Quick breakfast and we’re off. It’s 6.15 (aagh!) but it’s bright and there is still a lot of activity on the roads as we drive through Luxor.

We’ve been to the Valley of the Kings before but I wanted to go back and use the Pano iPhone app to get a panoramic photo. Hopefully you’ll see the results of my efforts later.

For anyone interested in drinks prices I’ll keep you up to date as I drink them. This effort on my behalf is purely in the name of research as I don’t like alcholol. (Well not very much).

Last night with dinner we has a nice bottle of White wine which cost about £12 and I later had a beer for about £2.50 whilst Barbara had a further glass of White wine which cost about £2.50 too. I would say drinks are about the same as pub prices.

Right, that’s the end of the “educational” portion of this post.

Now I’m going to sit back and have 40 winks before we get to our destination.

Wink, wink, wink, wink, wink…..zzzzz…

The New York Museum have a wonderful archive of old black and white photographs of Egypt which you can download and use as they are copywrite free.

You can visit the archive by clicking on the link NYPL.

There are lots of photos of Egypt that look like they were taken in the 20’s and 30’s and are a very interesting look at what Egypt must have looked like.

If you like this photograph there are lots more which you can use on your own website or print them onto postcards to sned to friends from Egypt!!  Make ‘em think that it still looks like this.

There are loads of photographs of other places too but I thought that these old Egypt photographs had a nice feel.

There were also photos of drunken people throwing up which dont’ exactly look good, however the concept of being able to zoom in on Google Maps to “Street View” is brilliant for travellers and travel agents alike.

I have created a (pretty basic) video to show you how you can use Google Street View to take a look at some of the places that you will visit on your Nile Cruise. I have just scratched the surface of what you can do with Street View but hopefully it will give you some ideas that you can build on. Hope you find it useful.

Use Google Maps Street View To Research Your Nile Cruise from Nile Cruises 4u on Vimeo.

How To Use Google Maps Street View To Research Your Nile Cruise

By that I mean anyone who introduces their website with these words is a “real” traveller:

“My name is Gary Arndt. In March 2007 I set out to travel around the world. I sold my house, put my possessions in storage and hit the road with my camera, laptop, and clothes. I’ve been to over 50 countries and territories since I’ve started my adventure. I publish a photo from my travels every day as well as the occasional podcast. If you like what I’m doing, please feel free to follow along”.

Wow!! Wouldnt’ we all love to do that?

I can really recommend you pop over to Gary’s website. It’s a fascinating read.

Gary is currently in Egypt and at this moment in time is taking a Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor and his latest post is about Aswan:

“Aswan

filed in Egypt on Mar.06, 2009

I seriously wish I had left Cairo sooner and come to Aswan. It is cleaner, not nearly as busy, you aren’t accosted as much, and it is much warmer. I have actually gotten some of my tan back and was able to wear shorts and sandals for the first time in two months.

I’ve been very busy since I arrived. After a 14 hour overnight train ride from Cairo, where I barely slept, within a few hours I was on a bus going to see the Aswan High Dam and the Philae Temple. The dam wasn’t as impressive as I thought it would be. It is a big dam and its significance being on the Nile makes it really important, but it wasn’t much to look at. Soviet construction seldom is”.

Read the full post here

I took the liberty of emailing Gary to ask if he would allow me to interview him for a Nile Cruise Podcast and he has kindly agreed so hopefully tomorrow I’ll be talking to him, via Skype, about his impressions of Cairo, his trip on the overnight train from Cairo to Aswan and his experiences on the Nile Cruise.

As soon as I’ve edited the interview I’ll produce the next Nile Cruise Podcast and post it up here on the Blog for you to hear.

Although it’s probably aimed predominantly at children it gives you a great feeling for how life was for ordinary Egyptians.  Great fun and a wonderful resource and a little taster of some of what you’ll see when your cruising the Nile.

