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BY Nancy Mueller 5 Comments ON April 5, 2013

E is for Exploring Exotic Egypt

SphinxandPyramidwatchsmartflickr (450 x 338)

Photo courtesy of watchsmart – flickr

As the site of my first overseas experience, Egypt holds a special place in my heart. Long before the 2011 Arab Spring uprising, I had been a teacher at the St. Mary’s School in Shoubra, a poor Cairo neighborhood.

CairoMosqueArianZwegers (450 x 307)

Photo courtesy of  Arian Zwegers – flickr

During one kaleidoscopic summer, I traveled the road from Cairo to Alexandria under a canopy of desert stars, explored the marvels of the Sphinx and Pyramids on the Giza Plateau as well as the tombs of the Valley of the Kings. Every day led to new discoveries in customs,  courtesies and culinary delights.

KhanElKhalilijuliegomollflickr (450 x 338)

Photo courtesy of juliegomoll – flickr

The trip was not without its share of challenges, however. While I avoided vendor-offered homemade-flavored drinks and always kept bottled drinking water in the refrigerator where I lived at the orphanage, I still ended up with daily gastrointestinal problems.

Then late one afternoon I entered the kitchen and spotted one of the girls standing at the sink. She looked at me over her shoulder and flashed a beatific smile. My eyes widened when I saw her holding one of my water bottles under the faucet tap, carefully filling it up to the brim. In her quiet way, she had been taking care of me, her respected teacher, by ensuring that my water bottle was always filled. Oops.

KarnakTempleeviljohniusflickr (450 x 338)

Photo courtesy of eviljohnius – flickr

Despite those pesky gastrointestinal problems, exploring the magic of Egypt set the stage for what has become my lifelong love of travel adventures around the world. 5 continents down, two more to go . . .

What about you, wanderboomers? Are you ready to explore the wonders of Egypt?

 

Filed Under: Activities, Africa, Baby Boomers and Travel, Destinations, Egypt, Travel Experiences, Travel Tips Tagged With: Alexandria, Arab Spring, bottle water, Cairo, drinking water, Egypt, gastrointestinal, Giza Plateau, Khan el-Khalili, orphanage, pyramids, Shoubra, Sphinx, St. Mary's School, uprising, Valley of the Kings

BY Nancy Mueller 8 Comments ON February 14, 2012

Shot on Location: 7 Movie Destinations for Valentine’s Day

Romantic Movies on Location

Travelers at heart can visit any one of several romantic destinations on Valentine’s Day in the click of an eye through the magic of movies. Cuddle up with or without your sweetie and pass the popcorn and kleenex . . .

An Affair to Remember

An Affair to Remember

An ocean liner headed for New York City sets the stage for this Hollywood classic starring Deborah Kerr (Terry McKay) and Cary Grant (Nicky Ferrante), with Fate and Destiny in key supporting roles. As an added bonus, you can enjoy gorgeous views from the villa on the French Riviera where Nicky’s wise and loving grandmother resides. Most famous line: “If you can paint, I can walk!”

Casablanca

Casablanca

Former lovers meet unexpectedly in French Morocco during World War II when “of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world,” Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) has to walk into his, Rick’s (Humphrey Bogart). The drama includes flashback scenes to happier times when they fell in love in Paris, together with a rousing rendition of the national anthem of France, “La Marseillaise.”

Dr. Zhivago

Omar Sharif (Yuri) and Julie Christie (Lara) are star-crossed lovers in this film set in Russia (though filmed in Canada, Finland and Spain) during the Bolshevik Revolution. Any movie that can romanticize an Ice Palace in the Russian countryside in the middle of winter is worth a viewing.

Lady and the Tramp

In case you think that only we humans hold the monopoly on romance, our canine counterparts will convince you otherwise in this Disney classic. Has there ever been a more heartwarming animated scene than when our main characters discover love at the end of a shared strand of spaghetti at Tony’s (Italian) Restaurant?

Roman Holiday

Audrey Hepburn won an oscar for her performance as Princess Anne who rebels against her royal duties by going undercover as a commoner in Rome for a day. After a memorable chance encounter, reporter Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck) soon realizes he has the scoop of the decade – and the love of a lifetime. Location shots include the Spanish Steps, Palazza Colonna, and Bocca della Verita (Mouth of Truth).

