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H I S TO R Y & A R C H I T E C T U R E I S S U E 2 2
My vintage guidebook suggests allowing two
to three months to sail up the Nile but in our
chartered plane, we do it in just over an hour.
It's a seven-day voyage, a mix of sightseeing
with serious relaxation from both decks and
our balconies. The top deck is shaded with
sofas and a breeze, the lower deck with a
swimming pool and sun loungers. The Nile -
the world's largest river - still feels like the
key to Egypt and Viking ship is a beautifully
relaxing portal into it.
At the beginning though, Luxor takes all your
attention. My last trip to Egypt was over 20
years ago and now - slightly to my surprise
- there's even more to see. The three
kilometre line of sphinxes that mark the route
from Luxor to Karnak is both very old - dating
from 1200 BC - and new. It was only properly
excavated in 2021.
I'm also seeing things my grandparents
would have marvelled at and in considerably
more comfort. When I think I'll never see
anything more wonderful than
Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the
Kings, then we go to the Valley of the
Queens, we manage to see inside Nefetari's
tomb. Ramses II's favourite wife; three
chambers lined in depictions of her beauty,
the ceilings covered in stars and I am in awe
of the exuberance, the sheer cleverness of
Ancient Egypt.
Clockwise from above: The Temple of Nefertari
at Abu Simbel; painted walls in one of the tombs
in the Valley of the Kings; columns in Khnum
Temple, Esna
Journey along the Nile River with travel
writer and photographer Chris Caldicott
