Unheralded

PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot The Rapids — Into Egypt, Day 10

After waking up at 3:30 a.m. to watch UConn win, the last full day on the cruise began with a visit to a place called the Unfinished Obelisk, and I have to admit, I wondered why anyone would want to see an unfinished work when there are so many finished obelisks around. I was wrong in questioning it. It actually …


Unheralded

PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot The Rapids — Into Egypt, Day 9

I woke up early after a very good night’s sleep and had a chance to watch the sun rise over the Nile as we cruised down the river, one of those surreal experiences I will never forget. Our first stop of the day was Edfu Temple, but to get there we took horse carriages, which was an unexpected treat. Because …


PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot The Rapids — Into Egypt, Day 8

After beginning the day, predawn, with the balloon ride that was truly spectacular, we headed out to see the places that we saw from the air on the ground. I have to say it was quite nice to have a perspective of what we were seeing and their mass of nature before we toured them. Our first very brief stop …

PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot The Rapids — Into Egypt, Day 3

We got to sleep in a little later this morning, heading out at 8:20 a.m. to our first site, the Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan. We try to get out a bit earlier because traffic in Cairo is absolutely insane and I’ve never heard so much beeping. So many cars, so many people. On our way to the mosque we passed …

PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot The Rapids — Into Egypt, Day 1

Every so often in life, you are dealt unexpected curveballs that seem unfair and moments of true serendipitous grace. For me, in the past year, I’ve had both. When I left my call at Emanuel, I lost a Lily Sabbatical Grant that would have provided an amazing experience for my family and me. And now I have begun a truly astonishing …