My husband is my best friend. We do a lot together and he is always ready to follow me in our travels around the world.
My daughter is funny, charming but also has the practicalities that make her successful. My granddaughter is amazing, achieving goals like playing varsity football at age 17.
I have a kid sister who is high-energy and fun to be around. She’s on the left next to me and my sister who was my bff and died two years ago is on the right.
The sisters
I have good friends who I love dearly but when I think of the friend who knows me best, it’s my childhood friend. We’ve known each other for 70 years!
My life is enriched by the many people in my life who bring me joy.
The holidays are approaching and my sister and I were reminiscing about the foods we ate at Christmas. Being if Swedish heritage, Christmas Eve we had Swedish meatballs and lingonberries. But as kids, we hated the pickled herring and lutefisk which was a white fish in a gelatinous cream sauce.
My best friend was Italian and she was eating lasagna, shrimp, and ravioli while I endured the Swedish dishes.
Today I still don’t like lutefisk but like pickled herring. And I always like Swedish meatballs and Linton berries.
Now for what my favorite food is – it’s lobster. But only when it comes fresh out of the ocean in Maine.
I also cruise a lot on Celebrity and they serve escargot every night.
My favorite sweet treat is either ice cream or cannoli.
I indulged in a 90-minute massage with hot stones that was amazing. The best part, it was only $100. And she was great!
For dinner, we ate Thai with Green tea.
In the morning we woke to the cleaning person coming into the room although we had a 3pm check out.
The buffet breakfast was excellent with omelets to order, fresh fruit, and a table of pastries.
We relaxed for a while before taking the shuttle to the airport.
We went through security. Actually in all of Egypt it seemed we’d go through two security checks. Total time was less than 40 minutes and then a few to find a lounge. We ate dinner with dessert.
We had to go through another security check at our gate. This time shoes off and Bruce had to give up his water. I guess in countries where terrorist attacks are much more frequent, security is very high. But we went through the 3 security checks and each time a female patted me down all over. And I mean all over!
Our first leg was traveling in business class on Swiss Air to Zurich. We ate our meals on board. I had chicken with polenta and cabbage. Bruce had beef stroganoff. Tasty.
We arrived in Zurich at 10pm and caught a prepaid shuttle to The Hilton Zurich Airport. We had an upgraded room but it was still small compared to US standards.
Breakfast was included and we had a nice view of the mountains.
Definitely some fall color here!
We arrived at the airport. Our toothpaste was confiscated. Surprising with all the security we went through in Egypt, the toothpaste was never on their radar.
We visited an Aspire lounge but it was uncomfortable and also far from our gate. We left and went to a Swiss Air Lounge which was lovely. It also had a view of the mountains.
We boarded our Swiss Air Flight to NY in Business Class. The only way to long distance travel.
The flight attendant offered champagne but we had Elderberry juice that had no alcohol.
I could see the snow capped mountains as we flew over Switzerland.
On Swiss Air Business, they constantly feed you.
Business class I laid out and relaxed.
Coming into JFK, we saw the brilliance of God’s work.
We spent the night at the Hampton Inn near LaGuardia Airport. There was a free shuttle to the airport. Now we are relaxing in a Centurion Lounge.
Almost home. Just a short flight but no business class this time. I don’t mind that if it’s only a 2 or 3 hour flight.
Our afternoon was spent at the amazing GEM which officially opened last weekend to much fanfare.
What can I say about this museum? First, it is the largest archeological museum in the world and holds over 100,000 artifacts.
Upon entering the Grand Hall, a 36’ statue of Ramesses II holds court among the many visitors.
Walking past Ramesses II, our next site was of the Ptolemaic King and Queen statues. These statues are about 16’ tall and made of pink granite.
As we rode the escalator to the right of the Grand Stairs, we viewed the many beautiful statues. The Grand Stairs runs approximately 6 floors.
At the top of the stairs and in our case escalator, the view was sensational of the pyramids.
Bob took us for a quick tour around the museum. This was his first visit and we could see he was visibly in awe. A statue – Metri a scribe – was from 4000 years ago. Scribes were very respected and they were responsible for reading and writing. Metri has very life-like eyes.
The statue of King Amenhotep II and some of the jewelry from that time.
But the highlight of the museum is the King Tutankhamun exhibits. After visiting his tomb it was hard to believe over 5000 artifacts were discovered there. The famous mask was beautiful and displayed in an enclosed case.
King Tut ruled from 1336 to 1327 BC. The entire collection was presented under one roof for the first time. The following are a few of the thousands of pieces in the museum.
Two of King Tut’s twin daughters are on display but no photos were allowed.
It was an amazing museum with so much to see. Although it took many years to open, it is something Egypt should be proud of for centuries to come.
The museum had many venues to take a break and eat. Bruce and I had a little something.
In the Glass Hall, we came upon another statue of Ramesses II.
As we walked back to our bus, one more look at the pyramids.
Our tickets were $14 per person. And it was well worth the trip.
We started early this morning touring old Cairo with a Coptic Church and Synagogue on our schedule.
Our first stop, but not off the bus, was the front of the oldest mosque in Egypt the Mosque of Amr Ibn Al-As.
Our next stop was the Coptic Church of Saint Barbara. It was originally built in 684 but was rebuilt in the 11th and 12th centuries due to fire. It is also part of the Fortress of Babylon.
The courtyard holds beautiful mosaics and the church is adorned with inlaid wood.
We walked through alleys with book and photograph sales.
The church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus is where the Holy family are believed to have stayed. This ancient church is located in Old Cairo, and according to tradition, it was built on the spot where Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus took refuge during their flight into Egypt.
The crypt beneath the church, behind the altar, was where the Holy Family supposedly took refuge.
Moving through the alleyways we headed to Ben-Ezra Synagogue. Legend has it that this was the site where baby Moses was found in a basket.
Unfortunately, photos were not allowed so this was the only one from the door. Inside it was decorated with beautifully crafted patterns and inlaid reliefs similar to the Coptic churches but with Menorahs instead of crosses.
Our guide pointed out how the area of Old Cairo is where the three religions converge.
Our next stop was the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. This museum brought us through the times of different civilizations which we had touched upon at the sites.
It also holds the gallery of mummies. Going through this part of the museum, photography was not permitted. Several people tried to take photos but were quickly stopped and the photos deleted. So I definitely wasn’t going to try. Besides I believe when I am in a foreign place I should follow the rules. It is a sign of respect.
The above is part of the Museum of Egyptian Civilization which currently holds 1600 pieces.
Our next stop was the GEM or the Grand Egyptian Museum. But that was so amazing it deserves its own story!
Today part of our group went on an extra excursion. They had to be up at 4 am for a 4 hour drive and several hours at the site and then a return drive. Bruce and I decided to stay behind which was really nice.
We slept until ten, spent some time on the upper deck, had lunch with a few people and basically chilled out. It was wonderful.
Later today we took a small boat ride along West Bank of the Nile.
Bob pointed out some of the sites along the River, such as the Cataract hotel where the likes of Agatha Christie and Winston Churchill stayed.
A traditional feluccaThe old Cataract Hotel
The Nubian boys on board were cute and led us in song and dance.
As the sun set we headed back to our ship taking in the beauty of the River.
Tomorrow we leave the ship and tour Aswan before flying back to Cairo.
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