You know you are a huge geek when you take as much space for books as clothes.

The trip was ace, a week on the M/S Hamees, Stopping at:
Valley of the Kings
Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
The Colossi of Memnon
Edfu Temple

Kom Ombo, which I had not heard of but has some extraordinarily vibrant original colour remaining

Abu Simbel

Karnak Temple

Luxor Temple (we had the place to ourselves at night, it was amazing)

5 Nights in Movenpick El Gouna on the Red Sea and 2 nights in the Nile Palace

It was incredibly relaxing, nice to be incommunicado for 2 weeks and catch up on some reading and just mince around the beach. I managed to read Godel Escher Bach at last and also ticked off The Ode Less Travelled from my 101 Goals. It was weird not having my phone to distract me in spare moments, making me daydream more and think about people and events I have not thought about it ages, I should do it more often.

Pictures are on flickr

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Im particularly excited about Abu Simbel,, The Red Chapel of Hatshepsut, Temple of Amenhotep III among tons of others.

Also I am very much looking forward to No Phone and No Computers for the whole trip, the longest I will have been without either for for a good few years. I am taking the chance to catch up on some reading and take a break, I will have my Kindle with loads of books on it but am taking The Dots-and-boxes Game: Sophisticated Child’s Play (one of my 101 goals is to make a dots and boxes program), Gödel, Escher, Bach (another 101, started 3 times and never finished and it has intrigued me since my first year in university) and Winning Ways for your Mathematical Plays. Pen’n'paper geekery for the win!

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We also went to see Checkpoint Charlie museum, a museum of international nonviolent protest (obviously focused mainly on the GDR and the wall it backed onto for years). I was very moved by it, particularly the thoughts and aspirations of normal people, it is far too simplistic to just think of Germany at that time of just millions of Nazis who just lost a war. I love to think I would have the physical bravery to resist such a regime but have never been tested.
The mayor of Berlin calling out to the allied nations during the Berlin air lift

“You peoples of the world, you people of America, of England, of France, look on this city, and recognize that this city, this people, must not be abandoned — cannot be abandoned!”

Seeing how people tried to escape, risking their lives to try and get to the west and live our kind of lifestyle (which is not without its problems) was interesting.
There was exhibits on Ghandi and the rest of Eastern Europe and the fight against opression and it was clear everywhere that people improve their situation and that of others by orgainising and demanding change. As lots of my friends are now from Eastern Europe I am fascinated about how they experienced the fall of communism in their countries. I am a bit quick to dismiss the G8 protesters, people protesting the Iraq war or whatever sometimes, I think I use the fact the world is complex and situations subtle as an excuse for inaction and came away with a desire to direct some of my skills and energies to making even a small difference. I am unsure what it will be though, toying with a few ideas at the moment.

Another highlight was the Reichstag, in particular taking the trip up to the dome. The queue takes too long but the once you are up it is the best view of Berlin and it is wonderful to be so close to the Norman Foster designed cupola.

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On the Saturday I went to see the Wallace Collection while some girlies shopped on Kensington Highstreet (where the sales are apparently excellent but I’m not sure I could have tolerated a moment). There was an Osbert Lancaster exhibit there that was great, alongside the permanent collection which is excellent. I had never heard of him before but hes is definitely worth investigating, the blurb on the wall described him as a dandy aesthete, something I have always considered myself.

In the nighttime we watched the 1951 Scrooge with Alastair Sim in an incredible private cinema, ate nice food, got a little squiffy (port was involved you will be surprised to learn)

On the Sunday we went to see the Babylon exhibit in the British Museum and I returned to Leeds feeling tired but ace. Babylon has appeared in art of all forms, not least a few Jazz numbers.

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I have been interested in Byzantine history since a historian friend at university described how they were essentially the eastern Roman empire, called themselves Romans, spoke Greek, were Christian and survived well into the Middle Ages. As ever, wikipedia has a good introduction to the topic.

Off to London again next weekend, going to see the Babylon exhibit at the British Museum and have a lovely Christmas celebration with some good old friends.

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I stayed with a good friend from uni and met up with another in covent garden along with one of my oldest friends and had a few beers and a really good buzz. I love London, such a vibrant city and so much to see and do (admittedly I have spent very little time in rush hour commuting on the tube, which is hellish)

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