Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XXI

Chanel, designer handbags and shoes galore from all the most prestigious brands. Your every shopping desire is catered for, but be prepared – the heaviest thing a traveller can carry is an empty wallet. On an alluring little side street off Rue du Rhône is the lesser- known Rue Ceard, on which more shopping treasure can be found. There are stores by Hublot, Dior, Burberry and more, selling all manner of exotic goods, from cashmere and silk to Egyptian cotton. If you still don’t find what you’re looking for, there is still more within a short walk. The elegant Place de la Fusterie is home to the Audemars Piguet boutique and also the Boutique Tourbillon, which brings together the most prestigious brands of the Swatch Group under one roof, including Breguet, Blancpain, Glashütte Original, Jaquet Droz, Tiffany & Co., Omega and Swatch. If the right item has still not materialised, cross one of the bridges over to the right bank of the river for yet more palatial boutiques by TAG Heuer and IWC, as well as the Kempinski commercial galleries, home to elegant stores by Harry Winston, Ulysee Nardin and peerless masterpieces from Richard Mille. With time measurement taken care of, there is plenty left to see. A visit to Espace Rousseau at Grand-Rue 40 is an enlightening option. The museum is dedicated to Geneva’s most illustrious son, one of the fathers of the French Revolution and among the most enduring thinkers of all time, Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Rousseau actually descended from a long line of watchmakers, but he left the profession early to become the first theoretician of democracy, a self-taught polymath, writer, philosopher, composer, educator and politician. Rousseau was born on 28 June 1712 at 40 Grand'Rue, where the Espace Rousseau is now located; the half-hour audiovisual tour through his life and works is well worth the time. Exploring the historical parts of the city one can enjoy the enticing range of cuisine on offer in Geneva. The variety of exotic dishes reflects the city’s diverse multicultural population. Forty percent of residents are non-nationals, so exotic food is not hard to come by. Think Chinese, Indian, Thai, Italian, Greek, Mexican, Brazilian, Russian, and of course fine local Swiss delicacies. For a sumptuous raclette and fondue find the Hotel Les Armures and sit in the Salle des Artistes or out on the terrace of this great hotel- restaurant in the old town. For fine French dining, Chef Jérôme Manifacier oversees things at Vertig’O, a Michelin-starred restaurant overlooking the lake in Hotel de la Paix. 2 6 9 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I