MY WEEKEND OF DECEMBER 13

During the night of Friday to Saturday we had a strong storm and the wind howled terribly on the 7th floor ! When I went on our balcony, I found only one of Nicole's slippers, the other one had been blown away by the wind !



Looking down we saw it laying on a bush ! Nicole went down couldn't find the bush, went up again to the 7th floor to find out the exact location and finally managed to get her slipper back. Of course there were many spectators very amused when she shook the bush to get her slipper down.



The rest of the morning we spent at the beach, enjoying the sunshine, watching the cook asking the guests if they like the food (it was delicious) and the animation guy who called for "Belly Dancing" ! Then it was time to leave.



While waiting in the entrance hall I took this picture of a new Christmas decoration which was displayed in the hall. We did a whole tour through Hurghada and stopped at hotels where other guests waited to be picked up for the airport.



The airport too looked christmassy and people were rather sad to leave !

The 5 h flight went smooth and Mr. G. picked us up at the Brussels' airport. We felt very cold !



This was the view I had this morning when I opened the stores ! Depressing, compared to when I opened the curtains yesterday !

I finally emptied my suitcase and dressed reluctantly into thick winter clothes.



After lunch I gathered my courage and started the Christmas decoration. As usual each year Mr. G. doesn't remember where he had put all the stuff, so instead of preparing Christmas we first did an Easter egg hunting not looking for bunnies and eggs but for angels, stars, balls and fathers Christmas. Finally we found them in a suitcase even labelled "Christmas decoration" !

EGYPT HOLIDAYS - LAST DAY

Today we are flying home, our plane will leave at 3.45 pm. I will miss the hotel, the beach, the people and above all this wonderful sunny and warm weather !



Christmassy decoration even at the beach entrance,



Outside our breakfast restaurant, and my neighbor doing cross words the whole day



Watching the divers coming back, the people having massage and the beautiful view on Hurghada !

But all good things are coming to an end !

This evening I will be back in the cold weather and dark short days !

SORRY ABOUT WORD VERIFICATION, THAT IS NOT MY SETTING ! No way to get rid of it ! Has somebody any suggestion ? Blogger help doesn't help !

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE - EGYPT HOLIDAYS

I have no favorite fives this week, all days had been a favor as I am on holidays and made a little report every day in my posts below.

From N° 1 to N° 4, each day had been the same routine. As I wake up very early, around 6.30 am, usually the sun is already there and it's daylight while in Belgium it still would be dark night. Then I take the opportunity to go the lounge where I get internet. In the mornings it is easier because in the evenings connecting to internet is very slow, difficult, or sometimes even impossible, probably too many guests online.

Then I go beach bed hunting, and put our towels on the beds before they are all taken and then we have breakfast around 8.30 am. Once breakfast finished, we start our working day which means reading, chatting, swimming only interrupted by lunch time. At 4 pm the day is over and we leave the beach because the sun goes down and at 5 it's dark ! That's why it is better to get up early in Egypt !



Continental breakfast, with a huge choice of delicious different cookies and bread



Salades, cheese, ham



and for the British guests a real English breakfast

5. Today it was not really my friend Nicole's day. She literally fell into the restaurant by missing a step and landed on her knees ! Fortunately she wasn't hurt and could get up ! Of course everybody looked and tried not to laugh. That was not all, when she lined up for the lunch buffet, she didn't see the waiter behind the counter and banged the cover of the metal box filled with roasted chicken on his head ! We felt very sorry for him but still had to laugh out loud, once back at our table, just picturing the scene.

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EGYPT HOLIDAYS - DRINKS

When I wanted to take the lift to go to our room, I thought I would step into a shaking boat ! But it wasn't the lift which was shaking but an Englishman with a glass in his hand who was so drunkent that he hardly could keep his balance. He told me that he would go downstairs when he saw that I pushed the button for the 4th floor. I told him that it wouldn't matter and that I would go with him downstairs and then up. He refused. It didn't matter anyway I was a head taller. I pushed him a little aside and went in. "Stupid woman" he said. I looked at him and answered "maybe, but I think you had a glass too much" and pointed on his empty glass. The lift went down. By the time he finally was able to move and go through the open door, the door closed again and we went up to the 4th floor. That made him very angry, I didn't bother and told him that he should enjoy the sightseeing I am offering him to the 4th floor. If looks could kill, I think I would be dead by now. On the 4th floor I went out not before wishing him a nice trip to the first floor and to bar, for a refill, as lots of nice drinks would wait for him. The door closed and I will never know if he managed to get out of the lift and find his destination..

Of course the hotel has quite a lot of places where you can have a drink !



On the beach, at the swimming pool, in the lounge and of course in the restaurants. There are three of them. Quite a lot of men love the drinks, especially as they are included in the "All inclusive" price. And the drinks are strong ! They are not stingy with the alcohol, and put more in the cocktails as necessary, I think the personnel who are all muslims and never drink alcohol,  enjoy to see them drunk, they are so ridiculous then. Unless they become aggressive. It's a little revenge to all those who treat the personnel, as if they had a castle with servants at home !



