Great Places to Write (Part Three - In Egypt)

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

The Old Cataract, Aswan

My favourite hotel in the world; Princess Diana, Winston Churchill and Agatha Christie all stayed there. Part of Death on the Nile is set in the Old Cataract’s grounds.

The Old Cataract sits on a headland overlooking the River Nile and Elephantine Island. The Agha Khan loved Aswan so much his mausoleum stands on the opposite bank of the Nile. You can see why when you sit on the Old Cataract’s veranda. Elephantine Island’s black rocks stand in stark contrast to the white-sailed feluccas drifting up and down the Nile. Beyond the river, the desert undulates towards the hils on the horizon; just before them, sits the abandoned monastery of St. Simeon. Sunset is my favourite time to look at the view from the veranda. Silhouettes of palm trees frame the Nile, whose waters sparkle like liquid gold, and feluccas glint as the sun sinks below the desert hills.

Sunset on the Old Cataract

 

With such an inspirational view, and such relaxing surroundings, writing on the veranda is easy; I planned out an entire novel there, in great detail. A thriller, set in London, Lisbon and Cairo. I never finished writing it, but the structure is still there for me; waiting.

If you need a break from writiing, or want to do something more active than just staring out at the view, Aswan has plenty of attractions. I did all of the items on the list below, but there are many more things to do:

• * Trek to St. Simeon’s monastery (by camel, preferably. Trust me on this. I’ve walked to the monastery and gone by camel; Camels hooves have evolved to hold their grip in the desert sands. Human shoes haven’t.)
• * Wander through Aswan’s souks ( I bet you can make it to the end without spending any money)
• * Visit Philae temple
• * Hire a felucca as often as possible - there is no better way to relax than floating down the Nile.
• * Visit the Tombs of the Nobles
• * Visit the Nubian Museum

The Old Cataract is currently undergoing a complete internal overhaul, but according to the Sofitel Group’s website the building will retain its original character. I hope so. I’d hate to think everything will be modernised for the worse. And that veranda had better be the same next time I go…

Tags: Aswan, Egypt, writing
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