Notorious

Notorious

Rio de Janeiro takes center stage in Hitchcock’s brilliant tale of espionage, romance and betrayal. Cary Grant stars as Devlin, an American agent, who enlists the aid of Alicia (Ingrid Bergman) to track the Nazi ring operating in Rio after her father is convicted of treason. Love intervenes only to be pushed aside by the dutiful Devlin who throws her into marriage with Alex (Claude Rains), leader of the local Nazis group. Will Devlin find a way to save Alicia and himself by movie’s end? You’ll just have to watch the film to find out.

Sound of Music

“The hills are alive with the sound of music” while romance blooms between Maria, a young postulant at Austria’s Nonnberg Abbey, and Baron von Trapp, a widower engaged to be married. Cupid strikes when their eyes meet as the Baron leads Maria in a dance. Be still my heart . . .

Added Bonus!

I can’t help myself. I have to include one more travel film here:

The English Patient

The English Patient

Though this World War II drama is set in Tuscany and Egypt, several scenes were shot on location in Tunisia for a more realistic portrait of 1940’s Cairo. Viewing Ralph Fiennes in his role as Count Laszlo de Almasy carrying his beloved, white shrouded Katherine (Kristin Scott Thomas) across the windswept desert landscape leaves me mesmerized every time. When he recognizes that she’s wearing the thimble (You have to see the movie), her reply, “Of course, you idiot. I always wear it. I’ve always worn it. I’ve always loved you,” says it all. Sigh . . .

What about you, Wanderboomers? What travel movies would you add to my list for Valentine’s Day?

Filed Under: Activities, Africa, Baby Boomers and Travel, Brazil, Entertainment, Italy, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Russia Tagged With: An Affair to Remember, Audrey Hepburn, Austria, Baron von Trapp, Bocca della Verita, Bolshevik Revolution, Cairo, Canada, Cary Grant, Casablanca, Claude Rains, Count Laszlo de Almasy, Deborah Kerr, desert, Dr. Zhivago, Egypt, espionage, films, Finland, French Morocco, French Riviera, Gregory Peck, Hitchcock, Humphrey Bogart, Ice Palace, Ingrid Bergman, Italian, Joe Bradley, Julie Christie, Kristin Scott Thomas, La Marseillaise, Lady and the Tramp, love, Morocco, Mouth of Truth, movies, Nazi, Nazis, New York, Nicky Ferrante, Nonnberg Abbey, Notorious, ocean liner, Omar Sharif, Palazza Colonna, Paria, Princess Anne, Ralph Fiennes, restaurant, Rio de Janeiro, Roman Holiday, romance, Rome, spaghetti, Spain, Spanish Steps, St. Valentine's Day, Terry McKay, The English patient, The Sound of Music, Tony's, travel, Tunisia, Tuscany, villa

BY Nancy Mueller 16 Comments ON May 19, 2011

Shopping for Souvenirs

At this stage of our lives, we Boomers are ready to pare down our possessions and get rid of the clutter taking up space in our basements and garages, aren’t we? We’re ready to be footloose and fancy free and don’t want to be weighed down by stuff we don’t need.

But does this mean we have to give up shopping for souvenirs in our travels? Of course not! In my travels, I look for small treasures to bring back home that evoke the local culture or that will remind me of my wandering experience. While the souvenirs have little monetary value, they are the touchstones of my travel memories.

Take the rectangular mother of pearl jewelry box that I found at Khan el-Kalili, Cairo’s beautiful, colossal bazaar, for instance. Whenever I open the lid, I see the prayer beads I keep inside. Though their sandalwood scent has long since faded, if I close my eyes, I can still hear the Moslem call of the faithful, as I heard it during my stay 5 times a day.

Then there’s my keepsake Egyptian papyrus of the three musicians, a replica of the scene found in the tomb of Nakht in Thebes. The female musicians traditionally entertained guests at banquets, reminding me of the exceptionally warm hospitality I, too, experienced as a guest in Egypt.

From my travels in Brazil, I have the music of the much-loved duo, Toquinho and Vinicius, as well as these iridescent butterflies whose vivid colors were unlike anything I had seen elsewhere.

What about you? What mementos have you brought home from your travels that have special meaning for you?

Filed Under: Baby Boomers and Travel, Shopping Tagged With: Brazil, Egypt, hospitality, Khan el-Khalili, Markets, Mementos, Souvenirs, The Three Musicians, Toquino and Vinicius

Hello fellow wanderboomers! I’m a Seattle-based travel journalist, specializing in fun travel adventures for the young at heart. My articles have been featured in Hemispheres, AAA Highroads Magazine and Northwest Travel & Life Magazine where I'm a frequent contributor. When this Wanderboomer isn’t traveling, I help global executives polish their personal and professional brand for long-term results.
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