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Biggest of everything in Dubai - 9 August

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Very, very hot today - 45C in the shade. After 4 full days, the heat becomes quite draining and you certainly need to manage your outside activity. Fortunately that is manageable because everything indoors is air conditioned. Off on the train after breakfast and there is almost a fight over who is giving their seat to Pat. 70 year old, white europeans are a rarity - and even more so on the trains. Today we are at Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Mall and the Dubai Fountain. The Mall is about 800m walk via overhead walkway from the Metro station, much of it on travelators. The Mall is said to be the world's largest - spread over 1 million square metres and containing 1200 retail outlets plus hundreds of food outlets. Naturally, all of the world brands are there but there does not seem to be a lot of business being done. It must be very different in the Tourist season, otherwise it is hard to imagine how they can all be viable - and nothing here is cheap. You just about need a gps to find y...
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Down to Palm Jumeirah - 8 August

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Still not waking early, so behind the eight ball on getting on the move. Breakfast and coffee, then underway to Palm Jumeirah. This trip takes us pretty much along Dubai's coastal length and across much of its Metro service. The Metro is outstanding, just two lines, 47 stations (2 of which are interconnecting). The Metro is almost exclusively built high above the ground, so excellent views. Purchased a full day multi use, all zone, ticket today. After Green line interchange, the Red line is crowded this morning but Pat is immediately offered a seat as we head to Damac Properties station for interchange on to the Dubai tram (a single line and really a light rail). Big mistake here as we sat in the "women & children only" pink zone and I was soon corrected by an on board official (avoiding the 100UAD fine for such a transgression). So there are Silver Zones (standard), Gold Zones, Women & Children Only Zones, but no old man zones!! A few stops on the tram (tram ...
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Old Dubai - 7 August

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Another sleep in but underway after breakfast and a coffee by 10.30am. Today was old Dubai day - and another day of 39C ("feels like 45C") so you need to manage outside activity carefully. So down to the Metro (7 minutes) then the air conditioning of the station and the train, along The Creek and the spice market (20 minutes), a dhow cruise (air conditioning and only 4 on board - would hold 60), across The Creek on an Abra (us and 10 locals and a 15 minute walk to the Dubai Museum (mostly air conditioned and underground), 15 minute walk to the Metro and 7 minutes back to Raffles. Spice market just individual shops, so only entered one thus avoiding multiple salesmen. Dhow cruise very good as we traversed The Creek, travelling through old Dubai and where it meets up with modern Dubai. The Creek is the life blood of trading into and out of Dubai and is very busy. In "season" it must be packed as there are so many boats. Crossing The Creek on an Abra is the way it is...
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Raffles Dubai - wow!!! 6 August

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Our package here is from Luxury Escapes and includes a number of upgrades (bear in mind that this is the "off season" in the UAE - and it is very hot) but this hotel is something else. We have a Club class upgrade to a huge suite (lounge suites, desks, massive bed etc, very large balcony - and our drapes open and close electronically when we enter and leave). The standout however is the staff. They are just so incredibly pleasant and customer focussed - stand still and you will be swept off your feet with offers of help. I was not even allowed to carry my omelette back to the table at breakfast. Breakfast was at around 10am, given that it was close to 2am when we checked in. We adjoin the WAFI Mall, a big mall by our standards, but nothing compared to what we will see. Full of designer shops but without a lot of customers. No purchases, then back to Raffles for some time around the pool - towels, cold drinks and an umbrella before our bums hit our seats. Our upgrade includ...
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Off the ship and on to Dubai - 5 August

Very relaxed start for us as we are not off the Royal Princess until 9.15am. The cruise has been very good, although a little port intensive at the front end. The entertainment, in particular, has been outstanding, and the food excellent. Our dinner companions were great company and, as I have regularly mentioned, our table was almost always the last to vacate. Jim & Joanne from the US were pretty much our age. Jim a fisherman (think Rex Hunt - the "Bearded Burbler") who outwardly had all the appearances of a Donald Trump supporter (steel production background, a man of the outdoors, very solid beer drinker), proved to be very anti-Trump. His anti-Trump views would make him an excellent man on the ground for our ABC. Joanne was a very intelligent and thoughtfull lady (long time teacher) and a good conversationalist. In her own subtle way she had Jim under control despite his protestations. Heinz & Ohla from Canada were quite a few years younger, but very good compa...
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Le Havre - the suprise packet

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Le Harvre is the port city for Paris (2 hours away) and many of our fellow travellers are headed that way, some to the D Day Beaches, some to Monet's Garden - and some even further to Mont St Michel, 3 hours away.  We are not interested in tackling the longer journeys in the time available (and have been to all but Mont St Michel. We settled on staying in Le Havre although I had no great expectations. It was another perfect day in the high 20'sC. Le Havre is France's second biggest port (second to Marseilles) and its biggest container port - and it is a huge, primarily industrial port. We took the shuttle to the town centre for coffee and a 1 hour pre-arranged open top mini bus tour. This proved that my early thoughts were misplaced when we drove through very nice suburbs on the hills, through pleasant shopping strips, past beautitul parks, some historic buildings and a beach on the edge of town. Le Havre was heavily bombed during WWII and, as a result, much of the city w...
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A perfect day at sea - 3 August

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A relaxed start to the day with Pat joining me for breakfast in Allegro (breaking her usual breakfast in the cabin routine). A stunning day weather wise, not a cloud, not a breath of wind, and the sea like a mill pond. Passed many oil & gas platforms (including some doubles and triples), wind farms and, as we headed south, more and more shipping (even saw a break down being towed by a tug). Coffee at the Princess Live Cafe, time in the sunshine on the Promenade Deck, a light lunch in Alfredo's then more time in the sun on the Sun Deck. Late afternoon on our cabin verandah as we sail past more wind farms - hundreds and hundreds of turbines and not a blade moving!!! Bomb Alaska dinner tonight and guess what??? Princess Theatre tonight for Encore production show, then a trio in the Vista Lounge before Irish comedian, George Casey entertained us again. Perfect weather today made this about the best sea day we have ever experienced.  Excellent shows on this cruise, particu...
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