A lot of choice !

I don't drink alcohol at all and always ask for alcohol free beer. Beer floats in streams and on the beach usually men walk around with a beer glass in their hand. The bellies look accordingly. From 5 month pregnancy it goes up to at least 24 months, so big  are the bellies you can admire which the men carry over their bathing suit. Some of them could even serve as a built in table.





The drinks look very colorful and attract especially women, who are then surprised about the effect the drink has on them. 

At breakfast you see guests with their hangover faces. Usually they  then wait until the bars open at 10.30 am and then it starts all over again. ! Cheers !

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EGYPT HOLIDAYS DAY 4

Opening the curtains at 7 am and see the ink blue sea and the blue sky is such a pleasure ! And it is so warm !


(zoom) view from our balcony

Some people at meals can never get enough, they overload their plates and then leave half of it, only because it's "All included". It is really a shame !



This was on the plates for one person ! Of course he couldn't eat it all !

My compatriots, the Germans are  getting on my nerves ! They put their own  towels, books, hats or whatever they can find on the beach beds and we the honest people wait until we get the hotel towels and then when we want to choose a  bed  the best places are already taken ! I  really think I should take all this stuff away so that they have to line up just as all the others to get their beach towels and then choose the beach bed !


Nicole swimming in our little bay

With swimming, chatting, time flies by. It is also interesting to meet so many people of different nationalities. I became a kind of circus attraction because I speak English with the British people, German with the Germans and French with the Belgians or French people. Sometimes they ask me to help to translate when there are communication problems. It's really fun ! Today a group of four young Germans from Munich asked me from where I was coming from ! They came from Munich and we had a nice chat together.



This guy makes bracelets the whole day on the beach !

Nicole's English improves each day a bit, she has difficulties to pronounce some English words, lack of practice.

After supper we are usually so tired that we just want to go to our room, read a bit and then sleep like two babies ! The food is excellent, a lot of choice and so many vegetables, certainly real organic !




And this evening there was a swan sitting on my bed !

EGYPT HOLIDAY DIARY DAY 3

I thought I would wake up very early like at home around 6 am, but when I opened my eyes it was already 7.30 pm ! I quickly throw my kaftan over my nightgown and went to the lobby for internet connection in the hope it would work and it did ! Finally I could publish my post !

The sun was a little covered but it was very warm.

With all these people of different countries and languages funny things can happen ! I sat at a table and a gentleman asked me in English if one of the seats was free, I said yes and he sat down. Came a lady who also asked in English if the other seat was free, we both said yes. Then the man said to the lady that she apparently wasn't English because she had an accent ! But he had an accent too, a German one ! The lady said "Yes that's possible because I am German" that made me laugh and I said,  and I am German too ! We all bursted out in laughter, here we were sitting the 3 of us all Germans, talking English together ! Then of course we switched the language.

Nicole had climbed in the bath tub and the shower top fell on her forehead, now she has a blue horn sitting in the middle ! She said, now I am a horned widow !

I  also had an adventure in the bath tub, I stood under the shower when suddenly the electricity went off and I stood there in the black bathroom and didn't dare to move ! I thought if I move I will fall out of the tub ! After a while the light went on again, and I could finally finish my shower. I admit it had been a little scary !



We had our breakfast outside, with view on the swimming pool and then spent the whole day at the beach






At work, Nicole sleeps in the sunshine !



View on the sea



Little cosy lounges for internet (if it works)



View from our floor inside the building

At 4 I had an appointment for a massage anti stress. Massages are very cheap here and the lady had iron hands although she looked so small like a feather !

After supper we are for the moment so tired, that we just go to our room and read !

This is not really a "Friday's Fave Five" as I  am writing a kind of online diary !

As Internet is slow and difficult, I may not be able to comment !

ESCAPING CHRISTMAS PREPARATIONS !

On Tuesday we left a very cold, foggy and rainy Brussels. The airport was very busy, although it was only 6.30 am. The whole airport looked like an enormous Christmas market and after the check in we had to walk through gift shops and gift shops all decorated for Christmas !



We had to walk to Gate 382. We wandered! around and around and couldn't find this gate. We asked 3 times different airport employes, they didn't know (how nice for Europe's capital airport) until finally we found one who told us that he believed the gate was B 82 ! The B had been badly printed  and looked like a 3 ! I was really furious ! Why don't printing errors happen with bank notes ? I would be rich by now !

We were not the only once, but finally arrived at the plane and could take off in time ! From 1°C we landed 4 h later in 30°C heat, and a beautiful sunshine ! It took a while until all the visas were checked and stamped and our suitcases were already laying around on the floor ! We finally found ours and the travel agency's bus drove us to the Hotel. The check in went quite quickly and then came the big surprise, we had gotten a room which looked like a utility room, very small and with a view on the beach bar, and of course could hear the loud music. That was then when I lost my temper, we were tired and wanted to unpack, but certainly not in this room !

