Abu Dhabi 3

Lightning still wasn't well the next day but, well, one benefit of Abu Dhabi life is the ability to leave your child in the care of the live-in maid while while you get to still carry on as normal.  And it wasn't all that bad - he did get to watch the emoji-movie with my friend when he woke up from his sleep.

The rest of us headed off to Saadiyat Island to check out the Louvre Abu Dhabi which had opened the previous November and aims to bridge the gap between Eastern and Western art.  It is part of Saadiyat Island Cultural District which will eventually also hold the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and Zayed National Museum.

"Get ready to see humanity in a new light.  Inside Louvre Abu Dhabi are objects and works of art from many different times, places, cultures and civilisations.  Some may surprise you or even challenge you. 

Louvre Abu Dhabi is a universal museum. As well as celebrating diversity, the museum tells the important stories that humans have always shared: stories of tradition and innovation, hope and fear, birth, death, life and love.  We have more in common than we sometimes think."

The museum is designed as a "seemingly floating dome structure", its web-patterned dome allowing the sun to filter through.  The overall effect is meant to represent "rays of sunlight passing through date palm fronds in an oasis" and it was pretty cool.

Not so cool as to keep us from a late lunch and wonderful mint lemonade at Shakespeare and Co.  In fact, even now, two years on, every time we have 'clear' lemonade the boys still make a comment about it not being as nice as real lemonade.

Then finally a proper catch up with our friends, who we'd barely actually seen thanks to school for them and sightseeing for us.  And as can be seen, Lightning benefited greatly from a day in front of the tele ;)