Form boredom to excitement

“Here, let me get a close look at you! You are Hristoforos already? My you’re practically a man now!” said Hristoforos’s uncle who was the youngest brother of his father.

Everybody was surprised to see a tall Hristoforos who has the sultry eyes of his mother and the nose and ears of his father. His father’s relatives were mostly from the eastern part of the country who migrated up north when their ancestors changed their means of livelihood.It was only Hristoforos’s father who left the clan and settled in Bulgaria where he finally met Hristoforos’s mother and married her.

They were to spend a week and a half with their relatives and although it was his first out-of-town experience Hristoforos felt he was missing home already. He had cousins of his age as well. They played and ate together but they seem to have a different outlook on life. They are more childlike and do not seem to mind about the future. Helpless and childish are what he thought of them.

“Mother, why can we not leave early? There isn’t much activities here that can be done we always eat and play and sleep and eat and play and sleep,” the bored lad said to his mother as they were in their room preparing for bed.

“Are you bored already Hristoforos? Aren’t you and your cousins not getting along well?”

“We are fine but there seems to be nothing left to be done. I want to fix my bike back home. Its’ horn got broken.”The boy sounded annoyed but has kept his tone down as he pulled his blanket up towards his chest and lied flat on his back.

“Shhh, quiet now and sleep. I’m pretty sure you will change your mind tomorrow morning when you wake up,” said his mother who kissed him on the forehead and went to their bed where her husband was already sleeping.

The following morning Hristoforos was awakened by the loud noises of the people from downstairs. As he hurried down to see what the commotion was all about his uncle saw him and yelled.

“Hurry down boy and get your butt in the truck! We are going down to the sea port to have a tour on the cruise ship that’s open for tourists!”

Upon hearing this, Hristoforos went back up their room, put on some trousers and jacket, wore gloves and boots and flew down the stairs. He heard that the cruise ship docks on this part of the island on such very rare occasions and opens itself for public viewing as it dry docks for a week then off to circumnavigate again. It would be the first cruise ship he would see and enter. The mere thought of it made him feel a shiver run up his spine.

His mother was at the foot of the stairs when he came down again and as she winked at him and gave him a hug before he joined his cousins and uncles in the truck. He knew this was the highlight of his vacation he never can afford to miss.

Hristoforos Nicos Amanatidis - Dubai in the running for World Expo 2020

Earlier this summer, Dubai became one of four cities to put in its formal bid to host the World Expo 2020, when Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain presented to the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) in Paris. Her eloquent speech outlined the reasons why Dubai is the perfect place to host the prestigious event.

Hristoforos Nicos Amanatidis has been following the bid’s progress with interest. As a lover of both Dubai and London, between which he and wife Boryana Shehtova spilt their time, Hristoforos is very much hoping that Dubai will be the winning city for the World Expo, beating the three other contenders: Brazil’s São Paulo, Turkey’s Izmir and Russia’s Ekaterinburg.

“The World Expo is such an exciting event,” Hristoforos commented. “It would be such a marvellous thing for Dubai if we could host it here. Dubai, with its first-class facilities and stunning architecture, already enjoys an excellent international reputation for the holding of events and it would be wonderful to add the World Expo as another string to the city’s bow.”

In terms of cultural and economic impact, the World Expo is one of the largest non-commercial events in the world. The theme that Dubai has put forward for the 2020 event is Connecting Minds, Creating the Future, with three sub-themes of opportunity, sustainability and mobility. The focus of the theme is on collaboration, partnership and unity, encouraging the world to unite in order to address the challenges of the future.

The cost to Dubai of hosting the World Expo 2020 is estimated to be in the region of €6.46 billion (about Dh31.7 billion). It is clearing no small undertaking. Approximately 182 guest nations are expected to participate, with visitors topping 25 million. As well as cementing Dubai’s reputation as a world-leading place to hold events, the World Expo would also give rise to income from ticket sales, food and drink sales, merchandising, sponsorship and a range of other sources.

Incredibly, the Dubai government has estimated that 90% of employment opportunities between 2018 and 2020 would arise from the lead-up to the event, should it win the bid. Hristoforos commented further:

“Although the World Expo is an expensive event to run, the economic impact would be incredible, particularly in terms of employment opportunities. The government report released on this subject made fascinating reading.”

The winner of the World Expo 2020 bid will not be known until November, when the BIE will once more convene in Paris to announce the winner. The winning city needs to gain at least 50% of the votes, with the lowest scoring city removed and the vote re-held if no city gets 50% first time round.

November will clearly be a tense time for all those – including Hristoforos – rooting for Dubai to win. If it does, Dubai will be the first city in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region to host this prestigious global event. For now though, all the city can do is wait and hope that November brings a favourable outcome.

Hristoforos Nikos Amanatidis - Dubai International impresses National Geographic

Hristoforos Nikos Amanatidis read with interest this week about the new ten part National Geographic Channel series based around the Dubai International airport. The series, which will launch in September, takes an in depth look at what it takes to keep Dubai International up and running.

