Richard And Jo Demeester's photos

Sharjah is home to a number of interesting and varied museums. The art museum was a highlight. Having only a handful of pieces for each era kept the experience from feeling crowded or overwhelming. The mix of modern and contemporary pieces was an excellent taster.

Umm Al Qwain is way less developed than its nearby relatives. The city has few towers, no hustle or bustle, and a vibe of taking it easy. Celebrating our anniversary in a resort by the lagoon seemed perfect and appropriate.

Of course, most of the abandoned buildings are houses and some shops. Wandering up and down the streets, we chose one every now and then with an architectural difference to enter and explore in more detail The tree here is a Eucalyptus, widely planted in the area for its fast-growing shade.

Red Island in English, Al Jazeera Al Hamra was once a thriving centre, one of the regions important pearling centres. With the introduction of cultured pearls, the town was unable to survive the down turned economy. Eventually, everyone left, and by the 1970s it was completely abandoned. What remains has been largely pillaged. Anything of value or interest carted off long ago. We spent a few hours clambering through the haunting shells of a once-was-life, creating stories in our head for the rooms with traces of decoration.

The day I learnt about the Al Nahwa counter enclave, it was added to my list of unique and weird places in the world to visit. Madha is an Omani enclave, entirely in the UAE. Al Nahwa is a UAE, more specifically Sharjah, counter enclave, entirely in Madha. Really, it needs to be seen on a map to start the process of comprehension. Al Nahwa is the hole in the Madha donut on the UAE plate... or something like that. While in Al Nahwa, we ascended to this ridge with restored old watch towers.

A nineteenth century mud brick fort in Al Ain, originally both residential and strategic in nature. The palm oasis was a valuable asset, and there are a number of defensive structures dotted in its vicinity.

Tens of thousands of date palms form the basis of the Al Ain oasis. Underground irrigation feeds the palms, and hundreds of other plant varieties, in what is considered the oldest oasis in the Emirates. Parts of the irrigation system are 3,000 years old. Shaded paths meander through and it was a pleasant place to pass a few hours of the day..

Bronze Age structures nestled in the foothills just out of Al Ain in Abu Dhabi.

The story of how we ended up at a prime viewing spot for an unexpected Burj fountain and light spectacular is for another time. Perhaps in person. The long and the short is that we had no idea at all there were special performances were scheduled. A fountain show, even a highly rated one, would be some water squirting in time to music, accompanied by some lasers on the actual Burj Khalifa. Suddenly, in spite of, or almost because of, our lack of knowledge of the evening's program, we were in a prime spot. From here we witnessed a 25 minute plus performance. Live dancers and musicians, fire, drones, lights and projections, lasers, and of course, fountains. Perfectly choreographed to a score we got a Dubai story.

One of our favourite moments during the light show spectacular.

A striking asymmetrical elliptical torus building, decorated with Arabic calligraphy with quotes about innovation and progress. The calligraphy also serves as windows. Inside, one does not really get a sense of how the building is shaped around you. The museum is certainly ranked amongst Dubai's iconic structures.

Ascending to the top of the frame was not in the agenda. Although at 150 metres it did promise grand views, we found the concept and construction more interesting in its own right.

There appears to be a bit of a revival in interest in "Old Dubai", and now there are some areas that feel a bit manufactured and lack authenticity. However, some pockets feel nicely restored and genuine, paying legitimate homage to what Dubai may once have been. We spent a few nights in a gorgeous little boutique accommodation in Al Fahidi, allowing us to wend and wind through the old streets and markets after the majority of tourists had made their way back to their new town hotels.

Paid vantage points were pricey, We may have had a long wait, but it was free.

Assumption: nobody was disappointed. We were blown away, having never experienced fireworks like this. Somewhere between 10 and 15 minutes, augmented with lasers and drones.