The Egypt experience was totally winter healing.
We flew to the utter touristic city of Hurghada where we enjoyed the underwater beauties of the red sea and the always present and warm sun.
Princess was feeling particularly adventurous so she veiled her head and we took the local bus to Luxor. By local bus I mean those buses used by local men (not women) and their respective pets such as chickens, swans, serpents or whatever might fit in a card-box of a suitcase size. The five hours bus through the desert mountains of upper-egypt revealed as a great touristic entertainment which Disneyland unsuccessfully tries to recreate. After crossing the desert, to arrive at Luxor and experience the explosion of life in the Nile's margins was close to have an oasis hallucination.
In the city, the everyday Egyptian life mingles with the ancient Pharaonic culture and everything is covered with desert dust and Qur'an chants. I am always overwhelmed by the multi-phonic sound produced by mesquites. It is an amazing sound installation which I cannot find parallel in any western city.
As a take away Egypt, I propose the following menu:
Naguib Mahfouz the Egyptian Nobel laureate novelist. He wrote the Cairo trilogy which I manage to buy in Luxor for less than five euros a piece. I recently read "Respected Sir" (1975) a story about life in general and ambition in particular and "Wedding Song" (1981) a psychological thriller seen from the perspective of the four main characters. Cannot wait to read my new acquisitions.
In your mp3 players you will feature the nationally proclaimed Egyptian diva Umm Kulthum, and the tribute to her by the cairo orchestra. This music is quite hypnotic. I also listen to Ganoub the album "... En Arabe Veut Dire Sud" which I do not think it is Egyptian, but it is excellent therefore I feel like mentioning it here.
I had the fantasy of painting the walls of my bedroom with Schiele drawings. I changed my mind when I discover the work of the Egyptian painter Ghada Amer. Much of her work displays female nudes engaged in sexual acts as a subtext to apparently abstract art. Have a look at Knoty but nice and tell me whether you wouldn't love to have one at home too.
There are plenty of fascinating Egyptian contemporary art such as the scultures/installations of Salah Hammad.
If you are not satisfied yet, you might enjoy the online reading on Egyptian modern art at the metmuseum.
The world could surely afford a second wave of Egyptomania but this time focused on Egyptian contemporary culture, as opposed to the post-pharaonic fascination with ancient Egypt.
Anyway, I recommend Egypt in any form and at any time.
