We leave Dubai, which really is one huge theme park, glamorous, sparkling, fun and just a little (or a lot, depending on your outlook) tacky.

Abu Dhabi, ahead of us, is more traditional, sophisticated and cultured and just a little (or a lot, depending on your outlook) stuffy. Because I am sophisticated and cultured (no laughing please), or maybe just because I am old, I prefer Abu Dhabi, although that opinion is based on just one short trip there.

Meanwhile we have the drive. Color me disappointed. There is nothing even remotely adventurous about driving from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. It takes less than 2 hours, but can take much longer if traffic is bad An enormous modern 8 lane freeway creates an ugly scar across an uninspiring landscape of sand and scrub.

Once we leave the incredible high rises and ugly mega mansions of Dubai there is hardly a curve in the road or a sight of interest. Not a fabulous sand dune to be seen, just three lonely camels staring back at us.

We check into our Hotel in Abu Dhabi which sadly is nowhere near as glamorous as our Dubai Hotel, nor is it anywhere near as expensive. Two women in traditional abayas and hijabs greet us at the counter. They are both charming and welcome us warmly.

“Are you traveling on business together or as friends” one asks.

“Friends” I tell her.

“ How lovely” she says “It is so nice to have a good friend to travel with”

Nothing else is said, but when we get to our room we find we have been given one king size bed. Now that is what I call sophisticated and cultured. And not a menacing man with hooded brown eyes anywhere in sight.

The Arab Emirates are well aware that the fabulous wealth they have accumulated from oil is no longer assured. If they are to survive as one of the wealthiest countries in the world they need to explore other resources. Both Dubai and Abu Dhabi recognise tourism as one of those resources. Dubai is attracting its tourists with all its glitz and glamour. Abu Dhabi is taking a different path and is planning on become the cultural center of the Arab world.

They have set aside a huge area right next to downtown which is to be known as “The Cultural Quarter”. It is very much a work in progress, with huge cranes dominating the landscape as several important museums are being built. Visually the most impressive right now is the soon to be completed Zayed National Museum whose gossamer wings already dominate the landscape

In 2025 the eagerly anticipated Guggenheim Museum is set to be completed.

But it is the Louvre Abu Dhabi that was the initial cornerstone of the new Cultural Quarter and this is what we have come to see. It is the largest cultural project ever entered into by France and with their expertise and Abu Dhabi’s seemingly limitless resources, it is truly impressive.

This is my kind of museum. It is small, unlike its name sake in Paris, and easy to explore in just a few hours. Perfect for a culturally challenged person like myself with a limited concentration span and feet that don’t like to be stood on for hours on end. This Louvre sets out to explore human creativity through the ages, from the prehistoric age to the present day, often portraying how different civilizations on different continents can mirror each others design culture. The exhibit rooms are laid out in chronological order and the earlier exhibits are mesmerizing, with some wonderful pieces dating back over 8000 years.

This bust with its two faces, is one of the oldest monumental statues ever found. It dates back to 6500 BCE and was unearthed in Jordan. Obviously the ancients already knew two heads are better than one.

This poor woman in a rather unflattering woolen dress created some 6000 years ago obviously felt the cold.

But did she ever ask anyone “does this make me look fat?”.

While this man cares more about looks than comfort. He is definitely dressed to kill

This bronze cast of a winged dragon dates back to 400 BCE and is the only one of its kind to have survived from pre-Imperial China.

The earlier pieces are stunning but as the museum moves into more recent territory it becomes more Eurocentric and less original. Some of the recent pieces feel as if the French Louvre was clearing out their basement.

As you leave the exhibit, you walk through a door which opens on to to a stunning space surrounded by water.

If the exhibits don’t inspire you the space will