On my old blog, I touch upon the issue of the Bedoun (although mostly my ignorance of the matter). This is what I wrote then – from the observation deck of Kuwait Towers: I’m soon joined by the only other westerner here. A journo from a Central European country, he is there to cover the [...]
Kuwait and the Gulf War
The most evocative house in Kuwait City must surely be Kuwait House of National Memorial Museum, Bait Al Watani. Outside the house is an Iraqi tank. The taxi driver, Assis, ensures I see it. The 1 KD entrance fee gets me a personal guide. Sakina begins by reeling off names of former sheikhs; the earliest [...]
Friendly Fujairah
We’ve come to our last emirate. Some of the seven we quite liked, others had less to offer. However, this is a region – and country – undergoing incredibly rapid development. By next year, they may all have heaps of interesting things to see and do. All the same, for now, I’m happy to finish [...]
Affluent Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, holds a whopping 9 % of the world’s oil reserves, is the richest city on earth, safe, green, clean … and… dare I say it, slightly dull. The Emir of Abu Dhabi – Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, better known as Sheikh Khalifa – is president [...]
Spry Sharjah
Between Ajman and Dubai lies Sharjah, the third largest emirate – and perhaps the third best known, as well. Sharjah is also the most conservative emirate: alcohol is completely forbidden, dress codes are strict and no mixing of men and women if unwed. Not even a sheesha cafe to be found. Despite those rather medieval [...]
Anonymous Ajman
Continuing our United Arab Emirates road trip onwards from Umm al-Quwain, we came to the diminutive little emirate of Ajman. At only 260 square km, Ajman is indeed little, but with a quarter of a million people, it didn’t seem as tiny as I had anticipated. Furthermore, it seems the closer to Dubai, the better [...]
Unsung Umm Al-Quwain
Going south after our failed Musandam venture, our driver (you know, the one who had forgotten his passport) tried to persuade us to go directly from Ras Al-Khaimah to Ajman, and give Umm Al-Quwain a miss. But in my quest to see every single emirate, that simply would not do. He finally caved. The reason [...]
Daydreaming Dubai
We’re just back from a cruise. The boat was Norwegian, yet we were just about the only “locals” on board. Sailing south along the calm Pacific, we went through the Panama Canal and back north along the much choppier waters of the Atlantic. Quite the experience. However, travelling with kids is not conducive to writing, [...]
Welcome! I'm Sophie - writer, dreamer, negotiator, wanderer - mostly with my daughters, sometimes solo.
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Autumn leaves in Kew Gardens
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Three Terrific Christmas Markets
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From Aberystwyth With Love
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A Quirky Christmas Market in Paris
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Urbino – a secret Italian hilltop town
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No more: The natural bridge of Aruba
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Travel photo – Brimstone Hill Fortress, Saint Kitts
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High Tea at the Old Cataract in Aswan
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Warsaw’s Jewish cemetery: a memorial to a cruel past
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A to Z of Sophie’s World
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Anne-Sophie Redisch: It really is a pity. I think it was very popular a...
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