see coming up the 18th green, then you must be hard to impress.  It represents the falcon, which is known as a symbol of Abu Dhabi.

The golf course is not a 'sand' one (that's down the road) and is not short of a golf buggy or two.  (It would be hard slog walking the whole of the course in the warmer months.)

And if you're extra special, I'm pretty sure you can zoom around the course as a passenger in one of these buggies.

I wonder if those ones have air conditioning?

Masdar

I took my VIP (that would be my sister) to visit an area in Abu Dhabi called Masdar City yesterday. I'd been wanting to have a 'sticky beak' for a while now, since I see the cranes in operation every day.

It sits nestled in between Khalifa City A (that's a suburb - strange name eh?) and the International Airport. It is going to be the world's first Carbon Neutral City. And from it you can see the Grand Prix track on Yas Island and there are flash and fancy cars in the construction carpark, but hey, the idea is there, the money is there, the concept is there and someone/company is having a fair crack of developing a City of the Future. And being in the UAE, that's game. Here, people are the worst for being environmentally friendly ('Green Bags' have only really come about in the past 6 months and recylcing too for that matter.) This country has something like the world's highest per capital of energy consumption. So really, in reality, I guess the Capital of such a country is the perfect place.

At the moment, the 'City' houses 'Masdar Institute', which is a University. There is also student accommodation, a Japanese restaurant (which is meant to be delicious) and an Organic Supermarket. As I just wanted to have a look, I used the supermarket as my excuse.

When you arrive, you park your car in a multi-storey car park and then enter a concrete 'waiting station'. (Believe me when I say it is very futuristic!)  Then, you catch a Pod.  A driver-less, four-seater Pod.  It runs on magnets and it honestly felt like we were set on some Hollywood Science fiction movie.  Weird.  I can give you the report that Lily was not a fan.

Currently there is only one stop, so we (obviously) got off, walked up the stairs and landed at the University.  The Organic Supermarket was directly outside the door so we wandered around a little and got loads of Indian Labourers stopping in their tracks, to watch one particular little blonde-headed Aussie chickadee walking around.  She waved.  That made them show us their pearly whites.

That's the labourers in the distance after we got away from them! Lol

Student accommodation

The loopy-loopy stairs that take you to a built-up 'ground level'.

Told you someone didn't like the Pod Cars

Cars of the Future - Driver less Pod Cars

We weren't there for long, not a heap to look at at the moment, but it was good to actually see what they've been building and doing on that big desert paddock I see practically every day!

I can definitely tell you, it is a city of the future and if that is anything to go by, it is going to be an amazing place when it's finished.

To read more about Masdar City, click here. =)

(Click under 'Labels' to see the location of Masdar.)

Khalifa Park

The girls and I met up with a friend from school and her three children in Khalifa Park. Set on Abu Dhabi island, I have been wanting to visit there for a long time, after discovering it about six months ago. It is actually very pretty and lovely and quiet when we visited on Monday.

Lots of water fountains....

Loads of greenery....

And little places for little children to explore in...

There is even a section with about five shallow paddling pools with smaller fountains for the children to have fun in. I know where I'll be heading with MissM and MissL when the weather warms up...