Having just returned from an excellent holiday in Sharm El Sheikh Egypt,  I could not help but compare how different it was from the Egypt I have known over the years.  Modern Sharm which sits at the bottom of the Sinai Peninsula where the stunning dramatic rugged desert meets the crystal clear Red Sea is mighty impressive.  It has an international reputation as an extraordinary diving destination, with clear crystal seas jam packed with amazing delights of the many different species of coral and stunning  fish.

This small fishing village has changed in a few short years to a bustling holiday destination packed with modern hotels all with  the luxuries of modern day living. Diving centres, yacht charters, desert safaris, quad biking, casinos and discos are all there  ready for the tourists delight.

Sharm El Sheikh,  this cosmopolitan capital of Sinai  is heralded  as a city of  peace even in these troubled times.

Our hotel of choice (there are many) was set  in an oasis of peaceful grounds filled with pink, white and deep red bougainvillaea, oleander  cactus and many palms. The gardens well established and beautifully tended by  a dedicated team of gardeners. Such a massive feat in this blazing heat!

Naama Bay is the heart of Sharm and  is a cornucopia of the most amazing energy ever set in one place. Souks and shops selling all manner of things from fake watches to jade beads and spices via together for a little business, the owners pleading for you to spend your time visiting their emporiums.

The tremendous bustle and noise coming from the restaurants, bars, ‘shisha’ cafes, clubs and discos seem a desperate call for contrived enjoyment, somewhat different from the old alleys of Cairo and Alexandria that I know so well. The  town of Naama Bay is  filled with local crafts and tourist souvenirs and it  had to be different. This is a modern place, the first Hotel  in Sharm as new as the 80’s. It could not be the same for me of course as this was also the first time travelling  to Egypt without my ‘Egyptian Pharaoh’.  Stirring such memories of  past joys,  although I often felt his hand in mine and words of his often reached  my ears.  This was a unique and different time. I loved the Old Market of Sharm with its winding streets of the old town. Where I once again practised my haggling skills trying to remember not very successfully, all that Hamada had taught me of this unique skill much loved  by the traders. Both my sons doing so much better at this than me. I loved the carpets laid ready for the serving of mint tea in  traditional manner, the Bedouin coffee shops all such a reminder of days gone by with my love.

I adored the luxury of our hotel set in the most beautiful green and flowering gardens with six wonderful swimming pools to choose from. Indeed it was as hot as hell! August certainly not a time to take small children I feel, but the luxury suites, efficient air conditioning, hour long massages, ice cold cloths to cool us at midday and great food for even the most discerning palate made up for that.

I loved the luxury of the Sinai Casino now the biggest casino in the  whole of the Middle East which again reminded me of exciting times spent in Cairo with Hamada. This time spending such a fun time with my two sons playing roulette for the first time and  all of us sensibly coming away with winnings.

The amazing sun and heat of everyday. The outstanding sunsets over the Sinai mountains, that fall amongst the most breath taking foreground I have ever seen.

I loved as always the smell and taste of this unique land, the sepia colour of night fall and the gentle smiling people of this beautiful part of the world and although a very different Egypt from Cairo or Alexandria to me. It was still an ultimate experience with my wonderful family who were just the very best travelling companions and made my holiday quite perfect with their loving care. Yes for sure, it was for me, a sensual memory of my beloved Hamada and a time I will always remember.

So last week I drove down to my son Jo’s beautiful barn in the Chilterns,  such an amazing weeks stay, right  from the moment I arrived to the lovely on-suite room on the first floor.

Jo had arranged some wonderful carefully selected treats that he knew I would just love. Starting straight away on the first night with cocktails at a very exclusive club in Beaconsfield  called “Crazy Bear” www.crazybeargroup.co.uk  The stunning elaborate decor was something else! take a look at the link.  I spent the whole time admiring the setting and the beautiful young people that adorned this trendy place. I selected the  pretty coral pink cocktail “Singapore Sling” the base being Bombay Sapphire Gin which is a firm favourite of mine. It was absolutely delicious!  From Crazy Bear we went on to a rather cool Moroccan restaurant “Ayoush” www.ayoush.com  we had a Mezza starter and  then a delicious chicken and spinach dish which was supremely buttery, something I will try to recreate at home. Then a Lamb Tagine which is so typically Moroccan and with the Arabic music playing, it really set the scene, I felt as if I had already had a little holiday in some foreign clime.

