If a week is a long time in politics, then 24 hours is an eternity in the hyperbole-filled world of football’s English Premier League – variously described as the richest, most exciting, most talked about and most watched league on the planet.
Indeed, if you’d read any of the analysis before Sunday afternoon’s eagerly awaited encounter between Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City and American-backed Manchester United you could easily, and erroneously, have gathered the impression that City were deep amid a crisis.
A faltering start to the league season, in which City had only fleetingly impressed following a summer of heavy investment in new players would, according to the pundits, soon be made to look even less impressive when United came calling at the Etihad Stadium. David Moyes’s United team had, meanwhile, dealt competently if not spectacularly with a few tough fixtures and were ready to shine, predicted the same narrative.
The pre-match postulating was reduced to rubble after kick-off. City prevailed by 4-1 and produced a performance to make the whole sporting world take notice (there’s that hyperbole again). In the process, they also proved that football, once called “the ballet of the masses”, is often full of more twists and unexpected turns than Swan Lake.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20DarDoc%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Samer%20Masri%2C%20Keswin%20Suresh%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%24800%2C000%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Flat6Labs%2C%20angel%20investors%20%2B%20Incubated%20by%20Hub71%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi's%20Department%20of%20Health%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2010%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com