A club meeting of CEM members inaugurating the new year of the association’s activities took place at the Public Library in Nowy Sącz.
The first item on the agenda was a presentation of memories and photos from a trip to the United Arab Emirates, prepared by Bożena and Marian Kocyk, titled “Luxury in the Desert”. This part of the meeting was open to the public and attracted many travel enthusiasts and regular attendees of library events.
At the beginning, we learned several details about the history, geography, and economic situation of the Emirates.
The most important of them is Dubai, which in 60 years grew from a city of 60,000 inhabitants into a metropolis of over 3 million. Huge oil reserves enabled investments unseen elsewhere. It is home to the tallest building in the world – Burj Khalifa, with 150 floors, offering a panoramic view of the entire area. Another remarkable building, shaped like a sail, is Burj Al Arab – the tallest and most luxurious hotel in the world.
Undoubtedly, the biggest attraction is the Palm Islands – artificially created areas connected to the mainland, shaped like a palm trunk and leaves. They host apartment buildings, hotels, shopping malls, and amusement 
parks. Only one of the islands was completed, as unexpected difficulties delayed the construction of the remaining two.
An attraction of a completely different style is the Miracle Gardens, featuring life-sized objects such as an airplane made entirely of flowers. In total, 1.5 million flowers were used throughout the garden. In Abu Dhabi, notable sites include the Sheikh Zayed Mosque and the Presidential Palace.
In the second part of the meeting, reserved for CEM members only, the work plan for the upcoming season was discussed. Esperanto and English language courses, club meetings, and excursions will continue. In cooperation with the Regional Museum in Nowy Sącz, an exhibition titled “Esperanto – A Window to the World” will be opened, and as every year, Zamenhof Days will be organized in December.
Bożena Kocyk
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