The weekend brought the best surprises with a real reason to dress-up!  Jo drove early to London the first stop being  the exciting, simply amazing Vertigo42 ! www.vertigo42.co.uk  this cool champagne bar overlooking almost the whole of London. We sat on high stools in front of sheer plate glass, going through security and then whizzing –up in the fastest lift possible I was beyond excited.  This magical vision which delighted me as I quickly spotted,  St Pauls Cathedral, Tower Bridge, The Millennium Wheel, City Bank in Canary Wharf and all those sparkling lights of old London Town. The shining curves of the River Thames slithering like a snake between the old and the new buildings of this wonderful capital. Even looking down! on the aptly named Gherkin which shadowed below us made my heart beat faster. What a thrill, I could have stayed there forever watching and looking at the amazing history of this sensational  twinkling  city-view, from what seemed like the middle of the sky.

Next stop was a treat beyond compare and a place that I had long to visit again, having gone there for afternoon tea in the late 60’s when as a young girl I was working in London. Yes you’ve probably guessed “The Ritz”  This beautiful old hotel which dates back to 1906 and opened by Swiss hotelier Caesar Ritz. The building is neo classical in the Louis XVI manner, built to resemble a stylish Parisian block of flats. It was the first substantial steel-frame structure in London.  Elegant beyond compare with service of  exceptional perfection. From the moment the door of Jo’s car was opened for me and the doorman taking the car for parking, to the warm welcome and  perfect attention to the visitors needs and just ultimate luxury throughout. With its faded pinks and gold ornate ceilings and priceless crystal chandeliers, it is a delightful place to visit. We had cocktails at the art deco Rivoli Bar which was divine and with a perfect “Iceberg” I drank  this beautiful azure blue drink in these quite perfect surroundings as my eyes feasted on the splendid soft lighting and perfect elegance of this stunning hotel. I thought later as I tip-toed down the pink faded carpet to the Ladies Power Room, just who had walked those stairs before. Edward VII,Charlie Chaplin, Sir Winston Churchill, Noel Coward for sure, Judy Garland,Evelyn Waugh,Elizabeth Taylor. Oh! such names to conjure with.

The Rivoli Bar, built in the Art Deco style, was designed in 2001 by interior designer Tessa Kennedy, to look like a bar on the Orient Express.It certainly looked like that and so much more. It is wonderful to know that these elegant places still survive in this sometimes harsh world of ours. Stunning and spectacular!

We are not really supposed to take photos but I will insert these two that were taken by mobile phone – so does that count I wonder?

                                                 “Putting On The Ritz”

Jo is a perfect host, looking after me so well during my five day”special treat” stay, he has inherited many of his Fathers elegant and stylish ways. I am supremely proud of him, how clever his wonderful distraction therapy has been at this time.

Thank you Jo. Mummy will return to her quiet little village content and thrilled at this fabulous treat and my memories of this delicious time will stay for always.

Calm are the seas we travel now,
the sail is down
how tranquil is the ocean,
we drift past the deserted islands
with their scattered palms and
fallen coconuts,
we lay on the deck, with bronzed
skin and salty mouths
calm are our seas,
the soft magnolia smell of warm breezes
whispers through our hair
all is blue, placid and serene,
I am here with you, for once
essential as the mainstay
Calm are our Seas…

Photo: Personal Oil Painting – somewhere special in Oman.

* N.B. See Comments for Dedication.
@ Copyright Susie Hemingway 2009

He dreams of Montazah

the palace within his mind

as he is quietly resting

I know he goes back in time,

the splendid ‘Salam-lek’ palace

built high on hills above

this turquoise studded jewel

secluded bay, entwined with doves.

Amid the palms stands clearly

this monument of  love

built from finest red bricks

a blessing from above,

smooth and graceful standing proud,

with white ‘najoods’ and sea around,

he would walk in verdant grounds

in peaceful harmony, no sound.

The quiet of these gardens

lush all, 370 fed-dans,

would take his heart in a myriad walk,

his feet on fine white sand.