Thanks to Liverpool Museums for the link.

(If you want a great example of Su’s writing please take a look at “Cruising To Dendera“, I think you’ll really enjoy it).

Anyway, I was reading some posts on Su’s website yesterday when I saw a request from the folks who operate the “Eternal Egypt” website asking Su if she would be prepared to write some articles for their site because, in their words, “we sensed your immense passion for Egypt and it would be an honor to have your work on our pages”.

Wow, that’s a real compliment.

But at the same time I followed the link to the “Eternal Egypt” website and, again, its’ another website that you MUST VISIT!! It’s an absolute must for anyone travelling to Egypt and particularly if you are thinking of cruising the Nile.

I’m just exploring the website myself as there is so much to see, experience and read so over the coming weeks I’ll be posting more about the site as I find resources and features I think you’ll like.

“In ancient Egypt, the sacred river Nile flows south to north right through the Egyptian countryside. Along the river, as we cruise down towards Giza, our eyes meet with one of the greatest ancient marvels, the pyramids of Giza. It is believed in Egyptology, that the 3 pyramids were built with absolute astronomical perfection in the period of the Old Kingdom to resemble a phenomenon in the Milkyway Galaxy.

In the early months of spring, in March when one stands along the banks of the Nile, we can witness a cluster of stars meandering through the skies above. Among these very stars is the famous constellation of Orion, who is identified by the 3 belt stars and the 4 stars that mark his body from shoulders to knees. Orion is one of the most ancient Egyptian Gods, revered and honored in the same way as Aton (Sun god) and Horus (Falcon god). The ancient Egyptians meticulously constructed these pyramids, not just to bury their dead but also to study what is beyond death and recorded them in their Book of the Dead. The 3 pyramids of Giza along the Nile are a mirror image of the 3 belt stars of Orion constellation along the Milkyway galaxy in the months of spring”.

To read the whole article please visit the website where I found the article I think you’ll find it very interesting.

No problem regarding riding a camel (!) but not everyone realises that you will have a pretty hectic week if you try and combine seeing the Pyramids, the Sphinx AND enjoy a Nile cruise too.

The problem being that Nile cruises start and finish in Luxor and the Sphinx and Pyramids are near Cairo. And Luxor is 721km’s away from Cairo, which is quite some distance.

You can take a day’s excursion up to Cairo by air in the middle of your Nile cruise but your going to have to get up pretty early and really race around a fair bit in Cairo to get everything done. Plus it’s not a cheap day’s excursion as it involves a plane fair.

It’s far better to consider either returning to Egypt at a later date and staying in Cairo and really doing it justice OR consider getting us to arrange 2 nights in Cairo at the start of your trip. See all you want to see at a much more leisurely pace and then fly down to Luxor to join your Nile cruise. You’ll enjoy things much more and you’ll probably find that it wont’ cost you that much more than that “rushed” one day Cairo excursion would cost you.

If you’d like a quote for a Cairo add on please give Barbara or myself a call on our Freephone number 0808 1089 100.

Here’s a report I read on the SASI Wingees blog which you might find interesting:
_________________________________________________________________

Egypt Moblog #2 – Abu Simbel – Rameses II’s crown jewel
Filed in General Interest-Travel, November 21, 2007, 3:02 am by Sukumar

Yesterday we reached Aswan. It is a beautiful city. No hustle and
bustle like Cairo. The hotel we stayed in, the Basma Aswan, was
beautiful as well. We left Cairo at 2AM and reached Aswan by the early
morning.

In Aswan, due to the security procedures all the cars to Abu Simbel go
in a convoy accompanies by the military. It was a long 3 hour drive
and we reached Abu Simbel at 2pm accompanies by our guide Sammy.

Abu Simbel holds one of the most important monuments – the temples of
Rameses and Nefertari (his queen). As we enter the complex, we take in
the majestic view of the four colossi (large 20m tall statues) of
Rameses seated on the facade of the temple. These statues typically
adorn any description of Egypt.

