M/S Eugenie

M/S Eugenie- Saturday Night; published Sunday night

The small  cruise ship on which we are sailing  is an elegant looking vessel from the 1920s and is said to have been Marjorie Meriwether Post’s yacht. It has 50 or so cabins on two decks plus three public decks. Everything is done in polished wood. My cabin is about the size of Lisa’s room in Lido with two twin beds, an armoire and a small “make-up” table that serves as a desk. There is an adequate bathroom with a stall shower. There is a terrace facing the water (of course) about the size of our terrace in the Senato in Rome. It holds two deck chairs and nothing else. The public areas have obviously been re-furnished many times and don’t have the elegance that would become this ship. I have seen very few other ships or boats on Lake Nasser although we have been sailing all day.

I had some bad luck and then some good luck.

 The bad: Pharaoh’s Revenge (closely related to Montezuma’s Revenge) beginning Friday afternoon. Imodium and supper in my room consisting of chamomile tea and Coca-Cola worked  and I am much better now (Saturday night). I am trying to be very careful in what I eat and drink. There is no problem in being vegetarian. The fresh salads look great but I have stayed away from them.

The good: we were meant to sail Friday afternoon but a group of French tourists who were scheduled to be on the boat were delayed in arriving because of a cancelled flight. As a result, although we boarded Friday morning, we sailed only this morning and will not reach the first temple to be visited until tonight. I was planning to skip the visit (because it was Saturday) but will now see it on Sunday.

Because we never left the boat today, it was devoted to “education.”  We saw a fascinating film (produced by UNESCO, I think) about the incredible engineering involved in moving many temples—including Abu Simbel—in the 60s.

We are accompanied at all times by an Egyptian guide and an American archaeologist.

Our guide, a Cairene about 35, gave a  talk, with slides,  of her perspective on the Egyptian Revolution. (A Cairine is someone from Cairo; I learned a new word and wanted to use it!)

Our archaeologist gave a very good  lecture (also with slides) about Nubia (now partly in Egypt and mostly in Sudan), its place in antiquity. and its relationship with Egypt. All the temples south of Aswan, although Egyptian,  are in what is considered  Nubia.

Today, fittingly being Saturday, was entirely restful. Tomorrow will be very active and may include a camel ride. It is a little weird being cut off entirely from the rest of the world—no telephone, internet or television. I hope peace has broken out in our absence.