Up a Lazy River: The Nile offers glimpses of ancient, modern Egypt

By Larry Habegger | June 28th, 2009 | No Comments

My story about cruising the Nile ran in the San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday, June 28. Here’s the lead:

Up a Lazy River

Egypt’s story begins and ends with the Nile.

The great river made Egyptian civilization possible by bringing fertile soil and life-giving water to the desert. It set the stage for the world’s first stone building, for the great pyramids and Sphinx, for countless monuments to honor gods and rulers such as Horus and Tut, for the first nation-state.

And here I was on it, the silver water lapping the side of the boat as we poled away from the dock in the predawn light.

I had come to Egypt, as most tourists do, to see the pyramids, the mosques and palaces and souks, and the ancient temples and tombs strung like gems along the Nile. But it was the river that really spoke to me.

Read the rest here.