Historic buildings – Fiona Deal

I am looking back on the locations I’ve used my travel, fiction, mystery-action series following Meredith Pink’s Adventures in Egypt. Partly this is a way of re-visiting treasured memories from my own trips to the land of the Pharaohs, and partly as a way of traveling in my imagination since Egypt is off-limits to British tourists right now.

I am now up as far as Book 7 in this trip down Memory Lane. Belzoni’s Bequest is different from the other books in the series in that it is the only one set in London, England. Due to various circumstances (some beyond her control but some of her own making), Merry has been required to return home. Even so, another Egyptian-themed adventure awaits her. Before long, she’s up to her neck in a new action-adventure-mystery, this time linked to the nineteenth century adventurer and explorer Giovanni Belzoni, who made so many amazing discoveries along the Nile when he was there in 1815-20.

The action starts in England’s premier cultural tourist location, The British Museum.

The British Museum, London

Inside The British Museum, London

Here, Merry sees some of the museum’s spectacular Egyptian treasures. These include artifacts and wall reliefs from the beautiful Theban tomb of Nebamun. What is fascinating about this tomb is that, having been discovered and stripped of many of its contents for the museum, it was lost again. Today, nobody is sure of the location of this stunning sepulcher, although it must be somewhere in the Theban Hills.

Scene of Nebamun fishing on a skiff, tomb of Nebamun, British Museum

Exhibits from the tomb of Nebamun, British Museum, London

The British Museum contains an impressive Egyptian collection, always the most crowded of the many galleries. Among its many treasures are mummy cases, statues of Ramses I and others and, of course, the immense bust of Ramses II (The Great) which stands on a tall plinth in the huge ground floor hall. The novel considers the argument for restitution of the treasures: whether the Egyptian artifacts and – more particularly – the Elgin Marbles ought, perhaps be returned to their home nations. I find I can argue this case both ways, and you can read in the book some of the arguments for and against.

Ramses II (the younger Memnon) bust, British Museum

Ramses I wooden statues, British Museum, London

Egyptian mummy case, British Museum

The Elgin Marbles, British Museum

As ever, Merry gets caught up in a mystery-adventure. Trying to unravel what it might mean, she goes first to the John Soane Museum in Holborn. This fabulous little London Museum is crammed full of collectibles from its’ original owner’s travels. Of course, Merry finds more there to see than simply what is on display.

Home of Sir John Soane, collector, London

Another key scene in the novel takes place at Kingston Lacy in Dorset. Now a National Trust property, this was once the home of the aristocratic Bankes family. The gentleman traveller Willian John Bankes lived there during the years of his Grand Tour, which took him to Egypt. There, he met the adventurer/explorer Giovanni Belzoni, who helped him transport a gigantic Ptolemaic obelisk from the Island Temple of Philae back home to the family seat in Dorset. Belzoni almost lost the obelisk when, trying to lever it aboard a boat, it slipped into The Nile. Thankfully, he was able to rescue it. Visitors to Kingston Lacy can see it standing proudly in the grounds there today.

Kingston Lacy, Dorset

Home of William John Bankes, Kingston Lacy

Kingston Lacy, once home of the Bankes family, Dorset

Kingston Lacy, home of the Bankes family, Dorset

The Philae Obelisk, Kingston Lacy, Dorset

Philae obelisk, Kingston Lacy, Dorset

The action in the book concludes in the wonderful Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, also home to an extensive ancient Egyptian collection.

Facade of Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, England

It just goes to show that Merry doesn’t have to be in Egypt to have an intriguing Egyptian adventure !

I hope you’ve enjoyed looking at some of the key locations used when writing Belzoni’s Bequest. If you’d like to consider reading the books, I suggest you start with the first in the series, Carter’s Conundrums.

Fiona Deal, Author of Meredith Pink’s Adventures in Egypt, fiction books all available on Amazon. To join Merry on her adventures please click on each picture for the link.

An image of the cover of the Fiona Deal book, Carter's Conundrums

Cover of Carter’s Conundrums. Book 1 in the series, Meredith Pink’s adventures in Egypt.

An image of the cover of the Fiona Deal book, Tutankhamun’s Triumph.

The cover of the Fiona Deal book, Tutankhamun’s Triumph. Book 2 in the series, Meredith Pink’s adventures in Egypt.

