Day 297, From Dubai, United Arab Emirates to Paris, France
On the left is the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. We thought it would be more lit up than it was.
We flew three hours from Mumbai to Dubai, getting us there at 6 pm. Our luggage was checked all the way through on Emirates to Paris, so we only had our backpacks to contend with. They aren’t the lightest things to haul around, so we left them for a fee at the Left Baggage (not lost baggage, cuz that’s way too judgey).
We took the train to the oh so extravagant and enormous Dubai mall. We did a little shopping, looked at the largest aquarium in the world for a while, and had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. The menu and meals were identical to home. It was impressive, and we enjoyed the familiarity of our dishes. There are three Tim Hortons in Dubai, but sadly we weren’t able to get to any of them during our layover. We did see one sign whiz by when we were on the train…a little surreal to see a Tim Hortons sign in the Middle East.
Many of the men were dressed in thawb, which is a common white garment worn by Arabic men. 
The way home we were squished into the metro cars more than any place we’ve ever been. The train riders are predominantly men. We found out, only after the sardine ride, that there are separate cars designated for women and children. That explains it.
After the mall had tired our butts out, we went back to the airport and found some uncomfortable lounge chairs. Dubai has a large airport, but a very sterile, uncomfortable feel. It could use some softening up around the edges a bit, maybe some lounge areas where sitting in the chairs doesn’t make you sore.
The flight from Dubai to Paris was the first flight we’ve had with a choir of really mad, inconsolable babies. Directly behind Madi and I we had twin boys behind us about one year old, both as angry as a couple of cats in a bubble bath. During the 7.5 hour trip, they slept for maybe 3 and the rest of the time screamed together or took turns. I would just turn up the volume on my movie, but for the next major trip I do think I’ll invest in a pair of noise cancelling Bose.
When we arrived in Paris, we went directly to the Paul’s and had a coffee and pain au chocolat. They are as amazing as I remember, maybe better.
Our hotel room was a very large family room for 5–something we haven’t seen for ages. When we first started doing our Europe trips in 2007, family rooms had 3 beds. Now they have 4 or 5, thank goodness! They also didn’t scrimp on the lime green accents, no they did not.
