Valley of the Kings - from Safaga - Arcadia

The walkway of the small Sphinx's at Karnak

The Valley of the Kings.

So much to see and where to look next........

A penny for your thoughts?

Some well known names........

The desert road.

The long and winding road................

The Collsi of Memmon.

A donkey bringing home the feed.

Part of the columns at Karnak.

A view of the central columns at Karnak.

The Temple at Karnak.

A section of the columns at Karnak.

Karnak Obelisk.

Karnak central avenue of pillars.

Karnak 1.

Sheep herding - local life goes on in the farming community.

Gazing at the Temple in wonder - there's that word again.............

A funeral procession in Luxor.

Another donkey at work.

Colourful Hieroglyphics at Karnak.

The Tour coaches lined up and waiting for Arcadia at Safaga.

A close up of Ramses Cartouche.

Coming up out of a tomb..........always a relief!

Good Day once again,

Arcadia sailed at 0700 hours this morning and we have enjoyed another very pleasant day at sea. The wind is up slightly and you can feel a slight drop in air temperature, but still many people out on deck sunning themselves. We will arrive at Suez at 0300 hours and form here we will disembark our tour passengers for the Pyramids. Once complete Arcadia will join a convoy for her Suez Canal cruise. Once complete we will tie up alongside in Port Said. At Port Said we will reembark our tour passengers and then set sail.

Here is Graham's report on Safaga...........

The day broke as we approached our berth in Safaga, slowly manoeuvring onto the berth we were met by our local guides and the line up of coaches that were to take us to The Valley of the Kings and the other sights of interest.

The three hours journey into Luxor was interesting as we could appreciate the rugged countryside that is Egypt, sand each side but also dotted with mountains. These gave way after about two hours to the green countryside alongside the canals that keep the fields green and verdant. Many of the local farmers grow crops here of sugar cane and barley and we saw lots of evidence of traditional ways of transporting these crops including the little donkeys.

One rather interesting thing that we also witnessed was a funeral procession, yet another aspect of Egyptian life.

The arrival at Karnak brought us back to earth as the heat of the sun bore down on us. The complex of Karnak was simply jaw dropping, awe inspiring and other superlatives that I could use but to be honest they would be a waste of time. The passengers were agog with the soaring columns so beautifully decorated with the thousands of hieroglyphics of Pharaohs over the various dynasties that each put their own stamp on the complex.

Vivid today are some of the colours that are again testimony of the skills and ingenuity of these ancient people.

One very special piece of the complex was the line of miniature sphinxes in the form of various animals, another terrific photo opportunity.

As we made our way to the lunch venue we passed by the Temple of Luxor. After our delicious lunch at the Steinberger Nile Palace we made our way to the Valley of the Kings. Our passengers found it difficult to comprehend the vast area that makes up the funerary complex.
We had the opportunity to visit three tombs, Ramses I, IV and IX. The colours in the tombs were so vivid and even though we could not record the images on our cameras the memory of these will stay with us for many years to come.

It was a little surprise to find that we could visit the tomb of Tutankhamen although we would have needed to pay a little extra for the privilege.

The heat of the day seemed to be even more oppressive as we struggled in and out of the tombs but my how it was worth it. This day was certainly well worth the effort of the three hour transfer, we really must come back.

Thanks for that Graham and for the super photographs - I know how much our readers back home enjoy these.

Well there you have it, more from Port Said tomorrow all being well. I was sorry to hear the news of the earthquake in Italy today - our thoughts are with the people there at this sad time.

Hello to MJ - your Mum had a super birthday and is looking a million dollars this evening!

It has brought back a lot of memories to me just posting these photographs. I am always inspired by what the Egyptians were able to do long before any modern machinery or scaffolding and the like - sometimes you just have to stand in awe of it all..........the magic of being a visitor for the day. I have a couple of good stories to tell you from passengers I have met on this Grand Voyage so I will post these soon - one from a lady who drove all the way from England to Sydney in a Ford Transit Van in the 1960s!!

I almost forgot to tell you I was speaking to Jack Charlton O.B.E. this evening before dinner...........Jack is our after dinner speaker at this time and is being very well received on board.

Keep well!

James.

Those with the most to learn in life are those who feel they know it all.