Still Monday 7 January 2008
In the felucca, we sailed past the Old Cataract Hotel. From the Nile, this old world hotel looks grand, perched on the granite bluff above. If you’ve seen Death on the Nile, it will also look familiar. Alex, my oldest daughter, enjoys sipping tea in old world hotels, preferably while wearing a big hat, looking mysterious. So instead of returning to Helio, our boat (our home actually), we decide to have afternoon tea at the Old Cataract.
As it’s a fair distance from the docks to the Old Cataract, we catch a caleche. Cat sits up front with the driver this time and is pleased as punch. Me, I’m not too keen, especially when the driver whips the horse into a gallop. The poor horse is so thin, you can count its ribs. Also, we’re surrounded by busses and lorries.
Uniformed guards at the gate inform us we have to pay 85 Egyptian pounds to enter. They obviously don’t want any riff-raff hanging about. However, the entrance fee can be applied to anything you buy while here, and we are having tea. To spend all of the 170 pounds (small children are free), we even have Royal Tea.
As non-residents, we must have our tea at the lower terraces. The grand terrace where there’s a band, plush, comfortable sofas and, not least, a roof over our heads, is for residents only.
Agatha Christie was once a resident of the Old Cataract. Do I ever want to be one? Well, I’m not so sure.
Then again, I probably will…
Sophie-Anne, I’m glad that you didn’t let the high brow attitude ruin your lovely tea with the girls. It was still overall a great experience for you it seems and you made the best of it. It is a lovely place and now you have wonderful memories to share with the wee ones.
Sorry about that Anne-Sophie…this is what little sleep gets me. lol
No worries, Renee. Sophie-Anne is a nice name, too 🙂
Loving the picture of the girls. I always love going to high tea with my nieces, and after being to Egypt, rather relish the idea of high tea on the Nile.
What a great location, Sophie. Sounds like a wonderful place to visit!
Look at those happy faces while having Royal Tea. I guess it’s kind of a mystery as to if you’ll be a resident there. 🙂
I recognize the glee of of coming across a sinful lot of familiar cakes in unfamiliar surroundings. It’s great.
Your daughter is quite right of course that a mysterious look is de rigeur for these old places. I like to pick a spot in the lobby and pretend to read a newspaper…
Egypt is one of my most visited countries but I’ve still never made it to Aswan!
I love the excitement on your daughter’s face! It must be bacause of the cakes. 🙂
Glad you got to enjoy the experience of the tea in such a grand place. We found a similar attitude when we went into the Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul. Never have we felt so unwanted – great to be there though! 😉
Julia
I love the smile on their faces!
Sophie, by the look on your daughter’s face, I’d say that 85 Egyptian pounds was well spent.
I’m with your oldese daughter, looking mysterious and wearing a big hat. Places like these are where I feel most at home… I dream and pretend to be a movie star. I’m also quite capable of answering attitude with attitude!!!
OMG! You had me at “Agatha Christie”. This looks like a PHENOMENAL place to have high tea!!!! (And how cute is your last picture? TOO CUTE!)
What an experience that must have been! 🙂
The girls look so happy with their smiles =) For me I would love to wear a puffy Victorian dress while having my high tea, with many lads keeping me company XDDD
I like how your eldest daughter thinks! I could sip tea in hold hotels all day long 🙂
Tea with your girls can’t be beat!
I remember sailing up the Nile on a falucca and seeing that majestic hotel. Who knew it was 85 Egyptian pounds just to enter! That’s a lot of money but, in my opinion, you earned it all back with that fabulous image of your girls!
Thanks for reading, everyone 🙂
That is SO fun!!
a royal tea time indeed… the kids are so cute!
Thanks Gladys 🙂
Similar feeling when we went to the Emirates Palace, well, the first time they refused us the entrance.. Is it a hotel or what? Can I say I much prefer little, dirty, local places?? 😉
Yes, you absolutely can 🙂
I like both ends of the scale – luxurious places or the grottier little ones with heaps of personality. The middling, bland ones are a bit more dull.
Once again, you’ve been some very interesting places!
What a fabulous spot to have tea – I’m pretty sure I’d be grinning like that too!
Wow! That’s a pricey tea. I don’t even want to think about what the room rates would be.
I checked the room rates – and remember they weren’t too off-putting.
I like the idea of making you purchase a certain amount to enter places like these. Otherwise the people there to eat and drink have to put up with too many crowds.
You may have a point, Andrea. Only serious visitors…
That smile = pure excitement
It absolutely did look familiar, good old Agatha Christie! Looks splendid, still 🙂
(That last picture was adorable!)