We made it to UAE and its capital, Abu Dhabi. Everything was spotless and shiny and glittered in gold and crystals. I was transported back to my childhood in the UAE seeing all the Arabs in their attire. With limited time in each port, we have to decide on one main thing a day, and today was the Sheikh Zayed Grande Mosque. This is the third largest mosque in the world with room for more than 40,000 people. It was breathtaking. I had never been inside a mosque before because of the strict rules but here they welcome everyone as long as they respect the rules they set out which includes dressing modestly. None of what I had packed in my suitcase was modest in their opinion, so I bought an abaya that looked like something a forest creature in a fairytale would wear. That aside and the visit was jaw-dropping. White marble everywhere. 24 carat gold. The world’s largest hand knitted rug. The grandeur of it all could turn anyone into a believer.

Before we got back to the ship we had the time to bike along the corniche, the beachside promenade, and met a cat colony. The bike rental was a disaster but that’ll be left for another story.