I went to the reception and complained ! I told them that I am a faithful client and had been in this hotel already 5 times. On top of that I had gotten a personal letter from the Hotel manager who welcomed my arrival. When I showed the letter, and had told them what I thought, staying polite but still, we immediately got another room, this time with a beautiful view and on the 4th floor. It also was much bigger. By the time we finally wanted to unpack, we were so tired that we didn't know anymore where we had put our things. We were looking for the keys, passports, money, etc, and finally decided to go first for supper and then to bed. Tomorrow would be another day. We had a very nice meal, although the restaurant's decoration had changed and I almost didn't find it anymore !





After a good night rest in this very quiet room, I was sitting the next morning on the balcony with this beautiful view ! It was already warm and after a good breakfast we started our "work" on the beach, chatting, reading and swimming. There are lots of Germans and English people here, I also heard some Russian but not as much as the other years.

Unfortunately Internet  connection is not the top and it takes time, and patience is not one of my qualities !

So the first day went by and we feel already much better !

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ARRIVAL AND FIRST HOLIDAY

After our exciting arrival in Egypt we both slept like babies from 8 pm until 7.30 am !!

I had booked wheelchair assistance for my friend Chantal who walks on crutches. Our travel agency swore that this time everything was in order and we would be brought to the airplane and upon our arrival in Egypt we would be picked up in the airplane and let through the customs with a wheelchair. Last time I had troubles with the wheelchair so this time I wanted to be sure !!

On the paper was written "wheelchair assistance on ramp", which meant that there was a wheelchair available at the airport. But the long way from airplane to the passport control we should walk. A truck with lift waited at the airplane, but there was no wheelchair. The assistant told me it would arrive immediately and we should sit down at the border check in.


In this huge truck with elevator where 4 wheelchairs but not for us apparently. I think I will never" understand this logic !

After half an hour the "immediately" was changed into a moment and changed again into immediately. Nearly 2 hours later and having "spoken" (I slighly lost my initial kindness) to 5 responsibles in uniform, there was still no wheelchair and we got fed up and were rather unnerved ! Finally a very friendly custom guy helped us to go through the border, showed our passports got the visas and we could pick up our suitcases (always without wheelchair !) But at least we didn't have to wait in the long line of tourists. Apparently nobody was afraid of the Egyptian revolution in spring, I have never seen so many tourists like this time.

Outside, our travel agency bus waited with all people sitting inside except us and fortunately another couple. Instead of arriving at 2 pm in the afternoon it was nearly 4 when we finally arrived in the hotel half dead !

Today was our first day and the sun was shining, the water warm and the food delicious. We made an appointment for a massage our cure from today on should be perfect ! The staff is so very friendly and cheerful just as last your. Egyptians like to joke and have a lot of humor.

Besides the fact that I was in war with one surviving mosquito which bit me and I had to put an anti itching cream on, I slept very well.

The hotel had all bathroom renewed and the rooms freshly painted. Most of the guests are Germans, English, Scandinavians and a few Eastern country guests. But no badly behaving Russians !

At 3 the sun goes down slowly so we had breakfast at 8 and then lay at the beach because it is already quiet hot and stayed until 3 pm when it is getting cold.

FRIDAY's FAV FIVE

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

1. When you are on holidays one day looks like the other like pearls in a necklace. Each morning a little blogging, then breakfast then laying on the beach and swimming twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon.

2. Our beach beds are just standing in front of the shower . A very interesting place to watch people from S to XXXXXXXL and the beach boys cleaning



as usual, one is working the other admires the work.

3.



I work too instead of building sand castles I draw cats in the sand for the kids. They love it !

4.



after swimming I walk a little around to get dry and watched a surfboard competition organized by the Animation team, and took pictures of my friend Domi.

5.



In the evening we go to the Oriental Restaurant for supper.The food is absolutely delicious there and the decoration beautiful.

After supper we always watch a show and then when we return into our room we find




each evening another swan sitting on our bed !

HOLIDAY REPORT AND THEMES

Camera Critters and Today's flowers below




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Our cleaning man (there are no cleaning women) has put beautiful red flowers on our beds which was such a nice surprise that I forgot to take a picture. And not only that ! In the beginning I always had to claim for toilet paper because the russian guests steal the rolls too, besides coffee spoons, sugar and napkins, or they must have an extraordinary consumption for a human being, that's why the rolls are probably rationated. To avoid that we had to number the sheets and then share them sisterly into two parts I had asked him to bring us at least one roll per day. Now each time he sees me he runs behind me with 2 or three toilet paper rolls which he hands over to me with a big happy smile. There was a time that young men ran behind me with flowers, today its with toilet paper !

I met a woman yesterday at breakfast and was happy that I was seated because when she smiled at me she had all front teeth 6 in total in GOLD !! I am not quickly shocked but that was really something I had never seen. As we have Sean Connery / James Bond's twin here maybe she is the female version of the guy with the steel teeth ! Next time I see her I will ask her if she would smile in my camera ! I don't know if it is still fashionable in the ex Soviet Union to show its wealth in the mouth ??

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Sitting on our patio we have this view, the garden is real artwork !

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Except the camel this little doggie is the only critter I have seen so far !



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