My friend Mona lent me her exclusive club membership pass for the day. October 6th is a national holiday to celebrate the Egyptian victory over Israel in 1973. I wanted to swim in the gorgeous Olympic size pool in my western swim suit without awkwardness so I planned my arrival for mid-morning. There were only 2 -3 other families around, so my plan worked perfectly. (Egyptians tend to stay up very late and sleep in.)
Peter and I had been here a couple of times with Mona when we first arrived, but these were visits at night with a coffee and lots of conversation about the upcoming school year. This time I took a leisurely stroll to see all of the facilities. I saw…
…tennis courts and soccer (I mean football) fields.
The villas in the background are extremely expensive (over 1 million EGY pounds) and are in a compound designed with access to the club facilities.
…lawn bowling (or something)
…restaurants
I stopped for a Turkish coffee, of course.
...handsome walkways
…shady nooks and comfy chairs
The club is lush. This is a desert, so the attention required to create these grounds is phenomenal. Mona tells us these tall trees were purchased full-grown at great expense. Remember, 6th of October is only 10 years old!
…sculpted trees and bushes
Attention to architectural detail seems to be an Egyptian hallmark!
… gardens, and flowers, and flowers
By the time I left, mid-afternoon, the place was filling up with families enjoying the holiday. Egyptians are family oriented, and love talking, eating and playing together. The club was filled with laughter and at least 3 or even 4 generations in every grouping.
I had a totally relaxing day, made complete with the essential wild dog spotting. We will do a future blog devoted just to the dogs. Stay tuned.
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