An image of the cover of the Fiona Deal book, Hatshepsut’s Hideaway.

The cover of the Fiona Deal book, Hatshepsut’s Hideaway. Book 3 in the series, Meredith Pink’s adventures in Egypt.

An image of the cover of the Fiona Deal book, Farouk’s Fancies.

The cover of the Fiona Deal book, Farouk’s Fancies. Book 4 in the series, Meredith Pink’s adventures in Egypt.

An image of the cover of the Fiona Deal book, Akhenaten’s Alibi.

The cover of the Fiona Deal book, Akhenaten’s Alibi. Book 5 in the series, Meredith Pink’s adventures in Egypt.

An image of the cover of the Fiona Deal book, Seti’s Secret.

The cover of the Fiona Deal book, Seti’s Secret. Book 6 in the series, Meredith Pink’s adventures in Egypt.

An image of the cover of the Fiona Deal book, Belzoni’s Bequest.

The cover of the Fiona Deal book, Belzoni’s Bequest. Book 7 in the series, Meredith Pink’s adventures in Egypt.

An image of the cover of the Fiona Deal book, Nefertari’s Narrative.

The cover of the Fiona Deal book, Nefertari’s Narrative. Book 8 in the series, Meredith Pink’s adventures in Egypt.

An image of the cover of the Fiona Deal book, Ramses’ Riches.

The cover of the Fiona Deal book, Ramses’ Riches. Book 9 in the series, Meredith Pink’s adventures in Egypt.

Egypt has some fabulous historic hotels. The picture is of a fantastic book which tells the story of these amazing hostelries in their heyday. But they’re still fantastic places to stay for those travelling to Egypt.

Three of these great historic hotels in particular stand out to me. They have each provided settings for some key scenes in my adventure/mystery fiction series following Meredith Pink’s Adventures in Egypt. These three hotels also benefit from being located in the some of the best cities, north, middle and south in Egypt, great for any traveller wishing to do a grand Egyptian tour.

I’m lucky enough to have stayed in all three. So I thought I’d share some images of these three historic Egyptian Grande Dames. The pictures may bring back memories for some of you. If you’ve never been to Egypt but you’ve read my books then hopefully they’ll help bring some of the settings to life. And if you have Egypt on your bucket list, might I encourage you to consider putting these on your list of accommodation options ?

I have to start with the wonderful Winter Palace Hotel in Luxor. As so many of my novels are set in Luxor, I’ve used this beautiful Victorian hotel for key scenes in a number of my books. Merry and Adam contrive to spend a night there in Carter’s Conundrums (book 1), and the hotel is central to a number of key scenes in Farouk’s Fancies (book 4).

The Winter Palace is a historic British colonial-era 5-star luxury resort hotel located on the banks of Corniche in Luxor overlooking the Nile. It has fabulous views from the rooms at the front of the hotel across to the Theban Hills on the West Bank. Great for watching the sunset. At the back, extensive botanical-like gardens lead to a large pool, with a terrace bar and restaurant.

Next is the fabulous Mena House hotel in Cairo, situated right at the foot of the Giza pyramid plateau, literally a short walk to the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx. My characters stay at the Mena House while riddling their way through a set of clues in Carter’s Conundrums (book 1). They also enjoy the hotel’s lavish hospitality during the uprisings surrounding the ousting of President Morsi in Akhenaten’s Alibi (book 5)

Originally a Khedive hunting lodge in 1869, it opened as a hotel in 1886 and was the first Egyptian hotel to boast a swimming pool which opened in 1890. It was also the first hotel with a golf course, literally built in the desert at the foot of the pyramids. Golfers can still play a round there today.

And last but by no means least is the stylish Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan. While my characters have never actually booked in for the night, they’ve enjoyed lunch on the hotel’s famous terrace with its stunning view of the Nile and Elephantine Island in Hatshepsut’s Hideaway (book 3)

The Old Cataract was built in 1899 by Thomas Cook for European travellers to Egypt. Built on a granite buff overlooking the Nile, it still has its original restaurant showing fabulous Moorish architectural design.

I hope these photographs have given you a flavour of the wonderful welcome that awaits visitors at these great Egyptian hotels. And that they’ve brought to life some of the settings for my books.

Fiona Deal, Author of Meredith Pink’s Adventures in Egypt, all available on Amazon. To join Merry on her adventures please click on each picture for the link.