Happenings on the Nile
After Xmas I found myself, like many thousands of others, in Luxor, which enjoys an exceptional winter climate, and of course has unique historical attractions.
There was some degree of excitement because President Sarkozy was very publicly there, visiting the sites with his new girlfriend. A rather world weary French press pack was in attendance. One night we dined at a kebab restaurant where the President had had lunch. The restaurant manager suggested we came there for lunch the next day as Tony Blair was coming. We did not take up his suggestion. There were police outriders and ambulances much in attendance. Ali Larijani, the Iranian former nuclear negotiator, was to be spotted too, with his entourage of officials – presumably he was not there to admire the Valley of the Kings.
Agatha Christie’s stay in Luxor inspired her to write Murder on the Nile. The royal figures buried there were often depicted with cobras on their heads to protect them, not always successfully, from their enemies. As Tony Blair surveyed these particular scenes of antiquity, I wondered what went through his mind. The thought so amused me that I brought a brass cobra doorstop as a souvenir of the visit.
Parliament resumes today, so does blogging. Happy 2008; I suspect it will be a very interesting year in British politics. And perhaps I should send the doorstop to Gordon …….