Maddy is 15

 

October 2nd was Maddison’s 15th birthday. We tried to get 15 candles into her life in strange and wonderful ways.

 

! didn’t quite manage it but we had a laugh! Her present is coming from the UK with her Nan when she comes to visit next month. Because there is so little here that Maddy wanted (a cars pencil case) we went away for the weekend to Ain Soukhna where she goes with her friends.

Geoff’s school have a special deal with Stella Di Mare, one of the hotels there in a walled compound. It has 2 other hotels in the same compound and a large number of private villas. The Stella Di Are was the golfing hotel of the three. The room came with robes for all 4 (Louisa came too) of us and a fruit basket, some nice toiletries and a balcony. The food was included breakfast and dinner and was an amazing buffet. Maddy had chocolate cereal with chocolate sauce one morning.

We didn’t take the golfing option but took tickets to the Spa at one of the partner hotels with a private beach.

we spent quite a bit of time in the hydro spa and then went to the beach 25 m away. Sun worshipping is boring! I can’t see why people do it. The Red Sea was beautifully clear and we could see ships waiting to travel up to the Suez Canal.

 

Geoff and I returned the following morning to the spa for an hour then we returned to Cairo rather burnt. I’d forgotten the pollution and dust saves you from burning in Cairo but at Soukhna the sea breezes blow all that away.