We all know Dubai and many are keen to visit (and frequently do) but Abu Dhabi, just an hour and a half away and the capital of the Emirates, remains largely unknown and unvisited. Let me see if this Sunday morning I can fill in some of the glaring blanks for you. I was there last weekend and came back enchanted with the place. I'd say its charm is deeper and more satisfying than the seemingly transitory glamour and glitz of Dubai, its better-known frère (brother).
The atmosphere of Abu Dhabi is more relaxed and a lot less frenetic than Dubai. If the latter is New York, the former approximates Paris. The traffic flows more smoothly, the boulevards and highways as glorious and the hotels and restaurants as numerous and luxurious. You tend to see more Emiratees enjoying their city, whether it's shopping or eating out, than in Dubai. Expatriates may still dominate the city's residents but they don't seem to frighten the locals away.
The wonders of Abu Dhabi include its cultural gems. The Louvre and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque are two obvious examples. The Sorbonne and New York University are two others.
This story is from the December 22, 2024 edition of Hindustan Times Punjab.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 22, 2024 edition of Hindustan Times Punjab.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Legend, institution, icon: Industry remembers Shyam Benegal
Filmmaker Shyam Benegal, considered the pioneer of Indian parallel cinema, died at the age of 90 on Monday, leaving behind a legacy that remains unparalleled.
'OTT has offered me the genres I wasn't getting previously'
This festive season, actor Tahir Raj Bhasin has more reasons to celebrate — his OTT series Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein (YKKA) Season 2 has been well-received, and the show is all set for a third outing.
India face Bangladesh in their CT opener, Pakistan on Feb 23
India will play Bangladesh on February 20 in their opening Group A game of the ICC Champions Trophy, to be played in Dubai as part of the hybrid model agreed for the tournament.
Konstas to debut; Head, Rohit ready to go
Much of the intrigue on Tuesday centred around the fitness of two key figures on either side—Australia's Travid Head and India's Rohit Sharma.
INDIA GEAR UP FOR WOMEN'S T20 U-19 WORLD CUP TITLE DEFENCE
The India women's cricket team has so far been unsuccessful in winning a World Cup, not even after the big boost of coming under the BCCI fold in 2006.
Harleen Deol, Pratika Rawal shine as India women clinch ODI series
It was a thoroughly dominant all-round performance from India yet again in this series as they defeated West Indies by 115 runs in the second women's ODI and took a 2-0 lead in the three-match series at the Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara on Tuesday.
Khel Ratna row: Lapse on my part, says Manu
Seeking to end all \"speculations\" after her name was not considered for the Khel Ratna Award, Paris Olympics double medallist shooter Manu Bhaker on Tuesday admitted to a possible lapse in her application for the country's top sports award.
US sanctions on 4 Pak firms have 'no justification': PM
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday defended Pakistan's nuclear and missile programme, saying the recent US sanctions against the country's four entities have \"no justification\".
Russian firm denies corruption in Bangladesh nuclear plant project
Russia's state-run nuclear agency on Tuesday refuted allegations of corruption and embezzlement leveled against it by an anti-graft panel in Bangladesh looking into an atomic power plant it is building in the South Asian country.
Killed Haniyeh in Tehran, Israel says for 1st time
Defence Minister Israel Katz on Monday acknowledged that Israel had killed former Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this year, as he warned the military would \"decapitate\" the leadership of Yemen's Houthi rebels.
