Weekend Fun x 2

Hello my friends, near and far.  Or should I actually rather say far and further?
My last 2 weekends have been sooo much fun.

2 weeks ago, my friend Manuela came for a 4-day-visit.  It was wonderful having so much time together to catch up.  We went to the most important sights like the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Souk at Central Market, the Corniche and Mina harbour.  We had an exquisite Afternoon Tea at Emirates Palace and delicious dinners at Tarbouce @ Central Market Souk, at Prego's @ Beach Rotana and at Al Dhafra @ Mina.  We went shopping at Souk @ Qarat Al Beri, Marina Mall and Abu Dhabi Mall.  We had drinks on the 18th Floor Terrace of Hyatt Capital Gate and at the beach club of the Beach Rotana hotel.  Good thing Abu Dhabi is so small and even the airport is usually only a 30 minute trip by car from central AD.  On the other hand, there isn't really much more to discover in Abu Dhabi now, so for Manuela's next visit we will venture further out to Al Ain or Dubai or somewhere else in the UAE.

Emirates Palace Afternoon Tea

Manu in abaya and sheila at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

sun-set seen from Hyatt Capital Gate

Wendy art installation on Corniche

     

After all, there was so much laughter that weekend, I am sure we have gained another 2 years in life expectancy, and I appreciated sharing some of my impressions and experiences with someone who knows me so well and has the same cultural background.  Manuela enjoyed her time here, promised to come back and she will spread the word for making the trip to AD.  Mission accomplished.  Here's to more visitors!


And last weekend I was back in London, Baby!  The city where my heart still lives (only really my body, and possibly my mind, moved to Abu Dhabi).
After a delayed departure due to thick fog in Abu Dhabi I arrived at London's Heathrow at 7am Thursday morning and went straight to my friend Karen's house in Wimbledon.  I hadn't seen her since the Royal Ballet School's Year End performance on the main stage last July and she was eager to quiz me about my Arabian life.  Later for lunch I met with my former boss Ann and colleagues Terrie and Matt in the City and spent about 5 hours in the London office saying hello to old work-friends and colleagues.  It was really funny being back and colleagues greeting me, then doing a double-take and greeting me again properly after realising that actually I am not a regular in the London office any more.
Then I made my way over to Covent Garden, my usual walk from the City past St. Paul's and Chancery Lane, enjoying the London buzz.  At the Royal Opera House I met up with Karen again and some more Royal Ballet friends and tweeps.  At the Royal Ballet in Rehearsal in the Clore studio we were treated to Christopher Carr rehearsing La Valse with Nathalie Harrison, Tara-Brigitte Bhavnani, Olivia Cowley, Kenta Kura and Nicol Edmonds, with Kate Shipway on the piano.  Such a pleasure, Mr. Carr is quite a character, his rehearsals are intercepted with little anecdotes and although he seems to be a tough coach, I have the distinct feeling it's actually tough love and he in fact adores the dancers and simply wants them to excel themselves.
Friday noon I met my friends Carol and Roxana at the Hospital Club for the Now Is All There Is exhibition with photos of Royal Ballet dancers and we had lunch at the delectable Machiavelli restaurant.  Go there for breakfast, lunch, coffee and cake or dinner, I have not been disappointed yet, by either food or service.  Friday afternoon was spent with Carol chatting, falling in and out of shops (I may have made two or three purchases along the way... maybe including some shoes...).  After a quick stop at the Delaunay Counter for some mouthwatering Sacher-Torte we went back to the Royal Opera House for the Royal Ballet's Onegin (Federico Bonelli, Laura Morera, Gary Avis, Yuhui Choe, Nehemiah Kish).  Onegin is such a nice ballet, the costumes, music, choreo, it all works, Mr. Cranko created a true gem of a ballet back in 1965/67 and Londoners are very lucky with this ballet being in the Royal Ballet's repertoire (my impression is that the John Cranko Gesellschaft doesn't grant permission easily).  It was a very enjoyable performance, though the highlight of my trip was yet to come.
Saturday started early with breakfast with Roxana at Machiavelli's at 9am (!!!), after that I was meeting David to catch up properly before the Onegin Matinée.  So, here we go:  the original reason for this London-trip, Marianela Nuñez's debut as Tatiana in Onegin, dancing with her husband Thiago Soares in the title-role.  I might have mentioned in previous blog-posts how much I adore them, especially when they dance together.  There is that special connection of complete trust and great love and dedication (at least that's what I perceive it as).  Marianela portrayed Tatiana's journey from shy book-worm to love-struck teenager to sophisticated strong married woman as if she's danced this role many a times before, and Thiago's Onegin is also convincingly aloof and self-absorbed, realising all too late his mistake of rejecting Tatiana earlier in life.  In the final, tragic and heartbreaking Pas de Deux, where Tatiana sends Onegin away despite her obviously still having feelings for him, Marianela and Thiago had me in tears.  What an afternoon!
Again, a huge Thank You to my friends Virna and Liliana who generously gave me a ticket in the Orchestra Stalls, row F, with fantastic view of the stage close enough to see facial expressions without my binoculars yet far enough to see the whole stage (including feet) and no other patron's head blocking my view.  Due to this superb upgrade my original Stalls Circle Standing ticket could be used by my friend Max.  A bit like musical chairs.  I am over the moon that I made the trip to witness this fabulous début and I will always cherish the memories of this special performance.  Thank you Marianela and Thiago for your passion and awesome artistry!

