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Protected: 60th

Video|60th, Birthday, Blanket Bay, New Zealand|August 4, 2002

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My first visit to the Pyramids – 1990

News, Photos, Retrospectives, Travel|Cairo, Egypt, Pyramids|October 15, 1990

 

Pyramids of Giza – at the edge of suburban sprawl of Giza outside Cairo in 1990

 

A

s I prepare to depart on a trip to Egypt and a cruise on the Nile next week, I look back on my first and only visit to Cairo – in 1990 on a business trip. I took an afternoon off to do the ‘tourist thing’, and took a drive out to see the Sphinx and the Pyramids just outside Cairo. To my surprise, I didn’t approach them across miles of cinnamon-dusted desert like in the postcards. Driving along the main street of suburban Giza, a bustling built-up suburb with buildings, streetlights, cars and markets, there they were! The top of the great Pyramid appeared like the Castle at the end of Main Street in Disneyland.

Watch this space for the stories for my upcoming trip.

I recall similar disappointment years ago when I first saw St Peter’s in Rome. The wide sweep of the Square just ‘appeared’ at the end of a row of drab buildings along a long, narrow street. Also one Sunday afternoon in London I lost my way in the city and turned out of busy traffic onto the approach of a bridge. Stopped at traffic lights, I looked up to see the battlements of Tower Bridge in close-up with no magical stretch of river to set the scene. Postcards conveniently remove the blight from many of the world’s famous landmarks.

 

Michael at the Sphinx and Pyramids in 1990

 

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Travels with Mon Oncle

Yes, In the sub-head of my blog, I am indeed drawing parallels to the eccentric, quintessential traveller in Graham Greene’s novel “Travels with my Aunt”. I laughed so much when I saw the comedy with Eddy in a West End theatre in London in the early 90’s.

Wikipedia says ” . . . the retired Henry Pullingcock finds himself drawn into Aunt Augusta’s world of travel, adventure, romance and absence of bigotry . . .”

O, for the romance bit!

Hello there!

Michael - Born to travel!

Enjoy engaging, being involved, and making a contribution. But equally as stimulated, creating in my own space.

'Nothing is good where better is possible' - the old Welsh saying defines me in a way, but at the same time can be a curse.

When will I learn to be content and 'live in the moment'?

'

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Sydney, Australia

Michael Mus

Born to travel!

Born to travel!

Enjoy engaging, being involved, and making a contribution. But equally as stimulated, creating in my own space.

'Nothing is good where better is possible' - the old Welsh saying defines me in a way, but at the same time can be a curse.

When will I learn to be content and 'live in the moment'?

Travels with mon oncle

Yes, In the sub-head of my blog, I am indeed drawing parallels to the eccentric, quintessential traveller in Graham Greene's novel "Travels with my Aunt". I laughed so much when I saw the comedy with Eddy in a West End theatre in London in the early 90's. Wikipedia says " . . . the retired Henry Pullingcock finds himself drawn into Aunt Augusta's world of travel, adventure, romance and absence of bigotry . . ." O, for the romance bit!

130 Countries Visited

Michael Musgrave’s Travel Map

Michael Musgrave has been to: United Arab Emirates, Albania, Armenia, Argentina, American Samoa, Austria, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Barbados, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Bahamas, Bhutan, Canada, Switzerland, Ivory Coast, Cook Islands, Chile, People's Republic of China, Colombia, Cuba, Cape Verde, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Egypt, Spain, Ethiopia, Finland, Fiji, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, France, United Kingdom, Grenada, Georgia, Ghana, Guadeloupe, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Croatia, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, India, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Japan, Kenya, Cambodia, South Korea, Laos, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Luxembourg, Libya, Morocco, Monaco, Montenegro, Madagascar, Macedonia, Mali, Myanmar, Macao, Martinique, Malta, Mauritius, Maldives, Mexico, Malaysia, Namibia, New Caledonia, Niger, Netherlands, Norway, Nepal, New Zealand, Oman, Panama, Peru, French Polynesia, Philippines, Pakistan, Poland, Puerto Rico, Palestine, Portugal, Paraguay, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia, Sierra Leone, San Marino, Senegal, Syria, Thailand, Tibet, East Timor, Tonga, Turkey, Trinidad and Tobago, Taiwan, Tanzania, Uganda, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican, Venezuela, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, Samoa, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
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