As the world’s second busiest airport, Dubai International is an enormous facility. With more than 344,000 flights per year, 57 million passengers and 2 million tonnes of cargo passing through it each year, the airport requires 60,000 staff to keep everything secure, safe and on schedule.

The National Geographic series, entitled ‘Ultimate Airport Dubai’ will feature exclusive behind-the-scenes footage that has never before been seen other than by those working at and for the airport. Christoforos is excited at the prospect, commenting:

“Dubai International has an excellent reputation. It’s amazing how many passengers travel through it every day – the coordination it must take to ensure that everything runs smoothly is mind-blowing. I can’t wait to see the new series and gain a better understanding of how it all works.”

Boryana Shehtova, Christoforos’ wife, is also interested to see Ultimate Airport Dubai, adding:

“It’s the human element that I find most fascinating and the series promises to leave no stone unturned, from Customers interrogations to cross customers. It should be an interesting insight into the everyday exchanges that take place in order to run such a massive facility.”

Boryana is not wrong about the airport’s size. With three terminals, one of which alone measures the same size as 359 football pitches, the sheer space taken up by the buildings is extremely impressive.

Most travellers encounter only a tiny proportion of the staff team that it takes to run an airport such as Dubai International. The National Geographic series will open up viewers’ eyes to so much more than they would usually see, looking at everything from Air Traffic Control handling of emergency landings, to in-flight medical emergencies, to the elite skills operating in the hangar belonging to Emirates Airlines.

Dubai International is a growing facility. Currently a plane lands or takes off every 92.5 seconds and passenger numbers are increasing steadily – this July saw an increase of 6.1% over the same month last year, with passenger numbers totalling an impressive 5,310,361. Year to date passenger numbers have reached 37,972,464, up 15.3% on the same period for the previous year.

“The challenges of managing an operation the size of Dubai International is barely imaginable to most people,” Christoforos continues. “To keep every one of those passengers safe and secure, get them on to their flight on time and safely deliver their luggage to their destination is incredible. It will be fascinating to see some of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into the airport’s daily operation.”

Ultimate Airport Dubai will also examine the work that goes into maintaining individual aircraft, including the testing of the 18,000 engine components and plane repainting. For those who want to know more, the series will air on the National Geographic Channel from 5 September at 8.00 pm.

Hristoforos Nikos Amanatidis - Carbuncle Cup announces worst buildings in Britain

The results were out today of Building Design Magazine’s annual Carbuncle Cup, which scours Britain for the country’s ugliest buildings. The award shortlist consisted of six projects, reported by the magazine to be the worst architectural projects in Britain.

Hristoforos Nikos Amanatidis read the shortlist with interest when it was announced nearly a fortnight ago. The Redcar Beacon – a ‘vertical pier’ containing a café, shops and a viewing platform – was among the contenders, as was Lambeth’s Premier Inn. Hristoforos commented:

“England has so many incredible architectural projects, it has been amusing to read about those deemed to be at the opposite end of the scale. London’s historical buildings give the city so much majesty and grandeur, but some modern designs don’t seem to live up to people’s expectations.”

A water sports centre in Colwyn Bay, in Wales, also made the shortlist. The magazine reported that locals have named it ‘the dumpster.’ Oxford’s Castle Mill student accommodation project and the Avant Garde block of flats on London’s Bethnal Green Road were also contenders.

Topping everything, though, and taking home the Carbuncle Cup as Britain’s ugliest building, is the new UCL student block on Caledonian Road in London. Building Design Magazine reported that judges failed to see how the building could be considered ‘fit for human occupation’ in a rather damning report on the project.

Originally refused planning permission by Islington Council, reportedly for reasons of poor quality of amenity and poor quality of design, the UCL project went ahead after the council’s decision was overturned by a government inspector. While UCL has advised that the building complies with all necessary planning regulations in respect of natural daylight, the Carbuncle Cup judges found that the majority of rooms offered little privacy and lacked adequate daylight.

Hristoforos’ wife BoryanaShehtova commented on the judges’ decision:

“It is such a pity that a building designed to house some of the next generation of Britain’s professionals has been judged as being of such poor quality. I feel sorry for those students who are going to be allocated rooms there if the amenities really are as bad as the magazine article says. Student accommodation in Britain has come a long way in recent years and it would be a shame to see standards slipping back to poorer quality housing.”

UCL has defended its building and stated that it is happy with the outcome of the project, which was designed by Stephen George and Partners. The redevelopment has seen large parts of the original protected redbrick warehouse demolished, though some of the former frontage has been preserved. Hristoforos added:

“Some of London’s old warehouses provide such a beautiful glimpse into what the city must have been like in the past. Though not all architecturally beautiful, there is a solidity and functionality to the buildings that I can’t help but find appealing. To see one renovated and rebuilt in this way – resulting in it being awarded the title of Britain’s ugliest building – is really a big disappointment.”

The Carbuncle Cup has been held every year since 2006, when it was first won by Drake Circus shopping centre in Plymouth.