ROCKING THE CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION

Egypt, then and now

DESTINATION
Cairo, Nile cruise, Alexandria, Egypt

DATES
October 21 – November 2, 2010 (12 nights)
November 4 – 16 (12 nights) -- with optional pre-trip extension to Jordan, October 31 – 4 (4 nights) POSSIBLE SECOND TRIP. If we have 10 people ready to go, we will offer a second trip. We are part way there.

READINGS
Palace Walk by Haquib Mahfouz
The Yacoubian Building by Alaa al Aswany
The Hidden Face of Eve: Women in the Arab World (excerpts) by Nawal El Saadawi

Description/Itinerary
The land that gave birth to the first great civilization has fascinated travellers from the time of Herodotus, who wrote the first surviving comprehensive account of the ancient land. Indeed, the sheer antiquity and breadth of Egyptian civilization cannot but reduce the visitor to awe.

On this trip we will step back and forth between the monuments of Ancient Egypt and the culture and people of Modern Egypt.

With the aid of an expert Egyptian guide we will try to discover what natural and human factors combined to create the pinnacle of Ancient Egypt, the New Kingdom. We will step into a world of mighty pharaohs and deities as we visit the legendary sites of the sphinx and pyramids of Giza, the necropolis of Memphis, the world’s greatest outdoor museum of Luxor, The Valley of the Kings, the Hatshepsut Temple and the Colossi of Memnon. And, of course, the Cairo Museum.

We will seek insight into Modern Egypt through its literature and visits to contemporary sites, such as the haunts of our authors, Naguib Mahfouz and Adhaf Soueif, and the Aswan Dam and the spectacular new library in Alexandria. Along the way, we will meet Egyptians from various walks of life.

David Schmitt will lead us in discussions of Nobel Laureate Naguib Mahfouz’s masterpiece Palace Walk and Adhaf Soueif’s The Map of Love (short-listed for the Booker Prize in 1999).

We will begin and end our travels in Cairo, then fly to Luxor and cruise the mighty Nile River to Aswan, fly to visit to Abu Simbel, and travel by private coach to fabled Alexandria before returning to Cairo.

Click here to view itinerary

Click here to see our route

Click here for details about pre-trip extension to Jordan.

History

Travel through our timeline of major events in Egypt's history by clicking here.

Leader
David Schmitt is an architect who makes his home, and helps others make theirs, in Evanston, Illinois. Leading a week of discussions several years ago at Toronto Pursuits on Naguib Mahfouz’s Children of the Alley, has piqued his interest in this vast country and its present role in a pivotal part of the globe.

Accommodatiation
The Talisman, Cairo (5 nights)
Movenpick Hotel, Aswan (1 night)
Sonesta St. George, Nile cruise (4 nights)
The Windsor Hotel, Alexandria (2 nights)

Fees
US$4495 pp
single supplement: US$1575

Fee includes books, accommodation, two meals a day, discussions, walking tours, talks, excursions and admissions.

This tour has been priced in US$. Once you’ve made a reservation, we will invoice you in US$ (which is the fixed cost). Your non-refundable deposit will be charged as CAD $500. As a Canadian company, we will gladly accept CAD$ at our current exchange rate at the time of payment(s). Please Note: once final payment is made the currency exchange rate is guaranteed and there will be no currency exchange adjustments.