My Top Fifty Highlights From Our Trip Through Europe and Egypt - Part Two

40. You know you are on holiday when you are sitting by the port of a Greek island (in our case, Aegina) sucking down cheap beer. For us, this had the added bonus of avoiding the riots that were going on in Athens that day a few blocks from our hotel.

(On the subject of Greece, one might wonder why, when this list is done, the Acropolis did not crack the top 50. While we did see the Acropolis, it being on a hill and all, when we got to the entrance we were greeted with a sign saying that, due to a strike, the archaeological site would not be open today. Lousy Greek labour...)

39. Best restaurant we went to: Inn The Park in St James Park, London. More expensive than we are generally used to, but well worth it.

38. Only once did we hail a London cab, but it was a revelation in what late-night transport could be. Although we didn't need the room we could have fit a small drinking party in the back, and the driver actually knew where he was going. And the cabs, with their sleek black beetle-like design, look far more elegant than the yellow people-pushers we see back home. They are almost an excuse to go out drinking in themselves.

37. I don't know what Sally Lunn puts in her buns but they sure go down well, particularly with a chicken, bacon, cheese, and mayo filling (and potato crisps on the side). Surely someone should be making a fortune off that recipe if nobody is already. Bath isn't that remote.



36. The Basilica of Saint Mark in Venice is an interesting building in itself, with its multi-dome roof and detailed ornamentation. However, its real highlight is the balcony upstairs, from which you can look down at the square on one side and out at the sea on the other.

35. The Arc de Triomphe stands as a monument to the battles fought by the Frenchmen of yore. More fascinating though are the modern-day battles being staged on the roundabout that surrounds it - several cars wide, no lane markings, cars on the right turning left, cars on the left turning right - it's an interesting study in how order emerges from apparent chaos. (Of course, in Cairo every intersection is like that, however, you enjoy the sight less when you have to walk across it.)



34. In Luxor I finally got to suck on a sheesha pipe. What makes it so relaxing? Is it the tobacco? Is it the minty flavour? Nope, apparently it's simply the act of breathing deeply in and out. Typical Egypt - charging you for something you should be able to do for free.

33. While wandering around Paris, trying to find St. Germain Boulevard, we stumbled upon what appeared to be the Latin quarter. Whatever it was, it was the trendiest part of Paris that we saw - a collection of narrow streets filled with various cuisines, jazz clubs and bars with lengthy 'happy hours'. If I go back to Paris, I intend to seek out the Latin quarter and spend a bit more time there. That is, if that was the Latin quarter.

32. The Roman Forum is less notable for what is there than what is not there; over the centuries the Romans have dismantled the ancient city, leaving only shards of what was once the hub of the Empire. On a cold, rainy day the scene seems even more desolate - shattered, lifeless buildings left to the elements. As I looked down upon it from the Musei Capitolini I was reminded that most things, no matter how great, disappear eventually.



31. The Basilica of Saint Peter, and the plaza that lies before it, were much larger than we imagined, dwarfing even the major churches that we had seen. Its high ceilings seemed like they were designed to make you feel small in comparison to the might of the Catholic church. In contrast, the tomb of the last Pope, John Paul II, was relatively modest.