Abu Dhabi Louvre and a Sock Saga

We said goodbye to Anthony knowing he is unlikely to get back home for possibly 14-15 months. Jayne offered to make a day of it in Abu Dhabi with us as the boys had touch trials there at 9 am. This was a drive of about 90 minutes and so a bit like us driving to Wollongong, only much further. Half way there and Andrew announced that he had left his boots and socks at home. This prompted a hilarious few minutes in the car as he attempted to negotiate a deal to "borrow" Mark's or his mother's socks. Neither was parting with theirs, needless to say. Jayne went to some trouble for him at the training ground to borrow boots, but there were no socks available and so he had to play sockless.

Jayne then drove us another 25 minutes or so to the new Abu Dhabi Louvre and left us to it, picking us up with the boys after their training session and a meeting so Mick and I would spend maximum time in the Louvre and minimal time in the car. The Louvre is a stunning building with beautiful architecture and very well thought out displays of pottery and paintings. Whistler's Mother was on display as were several Picasso and Manet and Deagas paintings.

We had an interesting stop for lunch at the Last Exit in Dubai. This is a collection of food trucks selling food and drinks. I ordered pizza and was surprised to find it was made on the spot and was delicious. Everyone enjoyed their choices and the boys were hungry after their training.

We were in for a real treat in the evening as Jayne had booked three tickets for Evita in the brand new and beautiful Dubai Opera House. Once again, the architecture is stunning, with the whole building constantly referring to the shape of the traditional Arabian boats. The production we saw was a touring cast from London's West End. It was very well done, from singing to acting to stage design, and it was an evening which we all enjoyed from our box seats. We had great views down onto the stage and the orchestra pit, with the slight inconvenience of having to sit a bit twisted, and occasionally having to lean out to see the left of stage. The whole affair was made all the more pleasant because Jayne is quite canny with parking and we found our way out of the underground car park in good time.