Petra, Wadi Rum | Amman, Roman Theatre, Citadel

March 1 and 2, 2024
Our remaining days on the journey were absolutely gorgeous days with lovely weather and no crowds. We continued our exploration of Petra and Wadi Rum including an adventurous four by four ride in parts of the expansive dessert. It is just incredible how the landscape changes - the next day we were among the ruins of the Roman Theatre. Such an expansive and intriguing region!

As we prepare to bid our last farewells, I am grateful for our time together and in particular, for our expert guides who provide extraordinary insight and thoughtful perspective to each site as we visit. Signing off… for now!

For the love of travel, Kathyrn

Bethany by the Sea and Petra bound

February 29, 2024
Another ideal day with perfect weather and peaceful surroundings. We have enjoyed a lovely welcome everywhere we have visited in this region, and are experiencing no crowds. This morning we visited the baptismal site of Jesus, Bethany by the Sea. An incredibly moving place to be! We are currently en route to Petra, where we will be for two nights. This evening, we have a very special and unique visit to Petra at night, by candlelight. Tomorrow we will fully explore Petra and Little Petra, complete with a little four by four exploration into the desert!

More to come…

Jordan | The Dead Sea and Mt. Nebo

February 28, 2024
We departed for Jordan via the splendid Royal Jordanian private club, where we awaited our departure in luxury. As we have experienced throughout, the weather is just lovely! The Dead Sea is a special place and our visit to Mt. Nebo, a high, breezy rock formation in Jordan, we looked out over much of the Holy Land.

I invite you to please take a moment to view the short video and hear from me, Kathryn, and our favorite guide, George, while we are atop Mt. Nebo.

Cairo, Private GEM Visit and Jordan Bound

February 27, 2024
Our last days in Cairo have been beyond belief - we started with a private visit to the soft opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum where we were two of the only groups in the Museum - WOW!

Then we delighted in what was the culmination of all we have learned and experienced — we spent the day absorbing the grandeur of the Pyramids at Giza, riding Camels into the desert, and enjoying the pleasure of an in-depth visit to Sakkara.

Many of our new friends are soon headed to Paris and London for a few days and half of our group is Jordan bound!

Stay tuned!

Kathryn 

Lasting Memories along The Nile

February 26, 2024
As we prepare to disembark, we are already feeling wistful for more time aboard the lovely S.S. Sphinx, where we have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves — from delicious food, excellent talks, and of course personalized service from outstanding, professional staff at every turn who are looking after all our needs.

Our Egyptologists, Hatem and Ramadan, continue to share their knowledge of Egypt at each site, and we are filled with awe and wonder about this amazing advanced culture. We have fallen in love with the Egyptian culture and the kind, peaceful people.

Over the past few days, we have sailed the awe-inspiring Nile through diverse scenery ranging from tropical paradises to desert mysteries. Each of the talks we have enjoyed about Agatha Christie, Lawrence of Arabia, and the European influence on Egypt, have added a layer of intrigue and history to our journey.

Pictures say a thousand words… please enjoy the photos I am sharing here - more to come!

Along The Nile

February 24 and 25, 2024
I am writing today as we continue along the majestic Nile River aboard our floating luxury hotel.

Please enjoy a few more photos of our group and experiences on the Nile….

We stopped at Esna, Philae, Aswan, and Lake Nasser - each remarkable! We are truly cherishing our time together relaxing, being rested - with time to read and lounge in style when we return from excursions. Our days are balanced to perfection and we are making fond memories as we experience this “once-in-a-lifetime” voyage.

More to come…

Aswan: Tea at the Historic Cataract Hotel | Nubian Dancing

February 23, 2024
This morning we discovered Aswan and enjoyed tea at the historic Old Cataract Hotel which is featured in Agatha Christie’s legendary writing. As the “legendary” became reality for us it was marvelous and quite fanciful to enjoy tea in the footsteps of Winston Churchill and Princess Diana. As you can see, the view was nothing short of spectacular! On board we were treated to traditional Nubian music and dancing.

Enchanting - and fun!

Sailing The Nile | Kom Ombo, Sunset Felucca

February 22, 2024
Today is our third day sailing up The Nile. Each site is more magnificent than the last, and we all feel that we are in a master class about ancient Egypt, studying on-site and traveling in luxury. One of our members remarked that this journey is out of a dream! We are in Ancient Egypt, sailing up the Nile in 80-degree perfect weather with the top Egyptologists in the country. And the food — nothing compares!

I am so excited for those preparing to depart this October and next January and we invite anyone considering registering not to hesitate. It is heavenly to have a break from the “talking heads” on various media shows with their predictions of doom and gloom.We all feel welcomed and safer here than at home and pinch ourselves because this is truly “The Good Life”!

As you will see in the photos I am sharing, we are experiencing no crowds, lovely people and ideal weather.

The Valley of the Kings and Queens | Private Evening at Luxor Temple

February 21, 2024
The morning sun painted the golden sands of the desert, stretched beneath: Egypt in a Hot Air Balloon!

Our time in The Valley of the Kings and Queens is nothing short of humbling. Together, we experienced the enchantment of Luxor Temple as the sun set, immersing in its timeless beauty, during our private evening visit illuminated by the soft glow of twilight led by our incredible guides.

More to come….

Embarkation and Sailing The Nile

February 19, and 20, 2024
We boarded the beautiful S.S. Sphinx and relaxed into our luxurious staterooms and suites.

The food is magnificent - from European flavors to American classics, and of course, authentic Egyptian cuisine.

The attentive staff is standing by and every wish or request, every step of the way, is met with a warm smile, and impeccable professional service. 

We are sailing up the Nile with beautiful 80-degree weather and clear skies. Each afternoon we are lounging, reading, resting. All the while each passing bend of the Nile brings another breathtaking scene.  

In these moments, we are pinching ourselves - feeling awe and gratitude to be here in this exotic land, traveling in true style. We pinch ourselves, hardly believing that this dreamlike experience is real, and counting ourselves fortunate and privileged to be part of it!

Welcome to Cairo!

February 16, 17, and 18, 2024

I feel so fortunate to be with such a lovely group of people on our Journey through Egypt and Jordan.

All guests were met with VIP welcome transfers - upon deplaning, we were whisked to a private waiting room in the airport where all customs and formalities were expedited. After an attendant collected our luggage for us we were transferred to the top hotel in Cairo, The Four Seasons.

The hotel is beautiful, the food outstanding, the service impeccable, and the weather - what can I say? Low 70’s during the day and cool in the evening.

Our guides are outstanding and the pictures here are just a small sample of our first few days in Cairo. Tomorrow morning we fly to Luxor and board the S.S. Sphinx.

For all those who postponed your journey - we miss you and I hope you are rebooked for either the October, 2024 departure or January, 2025. All is calm here, there aren’t any crowds and we are receiving a warm welcome wherever we go. As usual, the news reports at home have not represented the reality we are experiencing as we travel through Egypt.

The slides above represent Dashour (early pyramids - but the pictures you will see are not the Great Pyramids - they come later in our itinerary), Early Coptic Cairo with the biblical sites of Moses and the Holy Family, The Alabaster Mosque, the National Museum of Egyptian Culture and the Original Egyptian Museum.