Egyptian Allure
Every Thursday at 6:00, the Dallas Museum of Art has a free jazz concert, and through March 12 there is a half-price offer on matinee tours of the Tutankhamun exhibit (more info at www.dallasmuseumofart.org); so my husband, Steve and I went with our friends Tom and Debbie Strecker one Thursday afternoon.
They live in the same Garland neighborhood that we do, and Tom happens to be a history teacher. I’m sure we all would have gone to see the exhibit anyway, but it was of particular interest because Tom and Debbie had just been to Egypt in October! They took an exotic Mediterranean cruise that made stops in Alexandria and Port Said, Egypt; Kusadasi and Istanbul, Turkey; and Athens, Greece and several Greek islands.
Taking a cruise (or perhaps an escorted package that combines land travel and a Nile river cruise) is the safest and easiest way to see the ancient wonders in person, and the Streckers were not disappointed with their experiences. While in Egypt, they said they had a fabulous day touring the pyramids and the Sphinx, and visiting a museum in Cairo; then in Alexandria they had a fascinating tour of the ruins and the modern library.
The DMA exhibit is better organized, though, they said. Apparently, while the Cairo museum has an amazing quantity of dazzling antiquities, the material is jumbled together and quickly becomes overwhelming. The touring King Tut exhibit is meticulously laid out, and the artifacts are accompanied by plenty of commentary and supporting history. Ideally, a tourist would go to such a museum exhibit first, and then travel abroad with a better perspective of what they would be seeing in sito.
What’s really exciting right now is that there are so many travel bargains, making the allure of places like Egypt and Turkey much more accessible and affordable. And as Tom the Historian put it,”Going to such a place in person is like bringing the past back to life. There’s just nothing like it.”
Although it cannot compare with the thrill of travelling and viewing ancient wonders first-hand, the DMA exhibit is worth the price ($15 for matinee tickets) and the effort of driving to downtown Dallas, and if you go on Thursday you can enjoy the music, too.
