April 6 – Aswan

We took a bus to Philae Temple which is between the Old and New Aswan dams. It was built during the Greco and Roman rule. It was under water for 60 years and from 1972 to1980 was cut into blocks and moved onto an island. We had to take a boat to get to the island. Only Nubians are allowed to take people out to the island. We had a necklace seller ride on the boat with us. Most of the women in my group bought some.
The temple was large with many carvings. We were surprised to see quite a few crosses carved into the walls.
We returned to the ship for lunch. I’ve been getting innovative towel animals on my bed. Today I walked in and found a towel mummy on the bed.
At 4:30pm we got on a Felucca, a traditional Egyptian sailboat. As we sailed around they served us sparkling wine and appetizers.
Tonight is Egyptian Galabyia night (traditional dress). It was optional whether to dress up or not. There were some really nice outfits. After dinner they had a party in the lounge.
We are sailing back to Luxor.