Author Archives: JB

Cairo, Egypt That is the universal cry of bazaar vendors everywhere, Cairo being no exception. We visited the ancient Khan el-Khalili bazaar, founded in 1382. Anticipating pickpockets, we had all our valuables carefully tucked away, and toured the repetitive offerings.

Saqqara, Dahshur, Memphis and Giza, Egypt Today was pyramid day and thankfully our guide and driver showed up on time. We had an ambitious schedule, complicated by Don being rather ill. The cause, we deduced, was a crab canape last night, and that crab was vengeful. There were several very awkward moments around our firstContinue reading “Yes, they’re really real”

Cairo, Egypt We started the day early, ready to be picked up at 8AM for our much-anticipated tour of the pyramids. By 8:30, we suspected we had been stood up. By 9AM, we were sure of it. Repeated phone calls went unanswered, but our concierge was able to make the connections. Profuse apologies from theContinue reading “With the best of intentions…”

Giza, Egypt In contrast to this dirty dusty city, a new marvel has risen from the desert, the Grand Egyptian Museum.

Cairo, Egypt Today we began our adventures at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. The premise of this museum is to trace the entire history of Egypt from its earliest time to the present, with a major, but not exclusive, focus on the Dynastic era of Egyptian history, but not to overlook the origins ofContinue reading “Next stop for the Pharaohs”

Cairo, Egypt If American tourists’ only exposure to Egypt was the Cairo airport, there wouldn’t be any rush to visit. Chaos abounds, and signage is minimal. Though English is generously used, clear directions are rare. It took two hours to get an Egyptian visa (recommended to buy at the airport), survive passport control, get luggageContinue reading “Welcome to Egypt”

Madrid, Spain The target for our last day was the Reina Sofia, the national museum of 20th century art. Among the Spanish artists of the early 20th century in the museum are many of the greats. Picasso, Gris, Miro, Dali, just to name a few, all grew up during a time of great political turmoil here,Continue reading “The birth of Modernism”

Madrid, Spain The assignment for the day was simple. Reconnect with friends and catch up on life, take in the streets and crowds of Madrid, fit in some of the notable art in its museums, and leave time for a delicious meal. Mission accomplished.

Madrid, Spain We started our day at the Museum of the Americas, commemorating Spain’s dramatic colonization history, and the reason Spanish is the world’s most spoken language. There were several ways the story could have been presented. I was curious to see if there was any sense of apology for the destruction of whole civilizationsContinue reading “The Conquistadors”

Madrid, Spain If this story turned up in your news feed, you have already heard about the elderly woman evicted from her Madrid home of over 70 years due to a huge rent hike. (If not, here’s the story: https://www.reuters.com/world/protesters-camped-out-across-spain-demand-passage-housing-measures-2026-09-30/)