Right next to it is the Nefertari temple dedicated to the god Hathor
(cow god) – goddess of love and pleasure.

We sat before the facade and our guide explained the significance of
various things. Due to some strange reason guides are not allowed
inside the temple so our guide explained everything before we entered
the temple.

Rameses built this temple at the height of his reign and used this
temple to position himself as a God. Due to the Aswan Dam/Lake Nasser
project the original Abu Simbel lies buried below the lake. Through a
mammoth UNESCO project, the whole monument was disassembled and re
assembled at the present site. You can read up on this project on the
Internet.

One of the beauties of this temple is that on 2 days Feb 22 and Oct
22, Sun’s rays reach right inside the inner sanctum sanctorum. This
is one day later than when Abu Simbel was in its original site. I’m
glad UNESCO preserved this aspect.

Once we enter the temple we see another 8 huge statues of a standing
Rameses 4 on either side of the majestic hall. On all the walls of
the hall are elaborate etched artwork with some of them retaining the
original colors a bit. They had carved Abu Simbel on the face of a
cliff and the whole temple is scooped out from the cliff. The
paintings are carvings as well, but with a plastering of sandstone and
then colors were used to paint the carvings.

All the paintings are of 2 types – Rameses making offerings to all the
pantheon of Egyptian Gods or receiving blessings from the Gods. There
is one or more paintings for each God and Rameses is in each one of
them. There are also some paintings where Rameses’s conquests, war
scenes, coronation etc shown.

Inside the sanctum, you see 4 statues in sitting posture – one on the
right extreme as you face them is Horus the falcon God, next left is
Rameses, the one on extreme left is the God of darkness Ptah, and next
right is Amun Ra the Sun God, the most important god. Another unique
feature is the fact that when sun’s rays shine inside the light
doesn’t fall on Ptah!

The whole temple reminded me of Ajanta’s rock cut temples – the design
of the temple is strongly similar to this one. But that came 1200
years later in the 2nd century BC (this temple dated to 1200 BC).

Then we visited the Nefertari temple which on its facade has 6 statues
- 4 of Rameses + 2 Neferari – all standing. Once inside we see various
artwork with Hathor and Nefertari. This one is not as magnificent as
Rameses temple.

You can see how Rameses has deified himself in the main temple seated
alongside the important gods. The 4 statues that are on the facade
show 4 stages of his life – as a young man, just after coronation,
during the time of this temple and the 4th one just before he died.

With the Lake Nasser in front of Abu Simbel, the grandeur of this
temple is indescribable with words.

We are told that we will see more magnificent temples in Luxor.

We then took the long drive back this time with a AK 47 toting military person!

We spent about 2 hours next at the Nubian museum learning about Nubian
culture – Nubia was controlled by Egypt most of its history with some
unique features. Nefertari, Rameses’s fav queen was Nubian.

Today we board our Nile cruise and before it sails, we will be seeing
the High Dam and the temples of Philiae.

During the cruise, I may not have coverage so my trip report maybe delayed.

Stay tuned….

For those interested in travelling on a Nile Cruise and doing a little research and homework before you go you might be interested in the Ancient Egypt Magazine.

Here’s what Ancient Egypt Magazine is all about:

“Ancient Egypt is a magazine researched and written by experts in the field of Egyptology. Its lively and informed style appeals to the many thousands of ordinary people fascinated by this early civilisation, and provides them with the latest news on their interest.

With reviews of international exhibitions, visits to museums at home and abroad, educational material, book reviews, features and an introduction to hieroglyphs, every issue of Ancient Egypt appeals to both the committed student and those who are new to the subject”.

You can subscribe to the magazine for £24 for 6 issues and I would think that doing so can only enhance your enjoyment of your cruise.

Here’s just a sample of an article about the The Red Chapel’ of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III at Karnak.

