Layovers

Traveling Blonde 1 thinks I'm crazy, but I like to book my flights so that I have time for something interesting on my way to my destination. When we went to Turkey I had 8 hours or so in Paris, and I took the train into town and walked around The Louvre and Notre Dame.  Today, I had 8 hours in Dubai and went to the Burj Kahlifa.  And yes, TB1 is right, I do look just as tired In these pictures as I did in Paris, but still, I'm so glad I went!

My flight was delayed out of DC, and I picked the slow line at immigration, so my 8 hour layover ended up being 6 hours. My 3:00pm ticket to the top was well expired by the time I reached the building, but one of the benefits of being a solo female traveler (I'm meeting TB1 in Colombo) is that people are generally nice and helpful. This time was no exception and I was granted access to the queue even with my expired ticket. 

The observation deck is at the 124th floor. That's only about 3/4 of the way up. There are a total of 163 floors. By comparison the Empire State Building has103 floors, and the Williams (Transco) Tower in Houston is only 64 floors high.

 

That's the top of my head on the observation deck and the still additional 40 floors above me.

From the observation deck you can see what looks like a tiny city cropping out of the dessert. Starting at dusk there is a dancing fountain display very 30min. I watched one show from the top, which is kind of silly because it was too high up to see anything, and then again another show from the ground level.

I wish I'd had more time. Dubai Mall is a destination in itself, with an aquarium and ice rink. This isn't the one with the ski slope though. The mall is bigger and more upscale than the Houston Galleria...which I didn't know was possible. It seemed so strange to walk by Pottery Barn, West Elm, and Louis Vuitton, just as they look in Houston.

I'm often asked, "Where is your favorite place you've been?" I have a tendency to name where ever I last visited.  This stop was surprisingly no exception! I spent a number of hours in Dubai, and I love it! So, glad I have another layover there on the way back. But ask me again tomorrow where my favorite place is and I wouldn't be surprised if I tell you Sri Lanka.