Cruising the Nile: Kom Ombo
The temple at Kom Ombo is about 30 miles north of Aswan and was built during the Graeco-Roman period (332 BC AD 395). There was an earlier structure from the 18th dynasty but little remains. The temple is unique because…
Cruising the Nile: Hatshepsut’s Temple
The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut is uniquely different from all of the other temples in the region in its design and decoration. Most other temples were built with sandstone, but Hatshepsut’s temple is made with limestone. The architect who built the temple, Senimut, was thought to have been inspired by a nearby temple designed by Neb-Hept-Re, a sanctuary to the god Amun-Ra.
Cruising the Nile: Temple of Karnak
After a short afternoon sail and a delicious lunch on board the Sonesta Nile Goddess, we had our first outing to the Temple of Karnak. A brief history: construction at Karnak started 4,000 years ago and continued for about 2,000 years until the Romans took control of Egypt. In those 2,000 years, every ruler who worked at Karnak left some kind of architectural structure as part of their legacy. The entire site morphed significantly over the 2,000 years as temples, chapels and pylons were constantly being built and torn down at the whim of each new ruler. It is estimated that 30 pharaohs contributed to the site, which is how it came to be so large and diverse in construction.
Dubai
Dubai was strange because it seems to be predicated on nothing. Old Town Dubai is a little fishing village that has the most character, but the souks with indoor ski resorts and clothes that none of the locals wear seems like a racket. Nothing is compact, just Range Rovers and sky rises. I was trying to see the top of the worlds tallest building but my head was barely able to crook down far enough to see it out the taxi window. Swimming in the persian gulf was probably the highlight, the sea is so salty that you could never drown, suspended on buoyancy.
Mindless Update
yesterday was so awesome, i can't even tell you! except i'm about to: i woke up and made some fresh squeezed lemonade and then lazed around the yard THE ENTIRE DAY. it was perfect. i wrote in my notebook and…
