The last week

So it was back to Paris for one last hurrah.  My lovely friend Laure, once again hosted me.  It wasn't an overly exciting time this time as I had many errands to run and loose ends to tie up so I spent Friday afternoon and Saturday doing those.  One of those tasks was to undertake the packing of my bags and try and get it all under the weight limit, so a trip to the Post was in order (again!!).

I was still able to get out and about with Laure in Paris.  Friday night we went to a show that her friend had written and then we went out for a drink/bite with these people after the show.  That was really good.  Saturday night, Laure had acquired free tickets to an orchestra performance where there were two conductors who were being assessed for the final part of the course they had completed so that was very interesting.  Then we went to her sister Sophie’s place for a ‘soiree’ with her friends.  It was great to see Sophie one more time before my imminent departure the next day. (Sophie and Laure are the girls I spent Christmas with, with their family in the South of France and whose parents I visited again with my family just a few weeks previously – to put it into context for you).  Sunday was my last day in Paris.  So sad!!!!!!  The bags were packed and ready to go and Laure and I went out to her friends for lunch to celebrate an anniversary (wedding I think?).

After lunch, the inevitable and sadly unavoidable moment of having to go to the airport, and get on a plane that was taking me away from Europe indefinitely, arrived.  I spent the few hours at the airport talking one last time on the phone to my friends back in L’Aigle/Mortagne-au-Perche and then it was on the plane and off to one more stop on the way back home... Abu Dhabi.

The bonus of flying a lot recently with Emirates is that I have enough points to be a Silver Tier member which meant I got to bypass all the queues, take extra luggage and make the most of the business class lounge at Dubai Airport.

I arrived at Dubai and got on the bus to Abu Dhabi where my friend Alicia picked me up.  We went off for some pampering in the form of a manicure and a pedicure (as we tend to do whenever I visit her here).  Lunch out, and then, that afternoon, high tea at a 5 star hotel.  I do like Abu Dhabi!!  It was also very hot and humid, as in over 40 degrees, but if you can stay inside with the air-conditioning it’s all good.

View from where we had high tea

Alicia and I at high tea, we had one tiered rack of cakes and pastries each!!! We could not eat it all!!

Tuesday we just chilled out, went to the club in the evening for dinner and to see a sneak preview of a show her boyfriend was performing in later on in the week.  Very humorous!!

Wednesday we spent at the mall as she took her boy that she nannies to the playground and in the afternoon it was back to the club where we spent the afternoon by the pool.  Although it was so hot we spent most of it either in the pool or in the ocean.  The ocean was so warm it was like a bath and you could walk straight in.  That night we headed out for dinner and then out for a drink after.  It was so hot at midnight that you were still sticky sitting down outside.

At the club where I went swimming in the very warm ocean!!

Thursday it was off to Dubai.  We looked around some souks and had a nice lunch along the creek.  We were going to go for a boat ride up the creek but it was a bit overpriced and it was so hot that I was starting to get heat exhaustion so we took refuge in the Dubai mall.  A bit more shopping and looking around in air-conditioning!  We hung around till dark to see the dancing, musical fountains and then stayed at a friend of Alicia’s before I had to get up early the next morning for my flight back to NZ.  The 19 hour flight ended up being 17 hours and wasn’t as painful as I thought it was going to be as watching back to back screenings of Downton Abbey made it quite an enjoyable trip.

Dancing musical fountains outside the Dubai Mall

In front of the Burj Khalifa (the world's tallest building)

The world's tallest building

Middle Eastern lunch by the Dubai Creek

Yum!!

Then it was back to home soil where my Mum, Dad and Nana were at the airport to greet me.

The adventure was over.

But there will be more.....

PS. this last little video I wanted to do when I first got to L'Aigle.  Here is a short clip which captures the seasons/the time while I was there via the view from my window.