A few years ago a friend and I went on a spontaneous trip to Egypt, we literally booked it on Monday and flew out on Thursday. No preparation, no idea what was in store for us and no time to make any plans.
We landed in the middle of the night in Luxor and were herded off to our waiting boat in a flurry of hand-gestures. But as soon as we set foot on board a magical trip began. The trip took us from Luxor to Aswan, docking along the way to allow us to visit all the ancient temples.
We dipped in and out of history, our wonderful guide telling us about the stories of old and explaining the magic of the ancient Egyptian world, and experienced modern Egyptian life on the banks and bazaars. But for the most magical moments were all spent on board the boats, the cruise ship we slept on (we were upgraded to a wonderful suite with french windows opening out onto the Nile) and the Felucca (a small sailing boat) that took us to the beach were we swam in the Nile.
Maybe it was the hot sun shimmering on the Nile and the light breeze you could only feel while on the water, or maybe it was the gentle lapping of the waves against the hull of the boat or maybe it was just the sense of otherness that seemed to open up a door into a truly magical world.
But what ever it was when ever I think of Egypt and all the Pharaohs and temples I can’t help but but feel a little bit nostalgic about the trip my friend and I took. It was a break, in the truest sense of the word, from our everyday life, a break from reality, a break from what you’ve come to expect, a break from looking at the clock and a break from who you think you are. A truly magical journey.

the Nile is a magical place – old and new melt into one and something magical is in the air – especially on board a felucca