Smokefree

Well, the smoke has cleared and you have given me good feedback about the new look of my blog so it seems that The Married Life is here to stay. I realize that I have been living 'The Married Life' for a little more than a year now so maybe you think that I should have made the change sooner, but before making such a dramatic change to something as important as a blog I had to make it through Kathi's one year probation period to ensure that she wanted to keep me around. ;) I think being able to cook helped me achieve a passing grade.
On a side note, there have been several anniversaries and such that have taken place this May by many of my family members but I would like to tell you about one that I am particularly proud of. I have been informed that my Grandma and Grandpa Ward have not only managed to quit smoking, but they have remained smokefree for a year now. This makes me very happy as they are extremely cool grandparents and I would like to keep them around as long as possible since I have only ever been able to see them sporadically since we have always lived at different locations. The official celebration for this will be taking place in early January of next year when Kathi and I fly out to Phoenix to visit them for a few days. Congrats on your accomplishment and we will see you then!

The Movielife Reworked

I started a little experiment this morning to find a new look for the Movielife. My thought is to simplify the design and make the text easier to read so you will need to let me know how I am doing. Expect little changes here and there over the next few days as I will probably be playing with it when I am bored. I can easily switch back to my old layout at anytime so I am really looking for some feedback about what you, the readers, like the most. Stick with the new look, go back to the old, try out another font? Let me know and thanks for the help.

Oh, and it's The Married Life now instead of The Movielife. The name was a suggestion that I believe was made by my step-dad Gregg awhile back and I liked it a lot since most of my life is now spent with my lovely wife instead of at a movie theater.

Day 5 - Part 2 (Sound & Light Show)

Alright, now begins my last post about our trip to Egypt. On Day 5 while riding back to Cairo from Alexandria I felt that I wasn't quite ready to be finished with the pyramids yet so I decided that I would take Kathi to the Light & Sound Show at Giza in the evening before we headed off to the airport and back to Vienna the next morning. The show starts every night after dark and lasts an hour long. It is full of lasers and lights mixed in with music and commentary over the Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza. It was quite nice being able to stare at the monuments for an hour in the cool of the evening without being bothered by any peddlers. I only wondered what the pharaohs from so long ago would think about their burial chambers being used in such a strange fashion. We enjoyed the show much more then expected and found that it was a perfect ending to an excellent vacation.

Day 5 - Part 1 (Alexandria)

Alright, I am almost finished with the series of posts about our trip to Egypt but you have to stick with me just a little bit longer before I move onto something new.
Early in the morning on Day 5 we woke up to drive through the desert so we could spend some time in Alexandria and enjoy the sea. As I am sure you already know, Alexandria was named after its founder, Alexander the Great, and it was created around the year 334 BC. The city housed the largest library in the ancient world (which was sadly destroyed long ago) and was also home to Lighthouse of Alexandria which is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but it has also not survived the hands of time. Alexandria was also home to Cleopatra's Palace which has since been lost in the sea.

We enjoyed the cooler temperatures the city provides with its seaside views as well as a great fish dish from a restaurant along the harbor for lunch. We also managed to squeeze in stops at the Citadel of Qaitbay (which is located where the lighthouse used to stand), Pompey's Pillar, the Catacombs of Shouqafa, and the new library with its state of the art design. All of these places have a great history but I won't go into any of that with you as it would make this post entirely too long. If there is anything you would like to know, please ask in the comment section and I will do my best to provide you with a competent answer.

One more post coming up later during this holiday weekend and then we will say goodbye to Egypt on The Movielife.

Day 4 - A Relaxing Anniversary

Day 4 in Egypt trip was our Anniversary and our self declared 'lazy day.' We spent much of the day lounging around the hotel pool reading books, drinking freshly squeezed juices, and taking the occasional swim. Being lazy was the plan for the entire day until we would head out for a nice dinner. I took a tip from our tour guide and made reservations at the Moghul Room at the Mena House hotel which is supposed to be the nicest Indian restaurant in Cairo (Why Indian when you are in Egypt you might ask; I say why not?).

The Mena House is one of the most famous hotels in Egypt and it has a direct view of the pyramids. It has been visited by royalty and stars over the more then 100 years it has been open. Most notable in its history is that it was the location where Churchill and Roosevelt started the plan for D-Day and it’s where Egypt and Israel signed their peace treaty.

Well, as you saw on Kathi's blog we first had a drink at the hotel bar that overlooks the pyramids and then we headed off to find our restaurant (there are several on the grounds) only to end up in the wrong one after we were first turned away by the hostess for my lack of formal dress. Either way we ended up at the nicest restaurant the hotel had to offer and the food and entertainment were quite good so we declared our first anniversary a success as it also provided us with the creation of some new stories to tell.

Day 3 - Checking Out Cairo

On Day 3 of our trip we stayed in the city to see some of what Cairo had to offer. We started off at the Egyptian Museum which contains so many artifacts that only a certain number can be shown at any one time while the rest are stored in the basement. The museum was so crowded that it was almost impossible to walk around certain parts of the building. Currently a new location is under construction near the Pyramids of Giza which should prove to be a perfect, and necessary, replacement for the current museum. After looking at many statues, mummies and such, we went to see some of Cairo's religious history. In one small section of the city there is a synagogue, different churches, and mosques all located within walking distance of each other (and most a thousand or more years old). The streets in certain parts of Islamic Cairo are extremely narrow and leave you with the feeling that you have gone back in time. Before heading back to the hotel to end Day 3 of our trip we made sure to visit the city's Citadel which proved be a very difficult fort to attack during the time of the Crusades. And then it was Matt and Kathi relaxation time.

