Some journeys don’t really start at the airport.

This one began a long time ago — sitting cross-legged on the carpet, leafing through Mum’s Time-Life books, staring at photographs of golden masks, carved stone, desert light, and the impossible geometry of pyramids. Egypt felt like a place out of time, a mythical world, unreachable, too big and too old to be real.

And now — we’re going.

University

Later, at University, I would study Near Eastern Archeology, trying to understand how people thousands of years ago lived, prayed, ruled, farmed, dreamed.

I learned the stories behind the images. Gods with falcon heads and sun disks. Temples aligned with stars. A river that rose and fell like the breath of a civilization. And always, that feeling of awe: how could something so ancient feel so alive?

Lost Opportunities

I missed my chance in the late 80s. Living and working in London- it was on my list but other things seemed to get in the way.

I got very close when I visited Israel in the early 90s on a three week Theology study tour (something I should blog here as a throwback using my travel journal!)

Egypt always felt just out of reach — too far, too ancient, too enormous to imagine stepping into.

Egypt + Camilla

What makes this trip perfect timing though, is not only getting to go with Josh, and to travel in style- it’s combining it with another great obsession- Camilla. No, not the Queen consort, the fashion brand that I have grown to love over the last 9 years. You could say I collect Camilla’s the way Howard Carter collected antiquities.

To explain: Camilla’s last collection was based on her travels in Egypt – images and patterns and inspiration were drawn from her journey.

It was a collection I didn’t pay much attention to because I believed the dream to go to Egypt to be over, given the political landscape of the area and a very real genocide happening right next door.

The Camilla lovers Facebook community has enabled friendships with people all over Australia and from all walks of life. One of these women is Michelle who is a travel manager. She put together a tour with Uniworld and invited people to an information session to garner interest. I was interested. Very interested! I mean look at this:Splendors of Egypt & the Nile cruise that’s seeing Egypt in style.

And now — here we are.
Suitcases zipped. Travel documents in a folder (hopefully). The slight buzz of anticipation that sits somewhere between excitement and disbelief. Twelve days on the Nile ahead of us — Cairo, Luxor, Aswan — names that feel like they belong on maps made of parchment.

Travel means airports, waiting, coffee in paper cups, no sleep, boarding calls, and the long haul that stretches time into something elastic. But it’s also the quiet beginning. The doorway.

There will be heat and dust (possibly gastro) and definitely a moment where Josh wonders why on earth I thought I needed to bring that many outfits. But mostly, I think, there will be the feeling of walking into a story that has been calling me since childhood.

There are trips you take because they are holidays, and there are trips you take because something in you has been quietly waiting for them for a very long time.

This one is the second kind.