Courtesy of Uniworld
We came to Egypt for the temples.
To learn about the pharaohs and their gods, and how ancient civilizations were shaped by the Nile River.
But there was more much more beyond the monuments that made this trip so compelling.
Credit:Courtesy of Uniworld
More mountains, a field or two, perhaps a high-speed train, all brushstrokes on a painting.
The sky was unusually cloudy, a relief given the stifling heat.
We get to climb that?Bobby asked.Cool!
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(Needless to say, thats not part of the regular itinerary.)
Twenty minutes later, the storm had passed.
Rob powered up the sand, slow and steady, with Bobby in tow.
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I waited at the base, iPhone at the ready for photos.
The not-so-graceful pair slid down on their boards to shrieks of delight, falling into the sun-baked earth.
(Because our end-of-season sailing wasnt full, we enjoyed close to a 1:1 guest-to-staff ratio.)
Courtesy of Uniworld
We met our assigned Egyptologist, Akram Abdelmonein, in Cairo, before even boarding the ship.
(Its worth noting that children must be at least four years old to sail in Egypt.)
The wonderful housekeeping team came twice daily to freshen the room.
Courtesy of Uniworld
Breakfast and lunch are served buffet style daily.
Ports of call on all Uniworld voyages include Dendera, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Esna, and Aswan.
This excellent excursion is offered for an extra fee, but I highly recommend it.
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The next morning, when we arrived at the Dendera Temple Complex, the contrast was remarkable.
There were no other selfie-taking tourists; it was just us and the birds and a few stray cats.
Abdelmonein even pointed out a rare depiction of Cleopatra and Caesarion, her son with Julius Caesar.
Courtesy of Uniworld
Its home to a small museum filled with mummified crocs creepy, and very cool.
We also visited Abu Simbel, by way of a round-trip flight, organized at extra expense by Uniworld.
The spa is really more like a massage room, though the treatments I had were excellent and affordable.
