Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Rodizio of shopping malls

Dubai is mostly well-known for being a shopping haven. This doesn't mean shopping is cheap, only that it is done in style, the Dubai way. Shopping is also the main hobby for people that live here. Maybe not for the least qualified people that probably work 7 days a week, but for most of the other residents and a large number of the tourists. Specially in the Summer where the streets are scolding hot, this is the preferred destination of a day out.

Because of this, shopping malls in this Emirate are as common as Nandos in the UK (this means there are a lot!). Some of them even became famous on their own either for their sheer size or special characteristics. We ended up only going to 3 (or 2 if we count "proper" ones). And here is what we saw:

1. Atlantis, Palm Jumeirah

This is actually a hotel (a huge, luxurious one) but, of course, it had to enclose a shopping center. Located just at the edge of the Palm Jumeirah the set of stores is actually quite small. however, it still had its particularities, including a Gordon Ramsey restaurant.

A detail of the roof, appropriate to the name of the hotel
Want to buy Gold?...
...it comes as a heart!

2. Mall of the Emirates

Opened in 2005 it has over 600 stores and is quite a majestic place for a shopping mall; however in Dubai (and even for us that were on our second day) it felt normal.



Its most distinctive point is, however, not its size or the luxury of its stores, but the fact that it encloses a Ski slope! Yes, a Ski slope in the desert! The temperature inside the complex is below 0C, which creates situations that are a bit odd like when you see people with light summer dresses looking behind the glass to people with heavy winter coats!

The entrance to the whole facility (which is quite big)
Beyond the looking glass

3. The Dubai Mall

This is the mall of all the malls (at least as far as my knowledge goes, which isn't that much)! But Wikipedia told me this is the second largest in the world in terms of area with a total of 1,200 stores! Yes, over 1,000 stores! You can literally get lost!

Some areas look more like streets than corridors
Shall we meet near Louis Vuitton?
Men and cars (yes, there is a Ferrari store inside!)
Why not have a Souk inside?
The divers fountain. It's 3 floors high

Nonetheless, its most impressive feature is not even its size (again!), it is the huge Aquarium that there is inside! I'll just let the images speak for themselves.

No, those people are not small, it's the aquarium that is quite big!
For a big aquarium, a very big fish!
We had to capture this! :P

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