Coronation Weekend in London

We arrived in London late Thursday evening and spent the night at the Premier Inn, Heathrow Terminal 4.  We’ve stayed there previously when needing a quick overnight near Heathrow and I highly recommend it. The hotel is very quiet, with comfortable rooms and a decent restaurant, all at very reasonable prices. And you can’t beat … Read more

Karnak Temple, high tea Victorian style and a flight to London with the gods

Wednesday was our last day in Luxor and our last full day in Egypt. We left the hotel at 7am and booked a taxi with a lovely older gentleman, Mr. Mamdul, for our morning trip to Karnak Temple and our evening departure for the Luxor airport.  (We avoided the horde of younger, pushier men hanging … Read more

Winter Palace garden, dinner on the Nile and Luxor Temple

After a dusty morning traipsing around tombs and temples, the Winter Palace Gardens were a delightful escape from the afternoon heat. We enjoyed a tasty lunch at the poolside restaurant, watching other mad dog tourists bake in the midday sun. Wandering the grounds after lunch felt a bit like stepping into Wonderland.  After lunch we … Read more

Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut’s Temple

Tuesday morning we left the hotel at 6:30 am to ferry across the to the West Bank for a visit to the Valley of the Tombs of the Kings and the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut (Deir el Bahri).   We hooked up with a lovely, chatty taxi driver from Gurna (the settlement that was on … Read more