After the fire. The Address Hotel.

Since these two photos were taken, the Address Hotel has undergone a full refurbishment after a fire on New Years Eve 2015.

You'll also notice the building on the left, which is part of Dubai Mall has altered from restaurant balconies to being filled in which is now the World's largest Apple Store.

The Address Hotel still smouldering on New Years Day 2016.

Week 158 Bluewater Islands and Dubai Eye. Man made island a 210m high Big Wheel
Week 159 Dubai Marina - Reflections
Week 160 Dubai Frame. A window between the Old and New Dubai and a 150m high glass floor.

Week 161 Dubai Marina 3 years apart.

Week 162 Dubai Water Canal Bridge Construction and reconfiguration of roads

Week 163 New Metro Line for Expo 2020
Week 164 Hoover Dam 2002 - 2010
Week 165 Dubai Opera House What a difference a year makes
Week 166 Unfinished buildings. The Pentominium
Week 167 Mixing the old and the new. Coventry Catherdral
Week 168 New Dubai Metro Station 
Week 169 Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa 

My Sunday Photo - Week 54

Last week I showed you a photo of The Address hotel fire in Downtown Dubai. It was still smouldering almost 24 hours later.

Yesterday we visited the Dubai Mall, it was such a sad sight to see. I am absolutely stunned that no one died or was seriously injured and the fire crews and hotel had one of a drill going to ensure everyones safety. The hotel was evacuated in 20 minutes. Add to that it was New Years Eve and there were around 1 million people there to watch the firework celebrations. It could've been so much work, especially if people on the ground had panicked.

I received some fantastic feedback from my first weeks planning at the school for my new job, I think I'm on top of everything now.

This week I shall be working while my husband and child 3 of 5, The Jamie, visit the top of the Burj Khalifa today, go to the Mall of Emirates tomorrow and I'll meet them in the evening for dinner at Global Village. On Tuesday they are cycling in the desert and dinner is on the beach at a fish restaurant. Jamie returns to the UK on Wednesday, but is back out in March with the #teen and before then we have 3 sets of visitors coming out.

Hope everyone has a good week.

My Sunday Photo - Week 53

I'm back in work on Sunday, it's the first working day of the week here in Dubai, a country that I wasn't all that keen on when we moved here, however after a year it has started to grow on me, we've made friends and more importantly I've landed myself a teaching job. I wasn't working when I booked the teens flight out and the 23 year old booked his, so I'm a little sad to be missing out on their last week here, but Peter has taken leave for the rest of their stay and I've hired a car so I can get back and forth to work while they drive off to Hatta, Ferrari World, etc.

We had an amazing New Years Eve 2016 viewed from the beach which is 1km from our home. We are 5 kms from the Burj Al Arab and 9 kms from the Burj Khalifa.

We were without internet on the beach and noticed how the Burj Khalifa was engulfed with what we thought to be cloud, sadly on our return home we discovered it was smoke from the Address Hotel.

This photo was taken at 5.30pm yesterday, 20 hours after the blaze started. The fire damage is much worse than first reported and it's the 4th major fire in Dubai in 2015.

 The firework display from the beach lasted over 40 minutes, starting at the Burj Khalifa, viewed from the back, and the Atlantis. 

Next a huge wall of fireworks were set off up near the Creek

And stretched out into the sea

Finishing with a huge finale at the Burj Al Arab

Hope you enjoyed the show, we certainly did, we thought last years fireworks were spectacular, this year's was just mind blowing, can't wait to find out how we are going to end 2016.