This, in essence, is how I feel about Dubai.  I can sympathise with those who feel it is crude and uncultured, crass and  ostentatious...but my oh my , how it sparkles and beguiles close up...

Just back from the DEAL Trade show in the City and a short break by the beach after that. The show was a great experience, allowing us to catch up with old friends, make new ones and we were also fortunate enough to have a tour of the Atlantis (above) and Dubailand sites. The vision and ambition of each is breathtaking. Alexander the Great overcame the island city of Tyre by building a 1km causeway from the mainland, his technical corps completing this engineering marvel in a little over 6 months. The Palms (there are 3) are on an altogether grander scale, man-made islands no less, styled in the shape of palm trees, the fronds heavy with multi-million pound villas and the crowns studded with  themed hotels with dazzling attractions to entice and retain visitors. Alexander's men of course paid little attention to the shape of their construction, partly because its aim was strictly utilitarian , partly because they were being showered with boiling oil and arrows as they worked.

Our Devon fudge went down a treat with exhibition goers. 15 boxes in next to no time. Instructive to watch the methodologies employed by those people to whom the sweets were irresistible. Some would walk slowly along the other side of our aisle, wait for us to engage a second person in conversation and swoop, a quick in and out. Others would be bolder, prodding the fudge to check for consistency. One lady simply approached the booth with an open handbag and in one movement swept her arm across the table top , trawling-style, netting 20 in one go. The Huss boys, right opposite us, were clever; I never saw them take even one but they were always chewing...

I'll add more on Dubai, as a lot went on...