Cruising the Nile

Russ and I have never been on a cruise, nor have they particularly appealed to us until now.  The Solaris II was a small ship with a capacity of 150 guests; again during Christmas week at the height of the season it only had half as many people.  Our spacious room was quiet on the top deck in the middle of the boat – the Honeymoon Suite we were told (we most certainly made a good connection in order to score this).  It boasted two large windows, a king bed, balcony, and a bathroom completely encased in marble.  It was very comfortable and it gave us ample time to relax while enjoying the scenic pastoral panorama.   In fact, it was the best part of the boat.

For all the luxury however, the Solaris did not offer the haute cuisine that we’ve heard so much about from others on larger ships.  The food was standard, a mostly meat-and-potatoes menu, although fish and a variety of vegetables were always available. This probably saved us from too much overeating.  I did have the opportunity to try a couple of aspics to know that I don’t care for them at all.  (I just finished reading the biography of Julia Child, “Dearie”, and even that could not persuade me).  Overall, the desserts were a highlight – custards, tarts, and chocolate creations were well worth sampling.  Breakfasts were our favorite meal of the day by far with fresh yogurt, cheese, eggs, freshly baked bread, jams, and fruit. We were able to eat fairly light but even without the 24-hour buffet stereotypical of cruise ships, it was still a lot of food with breakfast at 7:00, lunch at 1:00, a proper English tea at 4:00 and dinner at 7:30.  We had assigned seating but being virtually the only native English speakers on board, interactions with others were limited.

On board, Spaniards dominated, although the menu items were written in German.  The crew was obviously used to Europeans and frequently addressed us in another language.  There were smaller groups of Indians, Germans, and Italians, but absolutely no Americans.  Everyone we talked with came to the same conclusion - the Americans are afraid to come to Egypt.  And yet for all the images of Tahrir Square in protest, this is the safest country we have travelled to in a long time. 

Evening entertainment on board was limited to sitting in the lounge.  The Spaniards were a lively group and were keen to samba (which they made look extremely simple).  Apparently late one evening there was Egyptian belly dancing but by 10:30 we were headed for bed.  We have slept incredibly well.  An advantage to not being on a tour was that we could set our own schedule.  When one group departed at 5 am, we could leave at 8 and still see the same sights.  We pretty much ate when we wanted.

This being the holiday season in the Christian world, the majority of the ship was tackily outfitted with Christmas décor – a plastic Nativity in the lobby, streamers in the dining room, a sizeable tree in on our floor, a Santa Claus to greet us.  The staff effusively greeted us daily with “Merry Christmas” and “Happy New Year”, and it was another surreal December experience to add to our list of unusual holiday celebrations (Chinese food in Kenya, braai’s in Namibia and Botswana, soaking up the sun on the Siesta Key beach).

Along the river to Aswan, we stopped and saw two monuments which were built in the 200-50 BC era by the Ptolemys.  Reflecting Greco-Roman design, they also paid homage to the traditional Egyptian religion. Not thinking that anything could rival the glory of Karnak, we were pleasantly surprised upon entering Edfu and the Temple of Horus shortly after sunrise on Wednesday.  This was the most complete temple in the entire country and provided us with opportunity to see detailed reliefs up close.  Of note, several Pharaonic  figures had been chipped away not in theft as we saw in earlier places but apparently because they were disliked. 

Most of the time we had on board was spent lounging in the sun or shade and watching small villages hidden behind palm trees and bushreeds, lush fields and groves, desert dunes, and fishing boats pass by.  It was tranquil and occasionally we fell asleep. Russ has been reading Unbroken, and I just finished Eats, Shoots, Leaves.

Just after sunset we arrived at Kom Ombo which was situated right on the water.  The temple was lit up and that gave us a much different appreciation for the same style of architecture that we had seen in the morning.  A unique feature was that it was dedicated to not one god but two – Horus and the Crocodile god Sokor, who was seen as a significant creator deity.  It was smaller than any of the other monuments we had seen but spectacular in its detail.  The museum showed mummified crocodiles which were given the same burial rites as the kings, such was their status.