The force on the fourth was with us, as we started our journey to Egypt. After a quick run and dog duty, a driver took us to Tampa International Airport for the first of three long flights. The movie, The Whale, held my attention but I did not quite get to the end before touchdown. Newark was the first landing spot, with thoughts of a future boat ride on the Hudson River with our friends from nearby White Plains. We could see the distinct towers of the Big Apple in the distance as we shuttled by bus from one terminal to the next. Not knowing that we would be so well fed on the next flight, we had some meatballs at Piattino’s.

Our seats for the next leg were in a spacious Business Class pod with adjustments for a lounger and bed. Dinner was served on a white tablecloth with champaign. I then finished The Whale and Marry Me, struggling to get any sleep. We landed in Frankfurt with enough time for a run and exercise in a small, secluded landing just outside the Lufthansa First Class Lounge – it was probably a hundred tedious laps to cover the required mile in sixteen minutes.

The two-hour layover at the airport may turn out to be my only time in Germany after studying the language in high school. I also briefly saw the beautiful Swiss/ Austrian Alps sticking out over the clouds. We landed in Cairo surrounded by nothing but brown sand as far as the eye could see. Welcome to the desert and Cinco de Maya. 

Two near tragedies were avoided along the way after security located my passport that I somehow misplaced during the security scanning steps. Also, when we arrived by taxi at the Sheraton Casino Hotel, my left hearing aid fell out and after frantically searching the ground and all but giving up finally found it stuck on my shoulder. Good fortune was with me in both cases. Dinner was on our own at Sapporo for sushi in the hotel before collapsing from exhaustion in our comfortable bed of Egyptian cotton.

In that first early morning, I chose to run a couple of miles through the chaotic streets of Cairo while my wife had breakfast. We were both soon touring the city by Viking bus and fascinated with the visit to the Egyptian Museum and Salah El-Din Citadel where we got our first glimpse of the Giza Pyramids through the haze. King Tut tomb treasures, of course, was the highlight. A late afternoon nap further confused the time difference from home, and it was back on the bus for the crowded marketplace and dinner at Zeeyara. My wife and I successfully bargained for scarves, an inlaid jewelry box and hand-tooled brass dish.

Sunrise came quickly. I completed my daily run on the treadmill instead of joining the group for the breakfast buffet. We were soon back on the bus for Giza and stops at the largest, oldest, and newest pyramids in the world, including a rare but claustrophobic, hunched-over descent into the actual burial chamber. Afterwards, I then narrowly avoided buying fancy rugs while observing the weaving process at a nearby carpet school. Lunch was at the Steigenberger Pyramids hotel directly across from the construction site of the new Grand Egyptian Museum. A camel ride and the Sphinx concluded an amazing afternoon in the Sahara Desert. Another short nap, then dinner at our hotel before setting another early alarm.

At 3:30a, I was ready to go to the fitness center, but it was closed so I did laps around the outdoor pool area. After packing our bags for the valets, I also had time for breakfast before the bus to the airport. We were then off to Luxor by charter plane to board the Viking riverboat Ra and the next leg of this incredible Nile River adventure.