Visitors to the great temple of Karnak do not always realise that to the left of the first courtyard when entering the temple, is an area known as the ‘open air museum’ writes Bob Partridge. A separate ticket is needed for this museum, but it is well worth it, for it is there you will find some of the oldest buildings in the huge temple complex.

It would appear that the blocks were carefully stored. within the temple for future use. Some seem to have been reused fairly quickly, but it was Amenhotep Ill, who used all the remaining blocks as filling for his Pylon (now known as the Third Pylon, which was a splendid new river‑facing entrance to the temple).

You can continue reading the article here.

I found this video of a typical excursion to Karnak Temple, Luxor and thought it would give you a good indication of how magnificent the temples and sites are that you can visit whilst enjoying a Nile cruise.

In our latest interview for the Nile Cruise Podcast, I spoke to Lorraine Flack, one of our clients who has taken three Nile cruises so far.

When I asked Lorraine what her highlight was from all of the trips and excursions she has taken during her three cruises she told me that by far it was Abu Simbel.

You can hear Lorraine’s description of Abu Simbel in our next Nile Cruise Podcast which will be posted up on the Nile Cruise Podcast page on Monday, (15th October).

In the meantime I thought it would be useful if I posted a link to Su Bayfield’s wonderful Egypt Sites website and her description of Abu Simbel. Su is also a wonderful photographer and you will see a lot of Su’s photographs of Abu Simbel on her website.

I came across EgyptSites when doing some of my own research and realised immediately what a fabulous resource it would be for anyone hoping to visit Egypt.

The site has been lovingly created by Sue Bayfield who obviously has a great passion for the country.

Here, in her own words, are Su’s reasons for putting together such a wonderful resource…

“The website has been designed with two aims. The first is an introduction for first-time visitors to the ancient sites they may encounter on a package tour or Nile cruise – a taster with photographs of what they may see. My second aim is to provide a greater level of detail on the history and archaeology of the monuments for those with a deeper interest in the study of Egypt’s ancient history”.

If you are cruising from Luxor you will be visiting Upper Egypt and if you visit our “typical Nile cruise itinerary page” you will see which of the sites, temples and monuments you will be likely to visit.

Rather than nipping out and buying an Egyptian Travel book I would suggest you visit Su’s website and read her descriptions instead. Su is also an accomplished photographer and she illustrates her descriptions with wonderful photographs that will really whet your appetite. Here is the “Upper Egypt” page from the website…

I have asked Su for permission to link to some of her website’s content as I feel it is truly wonderful resource so please visit the website and enjoy the excellent resources Su has provided. And perhaps you might want to drop her an email telling her what you have enjoyed when exploring the site. If you do please mention that you came across the site whilst reading the Nile Cruises 4u Blog.

Once again I would recommend you visit the Tour Egypt website where you will be able to read a really informative article about The Valley of The Kings, its’ history and what to expect when you get there.

Usually on the King Tut and El Fostate cruises The Valley of the Kings is a featured trip towards the end of the week but please call us on our Freephone number 0808 1089 100 to check if the excursion is included on the Nile cruise you may choose to book.

To give you a flavour of the Tour Egypt article here’s a snippet:

The Egyptian belief that “To speak the name of the dead is to make him live again” is certainly carried out in the building of the tombs. The king’s formal names and titles are inscribed in his tomb along with his images and statues. Beginning with the 18th Dynasty and ending with the 20th, the kings abandoned the Memphis area and built their tombs in Thebes. Also abandoned were the pyramid style tombs. Most of the tombs were cut into the limestone following a similar pattern: three corridors, an antechamber and a sunken sarcophagus chamber. These catacombs were harder to rob and were more easily concealed. Construction usually lasted six years, beginning with the new reign. The text in the tombs are from the Book of the Dead, the Book of the Gates and the Book of the Underworld. See also a history and overview of the Valley of the Kings.
Click here to read the complete article.