Sunday, March 24

Breakfast consisted, once again of homemade tapas: spread, hot peppery cheese, and cucumber, on little multigrain biscuits. We had it later than yesterday, because we had spent some time celebrating the normality of my neck.

On arrival we had picked up a copy of Time Out which, in Dubai, has become an uncritical booster of eating, dining, partying, and turning a blind eye to everything else. After breakfast I started reading it.

In Time Out, (page 46 of the March 2019 issue) I learned that we might “continue the party at the American bar Rib and Brews where you’ll find the team serving craft hops, grape and short measures”. I also learned that the City Brunch features “American brews, specially mixed drinks…” and “better yet, free-flowing sparkling is included in the house beverage package”.

Notice the euphemisms. Nobody serves beer, they serve brews. Nobody serves wine, they serve grape or sparkling. Cocktails become “specially mixed drinks”. I have wondered on each visit about the exact status of alcoholin Dubai. It gets served openly, and many businesses (like Irish pubs) completely rely on it, but it never gets discussed. I make a mental note to find out more.

I discovered that one of the little storage bags we had bought from Daiso yesterday had a faulty zip and so, breakfast over and Time Out read, off we went.

We got a new bag and (inevitably) several other things too.

We then went back to Brands for Less where we bought (almost) nothing. On the way back we missed the lights and decided to cross the road via the subway through the metro station.

I stop and look around at the almost empty, almost pristine space. I take a photograph.

We will buy Naa some chocolates from Gift Village to thank her for looking after Sunshine.

Packing done, we will go down to the second floor to the outdoor pool, which we will have to ourselves.

At 14:00 we will check out and get a cab to the airport, where we will spend a couple of hours in the lounge. Getting through security and immigration will again happen at walking speed.

At 17:50 we will take off. Irma will have seat 1D and I will have 1H. We will giggle at the entertainment system and the free samples in their Marimekko bags.

I will update the last few days of this using the onboard wifi (free for one hour).