fastest, largest, tallest

Over the last few weeks I've visited several blog-worthy sites but haven't had a chance to write about them. So I'll compile a few pictures to offer an overview of several places.

The Red Bull Air Race came to Abu Dhabi the weekend of March 27th, when my parents were visiting. This picture really doesn't do the show justice... (See the plane in front of the far-right tall building in the center of the picture). Planes came whizzing past the beach very low to the ground and then followed a stunt course laid out in the bay. I don't think I've ever seen such dare-devil tactics ever before. As amazing as it was to watch, the temperature that day was well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so we watched about five planes and then sought shelter in a nearby mall.

We also visited the Grand Mosque, which is beautiful. Mom and I had to put on abayas in order to enter the mosque, and everyone takes off their shoes as well. This is the only mosque in Abu Dhabi that allows non-Muslim visitors, I believe. We were glad to catch the morning tour, which was very informative.

The largest carpet in the world...






and the largest chandelier in the world.

The next day we took a day trip to Dubai, where the Burj Kalifa--the tallest building in the world--was our major destination. You can't miss it, though we mistook another tall building for the Burj before it came into view! Really. The skyline was hazy enough that day that you couldn't see the Burj from a distance.