Wadi Rum > Madaba > Mount Nebo > Amman Again, it is a single task day. Get to Amman and the Fairmont and take a nice long hot bath. We are supposed to stop in Madaba and see a Byzantine mosaic. Then it is on to Mt. Nebo. Mt. Nebo is the place, according to both Jewish and Christian traditions were Moses stood and looked out at the promised land, which he would not be allowed to visit. It is believed that Moses was buried, by God, on Mt. Nebo, although no one has every found

Petra, Jordan > Wadi Rum, Jordan This morning, we are heading south of Petra towards, the Gulf of Aquaba. Aquaba is Jordan’s only seaport. Aquaba is also the one place where Egpyt, Israel and Jordan have a common boarder. However, we aren’t going all the way to Aquaba, we are going to the Wadi Rum Protected Area to the east of Aquaba. Wadi Rum is a UNESCO site recognized for it outstanding natural beauty and cultural significance. Wadi Rum's cultural significance lies in

Petra, Jordan There is only one goal today – See the Monastery or Ed-Deir. Ed-Dier is located high in the hill northwest of the ancient city of Petra. It is the second most commonly visited monument in the Petra Archaeological Park. However, it is estimated that only about fifteen percent of the visitors ever see it The reason why most people don’t make it to the monastery? It is reached by ascending a nearly 850-step path from the Basin. So, you not only get to climb up

Giza (Cairo), Egypt Good morning. We have two museums to see today and a visit to the Cairo & Khan Khalili Bazaar by night which starts at 17:00 and goes for 22:00 (it does include dinner), then we have a 06:15 flight in the morning and need to get up and be in the lobby at 03:30. One of the first things we talked to Ahmed about this morning was the possibility of changing the visit to the bazaar from tonight to the night of the 16th when we return to Cairo for one night. H

Esna, Egypt > sail down the Nile to Edfu > Sail on to Kim Ombo, Egypt We were under way again this morning at 05:30. On our way to Edfu and the Temple of Horus. Breakfast started at 08:00 which made waiting a bit long for some of us. We meet our guide in the reception area and walk off the boat. The street is about twenty feet above us, so it is up some stairs to get to it. Here our guide has arranged a horse and carriage to take us to Edfu. Edfu was one of several temple

Luxor, Egypt > sail down the Nile to Edfu This morning, we are starting at a more decent time, still early 06:30, but not as bad a 02:30. We get up and get ourselves going about 05:30. We are at breakfast in the dinning room at 06:00. They have machine made cappuccino which isn’t too bad, but better than nothing. It is a fairly good presentation with lots of choices. Actually somewhat surprising since the boat is only half full. We are in the lobby/reception area at 06:30

Giza (Cairo), Egypt > Luxor, Egypt Oh my God, it is 02:30. We will be leaving in an hour for the airport here in Cairo to catch a 06:15 flight to Luxor. Seems incrediable that we have to leave three hours and forty-five minutes before the flight, but that is program. We know that it should only take about forty minutes to get to the airport. At this hour their can’t be any traffic. The number of vehicles on the road at this hour is actually impressive. It isn’t bumper to

Petra, Jordan The day starts with an 08:30 for breakfast. Sami comes and joins us for breakfast at the hotel. The breakfast is very nice, lots of choices and an omelette station. The cappuccino was even fairly good. The brioche was fresh, and the “homemade” apricot jam was very good. Just as it had gone 09:00, we were off to Petra. The main entrance and museum is just across the street from our hotel. Petra , originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu ( Nabataean Aram

Cairo, Egypt > Amman, Jordan > Petra, Jordan Obviously a travel day. This morning, we were up at 05:30 and in the lobby at 06:00. The Cairo Kensington representative met us in the lobby and directed up out to our car. We were on our way to the airport right on schedule at 06:00. Cutting it a little tight this morning as our flight is at 08:40. However, the airport assistance guy knows his thing. Using the business class check-in even though we were economy class. Walking

Aswan, Egypt > Cairo, Egypt A travel day with some touring. This morning, we are up and at breakfast at 06:00. We have a 06:30 pickup from the boat to take us to the airport, where is all goes well we will board Egyptian Air 95 for Cairo at 08:25. No upgrades just economy class. It is an hour-and-half flight so no reason to upgrade. The Kensington field coordinator arrived just after it had gone 06:30. He took us up to the waiting van, which then took us to the airport. I