 

After the show I had coffee with some friends at my beloved Pret a Manger, met with another group of friends at the Delaunay Counter (yet again some scrummy Sacher-Torte), managed to squeeze in dinner at Byron Burgers with Gilles before heading back out to Wimbledon to spend some time with Karen before getting up really early Sunday morning for my 9am flight back to Abu Dhabi.
But, my, how much fun did I have in these jam-packed 3 days in London.  I love and miss my friends there.  You know who you are!  I'll be back in April!  See you all there.
Until then, keep in touch via facebook, twitter, email and the odd Skype call.  What would I do without all these social networking sites?  Imagine still having to write snail-mail letters?  With the incredibly slow and unreliable Emirates Post I'd be there in person before the letters get delivered.

Anyway, as much fun as the last 2 busy weekends were, I today enjoyed a very nice and quiet Friday with a pampering session of massage and mani/pedi and just pottering around the flat.  Although, I do admit to being envious of all my friends back in London who had another chance of seeing the Royal Ballet with Onegin tonight, again with the marvellous Marianela Nuñez and Thiago Soares.

I don't think I could get away with more gushing and praising and positive comments about my past two brilliant weekend experiences without sounding like a demented lunatic, so I'll shut up now and simply enjoy my memories with a huge grin on my face.  Thank you for listening.

The Honeymoon Is Over

I know relationships aren't always easy. But what do you do when the rose-tinted glasses have come off and your love doesn't appear to be reciprocated and your love interest's bad habits are getting harder to ignore and tolerate?




Well, this appears to have happened with me and "The Big Smoke". I still love London but it seems I am currently not in love with it. However, in true style of a functioning relationship I guess we'll have to work on it and make this thing work, I am not a quitter (and I mean this not only in regards to not quitting chocolate or ice-cream).

First of all I guess I should try and remember the reasons why I fell head over heels in love with London in the first place: first and foremost the Royal Ballet Covent Garden, also it is such a cosmopolitan melting pot, all the cultural offerings (concerts, shows, museums, festivals etc.), the architecture, the history, the English language and last but by no means least the fantastic shopping opportunities. I am sure if I thought a little more I'd think of a lot more.


Well, all these factors are valid and haven't changed, so what is my problem???

It's the negative bits that are now more than niggling and are actually becoming very annoying.


London Transport: *Why is half the Tube network out of service every weekend and how much engineering work can you perform yet still incur severe delays and suspensions every single day of the week? *Is it really necessary to heat the carriages in winter with millions of people travelling on it, generating heat and actually sitting/standing there in their coats but in summer only managing feeble attempts to cool the trains and stations? *Is there actually any engineer assigned to the ongoing escalator works or are TFL just trying to cut electrical power cost by running less of them?

Tourists: I think visitors should pass a test before being allowed into this city. *Stand right walk left does mean exactly that and not filling up the whole escalator by standing next to each other and/or placing your bags all around you and at the same time ignoring polite "Excuse Me's" from people trying to pass. *Why do visitors get on or off the Tube and immediately come to a halt causing the person behind them to crash into them or also suddenly stopping in the middle of the street to look at something or take a photo; it's not too much to ask them to take note of your surrounding and step aside before stopping. Would they suddenly come to a standstill on a busy motorway? I don't think so. *Standing in line in a queue might seem old-fashioned but is in my humble opinion only showing respect for others, barging past everyone having arrived there before you is actually very impolite and ill-mannered.


Dirt and Noise: *Am I turning into an ablutomaniac? I don't think so, and yet I always carry a pack of wet-wipes with me and first thing I do when coming into the office in the morning is washing my hands (getting rid of newspaper ink and any germy Tube-grime) before I even get to my desk. *I believe washing yourself or your clothes isn't a hardship at all (washing machines have been a wonderfully practical and helpful invention) though apparently not everyone shares this standard of personal hygiene. Smelly people, let me tell you, the use of deodorant and brushing teeth goes a long way, not even mentioning wearing clean clobber. * I don't smoke and never have but my lungs must have suffered immensely in the past year, they are probably jet-black by now.

Housing: Way too expensive for the quality and space offered!!! 'nuff said!!!

Would therapy help? Possibly...
Anyway, for now I will kick myself in the butt and focus on the positive aspects of this relationship and start changing the stuff that isn't completely beyond my power.

I'll keep you posted.