This was probably the most relaxing Christmas I’ve ever had. Christmas Eve we got dressed up, went into town, had lunch with our friend, Paula, and walked around enjoying the decorations and carolers. We came upon a group of guys singing Silent Night (in Croatian) a cappella. They had beautiful voices and the small alleyway seemed to magnify their voices.

Wednesday, November 25: For me, the snorkeling is the best thing about Sharm El Sheikh and Naama Bay. Hundreds of colorful fish swam around us yet somehow none of them ever touched us. Only one other time in my life (in the Caribbean) have I swam with so many different and colorful fish. Most places you need to take a boat to arrive at great snorkeling, but there was a reef only about 50 yards

Sunday, November 22: This morning we arrived in Luxor. Luxor is home to the Valley of Kings and Queens and it is full of temples and tombs. Today we visited Karnak and Luxor Temples. Honestly, all of the temples are starting to run together in my head. They feel kind of like churches in Europe; most of them are beautiful

Honestly, I wasn’t so great at keeping up on my diary for the second half of the trip. I was so good in Cairo, but much of the second half of my diary was written when I got home. Luckily it was still fresh in my mind. Thursday, November 19: When you have an action-packed two week vacation, I know not every day can be magical. Today was a non-magical day (except for the awesome camel ride)

I just returned from a wonderful two week journey in Egypt with Jay, my Mom and Dad, and my brother, Kevin. I kept a diary during the trip, which I’ll share in a few installments, as well as my tips for planning a trip to Egypt. Sunday, November 14: I’ll never understand why some women travel in tight pencil skirts and stiletto high heels. Obviously, it is not comfortable.