Now then, who among you can "Name that tune"? Well, the name's in the title, obviously! "Congratulations" by the ever youthful Cliff Richards. Was it his Eurovision winner? I believe so.
Never mind. I'm offering my congratulations to Kheir Zaman, the very useful supermarket on TV Street. Apparently it was the birthday of their Luxor store the other day.
Outside the store they had someone painting faces for the children of shoppers, but we didn't have any of ours with us. (I can just imagine our Alice and Charlotte reliving their childhood with tiger faces running around Luxor, lol.) Also they had people dressed-up in animal costumes, with some for little kids as well:
No freebies for us old tourists, though!
Last week, a new shop opened just about opposite KZ; they had the usual deafening music, but accompanied by stilt-walkers weaving in and out of the busy TV Street traffic! Congratulations to them, as well.
There's only one stilt-walker in the picture (centre) I'm not sure what happened to the other one!
Of course, the main celebration today is Shams el Nessim, or Sniffing the Breeze, in English. It's Easter Monday here, a bank holiday for both Christians and Muslims, but the actual celebration is for the coming of spring and hails from the times of the Pharaohs.
I was up early, this morning. The alarm was set for 05:40, in order to be up to
see our guests away to the airport, but I was awoken by various strange noises from out in the street. At first I thought it might be that someone had died and the noise was the beginning of the wailing, which would go on for most of the day. I didn't want to think about it too much, as it would have woken me properly; you know what I mean, don't you? Anyway, after a while, it became obvious that it wasn't wailing women at all, there were too many children's voices, and they were laughing and carrying on. I had to get up, and it was still quite dark, about 04:45, I think, to see what was what.
Kettle on and cuppa made, I went onto the terrace to see what I could see! There is only a view of a small section of the main street from our terrace, as the next building sticks out past the front of ours, but I was able to see and realise what and where the noises were. They were coming from families as they made their way down to the Corniche and the riverside to stake their places for a day of picnicking and frolicking fun! I could see young girls skipping and dancing their way down Mustafa Kamel Street clapping and singing as they went. (And this was still very early, not yet properly light and with the temperature still below 14 degrees; freezing, in fact!!!)
It was just about then, that I noticed that there was a balloon up! I also noticed that the Pharaohs of old still had something on us newbies; Christians and Muslims alike. The West Bank Lights, which illuminate their places of burial, were still shining. They had been on all night! So the old religion was still having the last laugh, as its relics are fully illuminated whilst we Johnny-cum-lately Christians and Muslims are being subjected to willy-nilly power cuts at any time of the night or day!
Only in Egypt, eh?
Never mind. I'm offering my congratulations to Kheir Zaman, the very useful supermarket on TV Street. Apparently it was the birthday of their Luxor store the other day.
Last week, a new shop opened just about opposite KZ; they had the usual deafening music, but accompanied by stilt-walkers weaving in and out of the busy TV Street traffic! Congratulations to them, as well.
Of course, the main celebration today is Shams el Nessim, or Sniffing the Breeze, in English. It's Easter Monday here, a bank holiday for both Christians and Muslims, but the actual celebration is for the coming of spring and hails from the times of the Pharaohs.
I was up early, this morning. The alarm was set for 05:40, in order to be up to
see our guests away to the airport, but I was awoken by various strange noises from out in the street. At first I thought it might be that someone had died and the noise was the beginning of the wailing, which would go on for most of the day. I didn't want to think about it too much, as it would have woken me properly; you know what I mean, don't you? Anyway, after a while, it became obvious that it wasn't wailing women at all, there were too many children's voices, and they were laughing and carrying on. I had to get up, and it was still quite dark, about 04:45, I think, to see what was what.
Kettle on and cuppa made, I went onto the terrace to see what I could see! There is only a view of a small section of the main street from our terrace, as the next building sticks out past the front of ours, but I was able to see and realise what and where the noises were. They were coming from families as they made their way down to the Corniche and the riverside to stake their places for a day of picnicking and frolicking fun! I could see young girls skipping and dancing their way down Mustafa Kamel Street clapping and singing as they went. (And this was still very early, not yet properly light and with the temperature still below 14 degrees; freezing, in fact!!!)
It was just about then, that I noticed that there was a balloon up! I also noticed that the Pharaohs of old still had something on us newbies; Christians and Muslims alike. The West Bank Lights, which illuminate their places of burial, were still shining. They had been on all night! So the old religion was still having the last laugh, as its relics are fully illuminated whilst we Johnny-cum-lately Christians and Muslims are being subjected to willy-nilly power cuts at any time of the night or day!
Only in Egypt, eh?
We must come when there is an event it seems good fun and its good fun when we arrive lol
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