Secretary’s Blog ::6th January 2008::

With two small boys destroying the Christmas tree as I write may I wish you all an extremely Happy New Year? The British Egyptian Society is working on a few items for next year but let’s start with just a few comments on our finish to 2007.

On the 1st Friday in December we left on Eurostar for the Society’s weekend trip to Paris. Bravely some of the travellers joined the Secretary in a glass of champagne in the new Long Bar at St. Pancras. It was a good start. As usual a coach was waiting for us at Gare Du Nord, thanks to Soliman Travels, and we left for the 1st of our two hotels. As a government sponsored group had refused to leave our hotel until the Saturday, we had to spend the night elsewhere. In fact it wasn’t a hardship and the showers at the replacement hotel were wonderful. Unfortunately they matched the weather outside but that didn’t stop an English, Scottish, Russian and Egyptian quarter hiking up to Sacre Coeur and demolishing an excellent Tarte Tatin overlooking the square and scurrying artists.

Rola gave us her usual excellent tour round the IMA and a Phoenician Exhibition on the Saturday morning. In the evening and in our original hotel we had a group dinner at a Bistro. Interestingly, the taxis in Paris are as frightened by rain as the ones in London. Downhill was fine but back to the hotel certainly walked off the meal!

Sunday, our new guide, Jennifer, took us round the City of Paris Museum was very interesting before we did as dive to the restaurant Rola had chosen for us to meet for lunch. The weather killed off the tour of the Latin Quarter so instead Rola showed us highlights of the Louvre.

I have to saw I do look forward to the Paris weekend which is a wonderful way to start celebrating Christmas. At the end of this year there will be a major “Napoleon of Egypt” exhibition and the indefatigable Cathie Bryan has persuaded the curator to give us a conducted tour.

The day after we got back we celebrated the appointment of a new British Ambassador to Egypt with reception in the Reform Club. Dominic and Louise Asquith stayed until the end and we were extremely pleased at the turnout. Mr. Asquith has promised to follow our activities and offer any help if necessary.

The Society was a co-sponsor of the British Council’s celebration, in Alexandria, of the 50th anniversary of the publication of Lawrence Durrell’s “Alexandria Quartet”.

Now, to this year. Our first major event will be a lunchtime talk “Egypt Today and the Road Ahead” by Dr. Abd Elaziz M. Hegazy at the English Speaking Union on 4th February. Dr. Hegazy, a former Egyptian Prime Minister, is Chairman of the Egyptian British Friendship Association and will be accompanied by its Secretary, Mr. Farid Mansour. After the talk there will be a drinks and snacks reception at the ESU. We are hoping that this, the first of our new occasional series of lunchtime talks, will be well attended.

Dr. Zahi Hawas, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Cairo, is visiting the UK in May and has promised to talk to us. We are still waiting for a date.

Finally I must mention “The Kite Runner”. This enthralling film stars Khalid Abdalla; his father, Hossam, is a member of our Executive Committee. I do urge you to see it. The film is moving and thought provoking and Khalid is excellent.

Best wishes to all until the next “Blog”

Noel Rands
Secretary
6th January 2008