Abu Dhabi, UAE – News Around Town: The Friends of the Library will hold a Brunch on Saturday, January 27 at Olde Breton Inn from 11 a.m. to 1: 30 p.m.The cost is $25 per person. Guest Speaker is Rich Snider, journalist, author, historian, and D.C. tour guide. You may pay in advance online at the Library’s web site or you may print out the payment sheet to mail in with your reservation. You may also call (301)373-5823 or (301)751-2114 to make a reservation.
Southern Maryland Traditional Music and Dance invites members and friends to join a Celebration of Life for Bob Augustine on Saturday, Jan. 20, hosted by Bob’s wife, Anneliese, at the Chaptico Episcopal Church Parish Hall beginning at 1 p.m. You may RSVP to Anneliese if you would like to participate: harmonicello@ gmail.com, or you may call 240-577-2216. For more information regarding SMTMD you may contact: www.smtmd.org.
Travelogue from Abu Dhabi
Arabic Language Lesson from beautiful, downtown Abu Dhabi; Salaam Alekum = hello (usually spoken by one Muslim to another); Lazeez = delicious; Yella roos = let’s go; Kota (or Ota) = cat; Mumtaz = perfect
We are on holiday visiting family in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since the UAE was formed in 1971. We are staying in an apartment in a high-rise building complex on Reem Island which is one of Abu Dhabi’s major residential and commercial projects located just about a mile from the downtown area. Still suffering a bit from jet lag, our excursions thus far have mostly revolved around visits to restaurants. Monday night we dined at a Turkish restaurant and enjoyed salads, a yogurt drink, baked chicken and potatoes, and bread. On Tuesday, we had dinner at an Afghan restaurant with shawarma (chicken, fish, potatoes), Cole slaw and salad, a different kind of yogurt drink, and bread. On Wednesday afternoon we visited the Fish Market and chose several delicacies which we then took to a restaurant to be prepared for us (we chose Omani shrimp, local Abu Dhabi ladyfinger fish, Omani calamari, local Abu Dhabi hamour fish, and supreme fish. Dinner was rounded out with rocca salad with pomegranate dressing and hot tea. A special secret sauce for the fish prepared by the Syrian restaurant owner was a unique blend of red pepper, tomato paste, lemon salt, garlic, vinegar, and pomegranate. Between the time we chose our fish at the market and the time we returned to the restaurant for dinner, we took a delightful side trip around Abu Dhabi’s beautiful downtown Corniche (or boardwalk area) which is known for its luxury hotels, family beaches, the Abu Dhabi Theatre, the Heritage Festival and a picture-postcard breathtaking skyline view. This area encompasses about 6.4 km and runs from the Emirates Palace to the Sheraton Abu Dhabi Resort.
