Getting Ready for Christmas

The weather is still warm, so we have to force ourselves into Christmas mode. Thankfully, there are malls decked-out for Christmas - Dubai style. Of course Santa has to be seen and Christmas concerts and parties at school are naturally a big deal. And when it's dark outside, if you play Christmas music, it almost feels like the holidays.

Here is our visit to Wafi Center Mall to visit Santa. While Maria waited in line, Steve and the girls completed a 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' scavenger hunt. Wafi is a beautiful mall; note the elegant stained glass ceiling from the section called "The Eye of Horace" - styled after an ancient Egyptian god. We'll let you know if we win the elevator full of Godiva Chocolate!

And Christmas wouldn't be the same without a trip to the Trowbridge house for a festive Christmas dinner and holiday cheer with Bruce, Michelle, Avery (Kates BFF), Jacob and Jillian.

Cool Istanbul

There are so many places we want to see and living in Dubai has brought us much closer to so many places. We decided to head to Istanbul for a long weekend to see one of the world's great cities. We truly enjoyed our stay. Like so many people we've met during our travels, the Turks are wonderfully hospitable people. We felt welcome our entire stay... so welcome that people were falling over themselves to try to sell us carpets and spend our money.

We spent our few days being tourists and seeing as many of the sites as possible. It was an amazing feeling to be in a city that was once called Byzantium and Constantinople, and was once the capital of the eastern Roman and Ottoman empires – an amazing history. We visited the grand mosques including Hagia Sofia, the 4th largest church/mosque in the world. We walked the halls and viewed the treasures of the great Ottoman Sultans at Topkapi Palace and cruised the Bosphorus Strait, watching the ships travel the “Sultan’s Highway”.

Istanbul and its people are as remarkable as the city’s history. We had a terrific time.

Back To School

The school year began on August 30th this year with Anna in 2nd grade and Kate in KG2 (equivalent of kindergarten). They both have some friends in their class from last year and are seem to be settling in well to the usual routines. Kate's teacher is named Ms. April. She is from Canada. Anna's teacher, Ms. Fischer, is from the United States. They are both young and full of energy, like the kids!

Eid in Muscat, Oman

The Vittone Woolley's took off for Oman, our neighboring country to the southeast, to celebrate Eid ul Fitr. Eid marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. We decided to spend the long weekend in Oman's capital of Muscat.

The drive from Dubai is nearly 6 hours, at least two of that is spent at boarder control in long lines filling out paperwork, getting special car insurance, and paying this person and that, and delivering paperwork from office to office. (All this to repeat on return to the UAE.)

However, it is certainly worth the time and small headache. The capital and surrounding area supports a population of 1 million, but certainly doesn't feel like a bustling metropolis. It has a very laid-back feel to it and we enjoyed exploring the old souk (marketplace), the local museum, the many forts, and hanging out on the beach.

Though not many major difference from the UAE besides a noticeable lack of Ferarri's and Hermes handbags, we noticed that the men's headdress sports a more fez-like embroidered hat. The women's clothing broke from the traditional black abaya to very bright colors. The buildings, instead of a beige were white, much like Abu Dhabi. And the tops of their mosques were painted in beautiful vibrant colors and designs. The people of Oman were warm and welcoming

Our trip back included a quick stop in Nizwa, Oman's old capital city and home of the country's largest fort, and a drive back through the rocky mountains of central Oman that we would describe as ruggedly beautiful.

Amsterdam

What a great city. We spent one night and one day exploring a city we always fly to but never spend anytime in. Steve booked us tickets to see the Anne Frank House. It was my first time and Steve's second. I was moved to tears throughout. The girls were also very touched and sad. There were many questions that Steve and I had to answer after that visit. While we tried to prepare ourselves for how to explain to Anna and Kate why that hide-out was necessary, our plans to deliver an age appropriate “gentle truth” message were tossed-out the window as soon as the kids came face-to-face with photos from the camps. The place left a lasting impression. We bought a children's version of her diary so that we can learn more about her circumstances. On a lighter note, we visited the Vincent Van Gogh Museum . It was very child friendly and had a nice 'museum' hunt which turned out to be a great way to explore Van Gogh's paintings. We also spent sometime exploring the canals near our hotel. This was a good last stop before returning to our Dubai life and the start of school.

Chateau Bellevue in Southwest France

Steve organized the BEST vacation for us this summer: amazing food, unbelievable wine, beautiful scenery, reuniting with family and friends, and complete relaxation. That's how I would describe our the week in France . Joining us was Steve's sister Pamela and nephew Henry, and our friends Kris, Greg and best dog, Taffy. Pamela's long-time friend Michele Consolaro owns the chateau. It is now a family business as her two daughters, Emilie and Charlotte. They were fabulous hosts. Charlotte is the chef and her partner Thomas is the sommelier - he always chose a wondeful local wines for our meals. Though we based ourselves in a city called Cazaubon, we did take a couple day trips to taste wine in St. Emilion (including Cheval Blanc, a wine Steve loves), Pomerol and St. Julian, spent a day in Biarritz on the Atlantic coast where the kid's played in the big waves, and toured some local historic towns and markets. Though the kids enjoyed their day trips, they would have been just has happy to play in the Chateaux's backyard under the big tree and swim in their pool! The adults too enjoyed the leisurely pace of the rural countryside.

July 4th Baptism

It was a very special 4th of July weekend for us. Our Chicago neices, Amanda and Sophie Woolley, were baptised in our church by our favorite Pastor Jeannine with the water we gathered from the Jordan River last spring. Grandma and Grandpa Woolley(WI) and Morales (OK), their Aunt Jenn (MD) and their Aunt and cousin from Minneapolis were also present. The girls were so cooperative and looked like little angels. We were so happy to host the event and become Godparents again. Steve's twin, Aunt Jenn, stayed with us for a week. We so enjoyed the entire Woolley week/weekend.