For my first trip to the Middle East since Desert Storm, I arrived into Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, late on Friday night.  I begin teaching for this two week project on Sunday and the plan for today (Saturday) was to just get used to the timezone which is eight hours ahead of the US east coast.  It is also over 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside and even westerners cannot drink water in public since Ramadan has already started for the year (meaning in the UAE you cannot eat or drink during daylight hours).   I have several activities lined up later in the trip, but would have kicked myself if I did not get out there and see SOMETHING today.  I decided on visiting the Louvre Abu Dhabi which only opened late last year – at a cost of well over ONE BILLION dollars.

The roof of this place is what gets your attention right away!

The fact that I am not such a big "artsy" person (not picking on art; I am just not the biggest lover of it and I sure do not have any great talents in this domain), coupled with my memory of being a bit overwhelmed when I visited the REAL Louvre on my Bullet Train Trip to Paris, I was glad to find out that the size & scope of the Louvre Abu Dhabi was manageable.  Heck, unlike the Paris Louvre I only got lost in this museum!  Check out this article to get a quicksnap of some of the most "must see" pieces on display as well as keep scrolling to view some of the pictures I enjoyed taking on my visit.

Three-Dimensional Art

I was pleased the the museum started out with lots of 3D art; primarily statues and sculptures.

Two-Dimensional Art

Don't worry if you are a lover of paintings, as this place didn't forget about you.  I knew I made it to that part of the museum when I made it to this room about half-way through the Louvre Abu Dhabi and they even have Leonardo da Vinci's Portrait of a Woman.

So, why am I so hard on art?  Well, I guess I just don't always get it!!

That doesn't always mean that I when I see something I don't really understand that I can't like it.  This one was pretty cool.

Also, a lot of art just looks like someone put a few minutes into it and somehow it is "ART"!  The second picture reminded me of the LOOK cycling jerseys from the 1980's (pardon my pasting a picture of that here!!).

I know... I know... you art lovers are going to light me up with hate mail – feel free to annotate how narrow-minded I am in the comments section.    Seriously, as I said earlier, I'm NOT against art, I just don't know enough about it all (a.k.a. #NotAnArtSnob).  I did like this one called, "The Submissive Reader".

Being a proud American, I do like the portrait of this fella!!

Iconic Structure

Seriously, the pieces on display at this museum truly are first class, but what most people visiting Abu Dhabi are coming to see is this incredible looking building. This is the view when you finish the enclosed (and air-conditioned) exhibit halls and get to head back "outside".

You get to wander around a bit to check it out from multiple views.

After exiting you get some great shows from out beyond the water of this very cool structure.

All in all, definitely a place to visit should you make your way out here to Abu Dhabi in the future.