January 11 through January 14 aren’t loading properly. Probably due to the poor wi-fi we had on the boat. I’ll see if I can resurrect them when and if I have time. In the meantime here is January 15. Kom Ombo, Egypt > Aswan, Eqypt We got under sail about 05:30 this morning. We will travel the 40 or so kilometers to Aswan where our tours begin. This will be a long day. Our first tour is at 08:00 and is supposed to last 4 or 5 hours. Then have lunch on board, then another tou

Giza (Cairo), Egypt and the Giza Plateau Good morning. We have a full day of activities today. The itinerary calls for a 09:00 pickup and ride to the pyramids, and lunch at the 9 Pyramids Lounge on the Giza Plateau with views of the nine pyramids. The Giza Plateau is a large limestone plateau just outside of Giza (Cairo) which has the most recognizable iconic monuments of the ancient civilization. It is located on the west bank of the Nile. For centuries the people in the

Amman, Jordan > Cairo, Egypt Travel Day. Fun Fact Time! What was the first city to be called the city of ‘brotherly love”? Turns it was Amman! In the 3rd century BCE, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, the Greek ruler of Egypt, conquered Amman (then called Rabbath Ammon). After doing so he renamed the city Philadelphia or “brotherly love” after himself. The idea was to solidify his control over the area and to “Hellenize” it. It remained known as Philadelphia until the 7th century wh

Amman, Jordan Our first full day in Amman. Amman is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is the capital and largest city in Jordan with somewhere between five and six million people. Jordan itself, as a country, is relatively new. The area now known as Jordon became a British protectorate after World War I and the fall of the Ottoman Empire. It wasn’t until 1946 that Jordan gained independence and officially became known as the Hashemite Kingdom

Milano, Italia > Amman, Jordan Travel day. Today is the official first day of our Jordan & Egypt excursion. The next sixteen days should be very interesting. Last time I was in Jordan was 1970, yes that is right fifty-six years ago. Then I was just a high school graduate on a summer romp. I wore cut-off jeans, T-shirt and boots. Just roamed through the desert to the south of Amman and the Dead Sea. The deepest we got into Jordan was Basira. However, that is a totally differ

Torino, Italy January 6th is Epiphany and it is a public holiday in Italy. In theory this is the day the magi visit Mary & Joesph and the baby Jesus. However, again it is a marketing thing. Depending on which calendar or church you follow it can fall on different days. Here in Catholic Italy, it is January 6th. Italians don’t really have Santa Claus. Babbo Natale, or Santa Claus, is a 19th century marketing campaign. It really has nothing to do with Christmas, except of c

Torino, Italy Ali booked a ride on the Frecciarossa 9611 at 06:50 for Roma Termini. She had to be at school by noon so it should work out just fine. Hard to believe but I was up early enough to see her off. Still not sleeping all night. Seems to be getting better, however. Again, the day was simply spent packing and getting ready to go. We went to the Borello Supermercato and got a few things for dinner. We stopped by and visited the Serra, Pietro and the girls. There was

Torino, Italy It is beginning to be annoying. While I continue to feel better each day, this cold, flu or sinus condition just won’t leave me alone. I was up early again this morning, about 02:30. Again, tried as I might, I couldn’t go back to sleep. We have an appointment for a wine tasting class at 11:00. Harry V & Ali went out this morning; we just chilled in the apartment. Just before 11:00 we left to go to the vine tasting. We are going to Culture Liquida, a small sh

Torino, Italy This cold, flu or sinus condition really isn’t working out for me. I woke up about 03:00. Tried as I might, I couldn’t get back to sleep. Part of it is undoubtedly jet lag. We had made an agreement to meet Pietro, Serra and the girls at Torteria 40 on Via Giuseppe Mazzini. It is just a couple blocks over and one of the best places in Torino for a cappuccino and brioche. Harry V & Ali went out for an early morning walk. There isn’t anything to do in Torino at

Malpensa Airport (Milan, Italy) – Torino, Italy This is probably the officially first day of the 2026 travel season. We started with cappuccino and brioche in the restaurant at the hotel, it is included in our room because of our status with Marriott. I also had some fresh fruit and yogurt to start the day. After breakfast we went back to the room, finished packing up and headed down to the lobby. Harry V and Ali were right on time at 08:30. Malpensa, like SFO, has been u