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So my time in Abu Dhabi is coming to an end. I fly home to London next Friday and begin 6 weeks of qualification leave…I am incredibly happy that in a few weeks I will be a qualified lawyer and an associate in a Bank Finance department.

But before that, I have lots to do and people to see. I will be spending time in Milan, Geneva, Portugal and of course in London. It has been a fascinating 6 months here in the United Arab Emirates and I have the majority of it! I’ve also learnt an awful lot about myself!

Now, it’s time to get back to loved ones and enjoy the rest of the European summer.

The Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque is a breathtaking piece of architecture and is an incredible sight as you drive onto of off the main island of Abu Dhabi. I’ve visited a number of times since arriving in Abu Dhabi and I never fail to be impressed.

I’ll miss this welcome sight on my way back to Abu Dhabi and those few times I actually venture ‘off-island’!

A friend in Abu Dhabi has recently bought a horse and I jumped at the chance of heading up to the Royal Stables to take some photos. I’ve never taken many ‘portraits’ of the equine variety although fortunately am very comfortable around horses! Over two early-morning visits, I think I picked up some useful skills and some nice photos in the process.
The learning process…I love it! Click on the image above for the full set.

This week was the second outing for WOMAD Abu Dhabi and I was fortunate enough to get a press pass for the first two evenings. There is SO much going on at these festivals; I concentrated my efforts on two cracking bands, Babylon Circus and Trans-Global Underground.
There was disappointment after Damien Marley pulled out of the last night, but from what I saw, WOMAD Abu Dhabi was another huge success.

Click through for more photos on Flickr or purchasing options on Zenfolio.

After an epic Friday with the ‘trainee’ gang (meaning an all-you-can-eat brunch, PJ O’Reillys (Royal Meridian), Pearls & Caviar (Shangri La), Chameleon (The Fairmont) and then Etoiles (Emirates Palace), rest and recuperation was required.

Up early to grab our spots on the beach, we ended up having a great view of the Red Bull Air Race off the Corniche from the Hiltonia Beach Club. Whilst we couldn’t hear the commentary, we could tell who was doing well and who wasn’t (including wincing as one pilot was disqualified for ‘dangerous flying’ as he swooped barely a meter above the water).

All in all, good fun although the weather is definitely heating up!

Click the photo for the rest of the gallery.

Abu Dhabi is perfectly arranged for beach-related sports events. The Corniche is a fantastic stretch of beach which this weekend hosted Wakestock, 2010’s (and Abu Dhabi’s) first stop on the ‘Wakeboard World Series’ tour.

There is something extraordinarily relaxing about sunsets; perhaps it is because they signal the ‘wind-down’ of another day?

I thought I’d seen impressive sunsets in Europe but here, they may be very short (you can literally watch the sun drop out of the sky) but they are beautifully golden and bath everything in a wonderful glow.

I haven’t had a chance to photograph many but it is going to be a project for the next few weeks!

I was lucky enough to get a pass to the 2nd Abu Dhabi Yacht Show at the incredible Yas Marina, which has already hosted the Formula 1 (on the Yas Marina Circuit) at the end of 2009. It was a scorching day and attendance was good; a mixture of awe-struck guests (myself included), brokers, press and yacht owners. It was quite easy to spot who was who!
I had a good wander around with my camera and as you can see, it was an incredible spectacle (despite there not being enough proper sailing yachts!). Not only were the boats ’super’ and ‘mega’ but the Yas Hotel is easily the most impressive hotel I have been in. I will definitely be going back at night for some dinner and drinks to see the colour-changing cladding.