Egypt

Egypt was a great way to start my sabbatical adventure! I had no plans for the day I landed, so I ended up sleeping most of the day. My flight was fine but I didn’t sleep as much as I’d hoped. With both physical and mental exhaustion hitting hard (see Packing post), I snuggled under the covers with my Kindle and I was done for. Hours later, I called my parents for our weekly FaceTime then wandered downstairs for dinner. The hotel’s Middle Eastern restaurant had lentil soup and kofte (lamb) kebab that were perfect for my cozy mood. Add a glass of Egyptian red wine (Cabernet-Merlot blend), and I was one happy customer.

I don’t often use tour guides when traveling, because I don’t want to be on someone else’s schedule while on vacation, but I’m glad I did in Egypt. This is not a vacation - this is an adventure, so my usual vacation habits do not apply. I’ll admit that using Claude AI as my travel agent was an influencer. It recommended tour guides when I might not have thought to book one myself. The guides, Sabry and Ghada, added so much to the experience, plus helped me feel comfortable and safe. This sabbatical adventure is very outside my comfort zone, so starting with guides that were knowledgable and personable was amazing.

I learned a lot about ancient Egyptian mythology and history. Sabry and Ghada regaled me in stories about the ancient Egyptians, adding colorful context to the monuments. And those monuments are still quite colorful after many thousands of years! Especially the tombs in the Valley of the Kings (Luxor). Very impressive. Shoutout to Hossam for suggesting I visit Luxor. I mean, look at the intense blue on the ceiling of Sety I’s tomb.

My tour guides also made sure I had photos of me at various places. Sabry, the Giza guide, took all the pyramid Instagram photos, and insisted on this one of me kissing the Sphinx.

Tour guides aren’t allowed to go into the tombs with you, but they pointed me to all the best spots. If you go, know that you will do a lot of climbing and it is HOT in the tombs - despite being chilly(ish) outside - so dress accordingly. I took a paper hand fan to Luxor, and it was clutch. In the pyramids, the passageways were very small, requiring you to crouch and climb. I would not recommend it for those with a bad back or knee.

Fortunately, the tombs in Valley of the Kings do not require you to crouch down and much easier to navigate. Though, you still have to deal with other tourists getting in the way. The tombs in Giza and Luxor are worth dealing with other people. They are beautifully decorated and very impressively built when you think about the ancient technology available to them. The use of water and sand to move large, heavy objects is ingenious. Well done ancient Egyptians.

I loved the story of Hatshepsut, the queen who illegitimately acted as pharaoh for 20 years while her nephew/step-son was too young to rule. She oversaw a time of peace, traveled to other countries for trade, and built herself a beautiful temple on the other side of the mountain from Valley of the Kings. You go girl.

Between my Giza and Luxor tours, I spent a day at the new Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza and it truly is a GEM. The wing dedicated to King Tutankhamun is very impressive. I didn’t have the patience to wait in line to get a close picture of his headdress (thank you iPhone zoom), but otherwise a fantastic experience. Both the King Tut and main rooms are laid out really well for storytelling. Plus the view of the Pyramids across the road is fantastic.

I found it interesting there is almost no mention of Cleopatra. She stands out in my (admittedly influenced by Shakespeare and Elizabeth Taylor) mind, but she’s not really a character at GEM. I also found it interesting that there is no modern history at GEM. I would have liked to learn more about Egypt since the ancient times, especially the 19th and 20th centuries, but alas. Instead, I saw restored ancient boats found next to the Great Pyramid, which is pretty cool.

Overall, a great first stop! If I return to Egypt, I would try a Nile cruise and make sure to stop at Aswan. I would also check out the opera house. Is wanting to see Aida at the Cairo opera house too on-the-nose?

Kofte kebab and (half-eaten) lentil soup

Basically in an Indiana Jones movie, but all the snakes are on the wall

Susan BloombergDecember 11, 2025