Travelling at the moment. Stopped over in Abu Dhabi en route to the UK. Loved it. Here's what was good:

-- Etihad. Well-designed seats; professional quality headsets; and lovely, attentive service. Kind of restores one's faith that flying need not be an entirely unpleasant experience. Well done, guys.

-- The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Look at the photos -- this place is stunning.



-- The Corniche. Stroll and view, stroll and view: the sea on one side, Abu Dhabi's impressive, still-evolving architecture on the other.



-- The malls. We did only two of many, and found them spacious, uncrowded, pleasant places to shop. And, as always, great for people-watching...

-- The food. Middle Eastern-focused, of course. Great fattoush, chicken kofta, and amazing layered fruit drinks from a mall food court. Pastries from Al Baba. A breakfast buffet laden with foul medames; lamb pie; cheese pie; and hummus, lebneh, and salad to eat with pitta bread. And -- Persian food at Hatam, in the Marina Mall. I'd forgotten how wonderful Iranian bread is, especially served with little pickles, feta cheese, olives, mint, and other leaves. So simple, so delicious. This we followed up with doogh (buttermilk and mint drinks); lentils and stewed lamb in a tomato-based sauce; and yoghurt-crusted chicken kebabs. Such tender meat, such deliciously creamy rice, such fabulous flavours... We finished off with Turkish coffee, infused with cardamom. A heaven of a meal.