Day 12 — The Nile Gave Us Blankets, a Singing Paddleboarder, and Crocodile Mummies
After several days of alarms that felt personally hostile, the morning in Aswan began with something gentler. We were still…
Twenty years of family adventures
Normand
Day 11 — Abu Simbel Was Worth the 3:45 A.M. Wakeup, But the Driver’s Phone Was Not
There are wakeup times that feel adventurous. There are wakeup times that feel unpleasant. And then there is 3:45 a.m.,…
Day 10 — Aswan Welcomed Us With Island Temples, Market Haggling, and a Man Who Remembered My Name
There is something disorienting about waking up on a sleeper train and realizing the day has already started without asking…
Day 9 — Cairo Gave Us Pyramids, Police Whistles, and a Sleeper Train With Character
There are mornings when a 6:15 a.m. alarm feels like a suggestion. This was not one of those mornings. This…
Day 8 — Grandma Got Into the Balloon, and Morocco Looked Better From the Sky
There are certain moments when you look at your elderly mother, look at the side of a hot air balloon…
Day 7 — Marrakech Gave Us Tombs, Markets, and the Great Moroccan Laundry Mission
There is a point in every long family trip when clean laundry becomes more exciting than historic monuments. I am…
Day 6 — Ait Ben Haddou Looked Like a Movie Set Because It Basically Was
There are some places that feel ancient. There are some places that feel cinematic. And then there is Ait Ben…
Day 5 — Sunrise in the Sahara, Dune Bashing, and the Hotel Pool Nobody Asked For
There are few things that will get me out of bed early on vacation. A flight, unfortunately. A buffet breakfast…
Day 4 — The Sahara Was Supposed to Give Us a Sunset. It Gave Us Camels and Rain Instead
There are many ways to prepare for an eight-hour drive through the Atlas Mountains. Sleep well. Pack snacks. Use the…
Day 3 — Fes Tried to Lose Us in 9,000 Streets and Then Handed Us Mint
There is a special kind of confidence you feel before entering a medieval medina with more than 9,000 winding streets.…