Travel Moments from Italy to Egypt

When I was getting ready to travel on Go Ahead’s Egypt and the Nile tour this past February, I found myself thinking about a trip I’d taken with my father to the ruins of Pompeii. When I was little, I was fascinated by the story of Pompeii, the town that woke up one seemingly ordinary day and found itself covered in ash by sundown. The ash that preserved the town revealed to us a world we had previously only known through writings and artifacts.

I had reservations about visiting Pompeii when my dad and I traveled through Italy eight years ago. I pictured nothing more than a small cluster of ruins and broken-down columns. To my surprise, we found an entire city frozen in time, with its houses and theaters so well preserved that you felt you were walking through a living town. We strolled until the sun started to set and agreed that we could’ve spent days exploring the silent but expressive ruins of Pompeii.

I found myself having the same reservations leading up to my trip to Egypt. I wondered whether the Pyramids would live up to the expectations I’d been building since I was seven years old. A day after arriving, I learned that my concerns were completely unfounded. The first sight of the Pyramids is truly surreal. You look across rolling hills of sand and there are the Pyramids, standing watch as they have for more than 4,000 years. The blocks are the same color as the sand, and the structure seems to rise out of the desert like a mirage, but as you approach it and lay your hands on the hot stones, you realize your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you.

We were eager to have a closer look, so our group entered one of these ancient tombs. We hunched down and descended a wooden ramp slowly, inch by inch, in the dim light from electric bulbs. During this first visit, I experienced a feeling that I would have again later on tour at the Valley of the Kings. When you go into these dimly lit places that were never intended to receive visitors, you get a sense of the trepidation and excitement felt by the first Egyptologists and tomb robbers who made their way inside. You don’t know what surprises await you, but you move forward, holding your breath in the heat and looking around in wonder.

Despite my fears, I learned that seeing the actual monument you’ve built up in your mind is more inspiring and emotional than you could ever have imagined. The Pyramids of Giza have proudly stood the test of time, and their presence is an open invitation to see them and marvel.

Posted by Hannah Fisher, Travel Operations Coordinator