We arrive in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, in the morning and opt for a tour of the city on the Hop On Hop Off bus which is conveniently located at the cruise port. The day is sunny and warm so we scramble up to the open air top.
The first stop that we get to is the Abu Dhabi Mall to do a bit of shopping. Imagine our surprise when we see the interior decked out in full Christmas regalia with a Santa Claus village! Abu Dhabi welcomes celebrations of other faiths since there are so many expats living there. In fact, almost 90% of expats make up the population of the whole of the UAE. And of course, we find another Tim Horton coffee shop. They must love the Canadian coffee chain!

We check our HOHO app which tells us that a bus has just pulled in, so we rush out to catch it to get to our next stop in the Marina District at the Emirates Heritage Village.

The village is a time capsule showcasing the traditional way of life in the desert.

Next, we pass by The Constellation as part of Sheikh Zayed‘s Founder’s Memorial. 1,327 geometric shapes suspended from 1,110 cables make up this art piece which creates a series of evolving personal encounters with Sheikh Zayed’s image. There are five different types of regular, convex polyhedrons known as ‘platonic solids’, shapes which are renowned for their mathematical beauty and symmetry.

We pass by the luxury five star Emirates Palace hotel. Get ready to pay over $500 USD for a night in their cheapest room.

The downtown skyline is nice but not as spectacular as Doha or Dubai. However, Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE is the richest Emirates and richest city in the world. We do love those street lamps though!

The Presidential Palace is quite impressive.

Near the World Trade Centre, there is a park filled with giant Arabic chess-like pieces though we couldn’t find their exact meaning.

In the World Trade Centre, there is a small Souq where merchants sell the usual wares of carpets, dates, scarves and spices.

Our day in Abu Dhabi didn’t include a visit to the Louvre. That’s right. A second Louvre museum where the UAE paid the French government 550 million dollars for the use of the name! It also houses many famous artists such as its famous parent.

So it’s goodbye for now and on to Dubai!