Goodbye and Hello

El Andalous Foyer - Location of Owners' Meetings in Winter

Well, my last week in Egypt just flew. I told Kathryn and Stephen that I hoped to go for a swim on my last morning, since Lena had managed to do this on her last day. They scoffed, saying I would have more things to do than Lena would have had. As it was, they were right! Also it was cloudy on my final morning, which made leaving a little easier.

I didn’t even have to clean, since I’ll pay to have that done before I come back (it will get very dusty in the mean time; I have to clean my balcony every morning when I’m there). However, somehow the packing took me forever as did just organizing things. I had to bring the sofa cushions in from outside, tidy, work out what I needed to take with me (it was hard to remember what was already in Zurich), and also prioritise what was to go in my luggage and what would have to stay behind. I am already mourning my solar panel which is still in Egypt. Steph had informed me that I would need a bucket in my new flat in Zurich, and since I have two in Egypt (taking up space), I decided to pack a bucket in my luggage. I bet not many people do that!

In addition to packing, there were the goodbyes to be said as well, and last-minute tasks. I went out for a meal with Kathryn and Stephen to Chez Paul. It was a bit sad, since due to there being so few tourists, they were now offering only about three things on the menu, so choice was limited. I also went for the buffet at the Old Palace with Nicole, which has to be one of the best deals in Sahl Hasheesh (109 LE for residents). Then there was an owners’ meeting that I led and wrote the minutes for, and so, before I knew it, my week was over.

There was a huge queue at the airport and I felt a bit ashamed of myself for being the grumpiest person there. Everyone else seemed buoyed up by their holidays and were really in good spirits. I was impressed as I was expecting people to be moaning, but they absolutely weren’t.

I still got through with enough time to buy myself a cup of coffee. At the first place I went to, they said that they didn’t have any coffee and that I wouldn’t find it anywhere in the whole airport. It did make me stop to think, because it’s been hard to find ground coffee in the supermarkets recently (there must be some kind of shortage). However, Egyptians are fond of saying that what you are looking for can’t be found anywhere simply because they don’t have it themselves. I decided to continue to search.

I spotted another café where people were sitting with cardboard coffee cups and indeed that place was selling coffee. I felt quite pleased with myself for continuing to look and even a little happy that I’d had one final “Egyptian” experience before I left.

I didn’t have any luck with my complaint about my last business class flight (I’d hoped to get a free upgrade), so this time I flew economy (I had told them I would not fly business if their service was so poor). I think I managed to get my cheapest flight ever (around 260 CHF return, I think). To compensate for not being in business, I bought some cashew nuts and a selection of mini Ritter Sport chocolates so that I could enjoy some luxury during the flight. On the down side, I was crammed in between two people and the seats were pretty narrow. It wasn’t actually necessary as there were some free places towards the back of the plane (if only I’d known).

I ordered some prosecco and hoped that I wasn’t offending the Arabic guy next to me. As it was, both he and the woman to my right wished me “ein Guete” before I started to eat my meal, making me feel like a very rude Brit, since we don’t generally say “bon appétit” before a meal. I guess in the old days we used to say grace before meals, but I don’t think it’s something that anyone does these days (or maybe I don’t frequent those circles). Anyway, it was a reminder to polish up my manners!

I enjoyed the meal on the plane but it was small (but I'd complained about that in business, so it's not so bad when you're just paying economy). At some point during the flight, I came out in hives on my arm, so I was obviously allergic to something, but I’m not sure what it was. My prime suspect is the yoghurt Ritter Sport chocolate since I started to itch immediately after that. There’s a second one in my pack, so I’ll try it when I’m feeling brave.

We landed safely and it was odd to hear all the Swiss-German again (even though I’d been speaking to a Swiss woman in German for most of the second-half of the flight). I was a bit taken aback that the rail shop (where I’d planned to buy my rail pass) was closed after 8pm. But a single ticket was probably the better option anyway, so no stress, and I was lucky in that my bus arrived just as I got there, so I had no waiting at all. Switzerland was welcoming me back!