Virtuoso Insights - August/September 2008 - (Page 38) This, for certain, is one of those days, and the ship we are sailing on only helps. Egyptian for flower, the newly bloomed Zahra has done well to elevate the level of refinement found on Nile cruisers while enhancing the river’s promise of renewal. With only 25 cabins and 2 suites — both with a private deck and Jacuzzi — the ship is spacious and decidedly more exclusive than many of the other cruisers we pass. Home to the Nile’s largest pool, the “floating hotel” also boasts a library and cigar lounge, an intimate theater created in conjunction with Egypt’s Center for Cultural and Natural History, and a signature Banyan Tree Spa from Oberoi. Throughout, earthtoned interiors blend with the ship’s surroundings, always in view through panoramic windows that define the Zahra and enable guests to feel a constant connection with the Nile. The vessel’s pace is also special. There is no rushing, only a leisurely approach to exploring the marvels of the Nile Valley. As our ship arrives in Luxor, I am reminded of yet another one of its charms: Rather than following the Nile cruiser’s standard of mooring six or seven abreast, the Zahra is granted single docking status, which makes departing — and returning to the ship after a day of sightseeing — all the more pleasurable. As I convene with my tour group, we are greeted by our leader, Sherif Samy. A passionate Egyptologist and guide with Big Five for the past 15 years, Sherif is noble, always eloquent in his speech, and possesses an effusive knowledge of his nation’s history. What makes Sherif even more extraordinary is his ability to secure priority access at sites and to recount Egypt’s greatest achievements — in depth and often beneath the desert sun — while abstaining from daytime food and water this month in observance of Ramadan. Today, Sherif takes us to the Luxor Museum. Though smaller than Cairo’s Museum of Antiquities that we visited earlier on our journey, the repository houses one of Egypt’s finest displays of artifacts, with fewer visitors vying for their attention. In the welcomed quietude of this cool and capacious museum, Sherif sheds light on a myriad of treasures designed with immortality in mind. Our tour is highlighted by royal mummies, a cadre of perfectly preserved statues recovered from the Temple of Luxor, and resplendent grave goods exhumed from the boy-king Tutankhamen’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings. more river Nile on page 40 P Sherif Samy sheds light on the Temple of Dendera. Ankhs — the Egyptian symbol for eternal life — displayed at the Temple of Luxor. Photo ©Joel Puglisi 38 Virtuoso insights Photo ©Joel Puglisi
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