Adventure of the month

The Nile: not just a condition characterized by the ability to disregard reality Morning at the Pyramids of Giza The Pyramid of Khufu Pyramid at the Saqqara necropolis And inevitable vendor at the Saqqara necropolis Statue of Ramses II at the Memphis Museum The Mosque of Mohammad Ali at the Citadel Abolution fountain within the its courtyard It is a lso known as the Alabaster Mosque for its interior The Sultan Hassan Mosque Outside the Church of Saint Barbara in the Coptic quarter Note the Pyramids way in the background . I think I need to come up with some shorthand way of saying that I had some time off, a chance at cheap airfare and not much else, because there is definitely a pattern to be discerned here. This past Monday, after a nano-second of thought, the last-minute destination chosen was Cairo. Without sufficient time to plan an itinerary, Diana and I put our fate in the hands of a tour operator who

Donald, our free walking tour guide Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe The French Cathedral, which sits opposite its twin, the German Cathedral in Gendarmenmarkt The Berliner Dom The Neue Synagogue Remaining piece of the Berlin Wall Site of Checkpoint Charlie The Jewish Museum View of the Brandenburg Gate taken from the top of the Reichstag On the 19th of this month, I found myself (1) still in Europe (2) with another block of days off (tough life, I know) and (3) with a last-minute opportunity to realize a long standing goal of mine. For what feels like forever, I have been trying to get to the city of Berlin. I have been packed, ready and on my way no less than four times, but fate has always managed to cruelly poo- poo my plans and send me reeling somewhere else. Based on this track record, when my friend, Diana, called to tell me that there was a cheap flight heading to Berlin in a few hours, I jumped at the chance, but inside I was cringing, awaiting the

The birthplace of Pablo Picasso Calle Larios: Malaga's main shopping street The Alcazaba of Malaga Roman Ampitheater dating back to the 1st century AD Lookout post from the Castle of Gibralfaro La Casa del Guardia: a wine cellar founded in 1840 and still going strong. The Episcopal Palace, now an exhibition hall With two days off, a willingness to go anywhere and a method for choosing a destination that was about as well thought out as any involving a globe and a dart, my three friends and I found ourselves bound for Malaga, Spain, the gateway for the Costa del Sol. As with most places referred to as "gateway" cities, the idea is that you enter through this um, let's just call it a gate, and promptly shut it behind you as rush on to some more exiting, more glamourous destination. Had we actually had anything that resembled a plan, I have no doubt that this would have been ours, as well. I had repeatedly been told that there was nothing to do