He dreams of  Montazah, the palace,

always within his mind

this paradise inn of time,

he enters gates that keep the crowds at bay

which for him are opened every single day,

and when he’s tired of strolling

I know just where he’ll go

leaving  gazelles and rock gardens

and the flowers he loves so,

he’ll step across the water

to the island of all time

where classical statues never alter,

in plethora there to stand,

and here he’ll fish or flirt,

or swim, in sunlit sheltered bays

and for a little while,

he remember all those days,

“Montazah” keeps him peaceful

I see the smile again, and when

he sleeps tomorrow,

he’ll go right back again…

* najoods – sand dunes

   fed-dans – measurement of land.

All Rights Reserved @ 2007 

Oh Cairo of the sepia light

empurple in the late of night,

the sparkling rays on marble stones

the quickest steps and gleaming domes.

The narrow streets and alleyways

the different smells the different ways

the hookah pipes, the mint tea trays,

Oh Cairo and your faded ways.

The empyrean of mosaic mosques

The many souks and little shops

the hot and dusty lives we lived

the little child with flower to give.

Street cafe’s where everyday

we sat and watched,

in wondrous gaze

Oh Cairo, I remember all those days

The perfume shop where we paid

to smell like ‘Chloe’ in a way!

the special time with special friends,

we thought that is would never end.

Halcyon days spent with you

enticing splendour of garnet hue

twinkling stars in darkest night

Oh Cairo of the sepia light.

The dark robed men

with beads and dice,

delicious honey with special spice,

the bright and silky lengths of cloth,

tahina, lentils in a a pot .

Can you recall that magic place?

for I can see your handsome face

Oh Cairo of the sepia light.

All Rights Reserved @ 2007

Recently I started to cycle again. It is I might say a long time since I first learnt to ride and more than forty-five years since I last sat on a bike.   My sister Jenny suggested that it might be a great way of getting some much needed exercise and  a good way of exploring at close quarters, the lanes and fields that surround our homes.  Oh! such fun and great excitement and with a pounding heart as I tucked my jeans into the bicycle clips so kindly lent by a friend we passed in the village, how kind as he took off  his own clips to give to me “can’t have you getting caught in the chain on your first day dear”  So off  I ventured to  this new delight in my sixty- first year!

The first day was a real success and  returning home all in one piece I  longed to cycle again. Now having been cycling for a few weeks the delights of this pursuit are astounding, to ride on a sunny day along the lanes and see the newly harvested fields of corn and wheat instead of whizzing by in my car.  To smell the grass and earth, to see the different leaves and colours of our beautiful land.  To look at closely again, the berry filled hedges, the different views as we stopped to admire this wonderful countryside, stretching our eyes as far as we can to see across these patchwork fields of green, browns and gold. To see the little cottages nestling in their valleys and the church steeples in the distance. To pass by the huge rusty red cows and to see the geese  marching past.  To breathe the wondrous air and feel the wind on your face and hair as you freewheel down the hills after the long slog up, is quite perfect. My sister and I wave to our  friends as we pass them by and explore lanes as we have never seen them before. This pursuit  has taken me back to my childhood and yes -I know what your thinking! -  I have fallen off once, luckily on the edge of a field so the landing was soft and no damage done.

Everyday my confidence has grown, so now I feel proficient  to ride without my first fear. What a lovely pastime to start again after all these years! how exhilarating  this feeling of  freedom and how I rejoice in it all, thank you for suggesting it dear Jenny, how I love this new adventure.  

Francesco da Mosto  ends his fabulous series tonight  as he visits to pay his respects at the war cemeteries of Gallipoli.  We also see Turkey’s largest Mosque. Then finally Mosto reaches Istanbul, city founded as the centrepiece of the former Ottoman Empire having completed his voyage. I shall feel a little sad as we leave the beautiful schooner the Black Swan and even sadder to end this wonderful enchanting series. A series that has shown us such special Mediterranean places. Please  ‘Auntie Beeb’ can we have some more, or even some re-runs of his first series.

You can buy a copy in hardback of “Francesco’s Mediterranean Voyage” from www.amazon.co.uk  released 18th August, I managed to get a brand new copy for £10  by scrolling down through new and used. It is beautifully illustrated throughout and a must for fans of Francesco everywhere.