Marie V in Egypt

Through all the stress of getting Marie V back online Mr M decided it would be good to take time off from everything and take a trip somewhere exotic, or in his words 'anywhere but London'.

I wanted somewhere hot and he wanted activity. We found an amazing bargain, a cruise on the Nile in Egypt. We never considered a cruise, but this deal offered a beautiful cabin and a full schedule of excursions and obviously forty degree heat.

We packed our linens and straw hats and braved the cool British weather in time to make our flight to Luxor.

The cruise was splendid as was the dry and 'warm' weather. The cabin was luxurious and the excursions were well explained by eager Egyptologists. We enjoyed Solo Wist card games with some keen card players.

I myself was taken ill very early into our trip, missing on half of the excursions and the fabled Valley of The Kings, this promises another trip very soon! However, I did have a chance to browse the Egyptian textiles.

Unfortunately most textiles in Egypt, like most souvenirs, are actually made in China. Even 'Egyptian Cotton' is manufactured in China, which is rather disappointing. Aside from this dismay, the printed textiles are superb, regardless of whether it's manufactured in Egypt, China or further afield.

I was very impressed in the colour palettes and the prints across fashion and interior pieces. In particular table cloth and napkin sets with beautiful lotus flower and birds flying prints.

Salesmen would take their boats out to our sailing ship and, cunningly, throw onto the boat samples of their products. A great ploy to make the women purchase their pieces. The sample was passed around the ship and the salesman would have several demands. The worry was how to get the money down to him and not into the water!

Egyptian art and print, whether modern or from 3000years BC, is so unique. I enjoy the basic designs which are en-richened by colour.

Mr M was keen to bring back as much of the excursions to me, back on the boat, as possible. Not only was he snapping 100 images an hour but brought me sand, sacred scarab gems and more. He got involved with a local seller and bought the Eye of Horus, a print, on Papyrus.

The Eye of Horus is an ancient symbol for good health and protection. This sumptuous print is stunning, surrounded by gold gilt, the deep blue colours really brings out the shape and character of this symbol.

I thoroughly recommend visiting Egypt as soon as possible. The revolutions earlier this year have meant that there are less tourists. This is fantastic for us as tourists, low prices and fewer tourist groups, but negative for the Egyptian economy.

Go visit!