For Emily (a peek at the retreat quarters)

I do get a nice room to myself,
with a nice balcony,
for the evening.

And we are working hard--
thank goodness we have nice squashy couches
to sit on while we work!

Basic and Comfortable

I have nicknamed where I am staying "the monastery."
Actually, if I could have designed a place just for me,
this would be About Perfect.
It is pretty quiet,
clean,
has a reasonably comfy bed,
is warm,
has a desk with a locked cupboard for my stuff,
a closet with a few hangers for my clothes,
an en-suite bathroom
cheap wifi,
and breakfast.
Okay, so the breakfast is pretty basic.
Who needs fancy when there is REAL FRENCH BREAD??
Best of all,
it is within the university budget
AND
it is 4 streets away from the cathedral,
the shops,
the Christmas markets,
and the tram.
I could wish the towels were a little less sandpapery,
but I am extremely happy here.

Not in Kansas Anymore

One more post from the Fairmont Hotel in Heliopolis (Cairo suburb near the airport).
There's something unusual about the bedside table.
Look closely:

It's this sticker.
'Qiblah' is the direction devout Muslims face when they pray- toward Mecca.
In a mosque this would be indicated by a mihrab niche.
In a plush suite in a five star hotel, they provide it for you.
(Just so long as nobody moves the furniture around!)

I Love Being a Princess

There is a Backyardigans episode set in Ancient Egypt where Tasha ('Princess Cleotasha') sings a little number called "I love being a princess." When I walked into my room at the Fairmont Hotel my last night, I began to hum it!
This was my room view:

And they gave me a suite:
An extremely large living room area:

This contained a dining zone as well:

(and a kitchenette):

And here's the bedroom (one of two.)

I should have hosted a party!
Mostly what I did in this grand space was unpack, repack, and SLEEP.
(Alas, no time to go use the pool, not with spending the afternoon out touring mosques and the citadel and the bazaar.)
It was sure luxurious, though.