Day 2 - Part 2 (Saqqara & Memphis)

After visiting Giza we headed south to visit the pyramids and mastabas of Saqqara. The mastabas were interesting to walk through as many of the walls were still almost complete with their engravings and paintings intact. Some of the pyramids in the area looked like nothing more then large piles of stones as they were early attempts at pyramid building, but pictured is the famous step pyramid for Zoser which is the pharaoh that our hotel was named after and his pyramid is the oldest known hewn-stone building complex in the world. After Saqqara we went to the ancient capital of Memphis to see if anything from the old world still exists in the city. Memphis was the capital during the Old Kingdom in Egypt (2650 - 2134 BC) and was the largest settlement in the world for about 1000 years. Most of ancient Memphis is buried beneath the current city so all that is really to be seen are some statues and other artifacts that are located in a type of outdoor museum. After Memphis we headed back to our hotel for a relaxing end to Day 2 of our trip.

Day 2 - Part 1 (Pyramids of Giza)

On Sunday morning we headed out to finally see the pyramids (I say finally because I have wanted to see them since I was a little boy in Nebraska surrounded by cornfields). We started with the pyramids of Giza which are the largest and most famous. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one on the list that still exists today. It is a solid 450 feet high (145 meters) after losing about 30 feet (10 meters) over the more then 4000 years that it has been in existence. It was amazing looking up at something that so many people throughout history have viewed especially when considering that it was thought of as ancient even when Alexander the Great viewed it more then 2000 years ago. The complex at Giza also contains the Sphinx and two other pyramids (you can see a photo with all three pyramids on Kathi's blog). You are actually able to go inside the pyramids as they were made as burial chambers for the pharaohs. I found that I would have not made the best pyramid explorer as I was quite uncomfortable crawling through the small dusky passageways inside, but I made it to the end chambers none the less (hey, even Indiana Jones feared things (such as snakes)). The Sphinx itself is quite impressive as it is a statue carved out of a single stone that leaves people looking like nothing more then insects when walking around it. The whole history of the area is something that is hard to grasp as it is difficult to contemplate how a civilization could have been so advanced 4500 years ago and left me with a craving to read many more books on Egypt.More to come on Day 2 of our trip tomorrow or Tuesday, I decided that the Giza area deserved its own post today.

Day 1 - Nile Cruise

We arrived in Cairo on Saturday afternoon. During the drive to our hotel it was suggested that we go on a Nile dinner cruise in the evening and since we had been considering going on one already we decided to go ahead and book it. Therefore we watched the sunset from the deck of a boat and tried our first tastes of Egyptian food on Saturday night. There is nothing wrong with Egyptian food but we found that there is really nothing special about either so you can use that information before heading to your local Egyptian restaurant. We were however impressed with the Egyptian wine, but it is not that easy to find as most Egyptians are not allowed to drink alcohol. During dinner we were entertained by local music, a belly dancer, a whirling dervish, and the many Asians that were also on the cruise. The best part of the evening was when the back half of the top floor of the boat was given exclusively to Kathi and me to enjoy the sunset in private. And that was Saturday; Sunday we visit the pyramids!

Back From Egypt

We returned home from Egypt today and we are not overly excited about it. We were only there for the better part of a week but we managed to see quite a bit in several different cities. Still, we will need to return someday as there is still a lot that we did not see in other parts of the country and maybe a few of these pyramids will need revisiting too ;). I will make a new post every few days (or everyday if I am feeling ambitious) that will include pictures and stories from our trip, starting from when we arrived last Saturday and ending this morning. That should keep us all occupied with the Movielife for awhile, so check back here tomorrow for the kickoff of Egypt week.

Outta Here

Alright, we're getting out of here in the morning so there will be no new posts until later next week. Have a good week everyone who actually checks this site ;) and I will be sure to take many pictures to post (along with accompanying stories) when we get back!

For any Europeans reading this make sure to check out the finals of the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night if you are extremely bored (drinking would help too). I would watch but I have other things to attend to (like exploring pyramids to be just a little more like Indiana Jones). For the Americans on here you can check out Kathi's blog to figure out what this Eurovision Song Contest is all about.

Flying Continents

On Saturday I will be visiting Africa for the first time when we begin our vacation in Egypt. That will put my count of 'continents visited' at five (North America, South America, Europe, and Asia being the others) and only leave Australia as another that I would like to visit (no thanks to Antarctica). This doesn't mean the list of places that I would like to visit is becoming depleted though, as there are many more stops on each of these continents that I would love to check out. It only means that my current passport is becoming quite respectable (even for a Geography major).While we are on the topic of travel, I should note that while visiting these places I have been on an almost countless numbers of flights. You would think that after awhile flying would become somewhat of a second nature and start to feel almost as comfortable as riding in a car. This is not the case at all with me though. It seems that the more I fly the less I enjoy it. For some reason I keep finding it harder and harder to become comfortable while sitting on an airplane. I still love how quick you can get from place to place with planes and I will definitely keep getting on them, but for one reason or another I just enjoy the ride less with each passing flight. Can anyone else report a similar feeling in their own experiences?

Casino Baden

Last night we joined our friends Michi and Ivana for a night at the casino in Baden (Baden is a small city about 30 minutes from Vienna). They had vouchers for a free dinner and some free chips so they wanted to know if we would be willing to join them for the evening, and who can say no to a night at the casino with Michi and Ivana? The casino in Baden is high class where the men have to wear suits and four course meals (including as many forks) are served at the restaurant. It was a pleasant evening and it ended with Michi and Ivana winning some of their chips back on a roulette table and me hitting a small jackpot on a slot machine to win back what Kathi and I had spent on dinner and gambling for the night. Maybe someday we will be able to return the favor and invite Michi and Ivana to join us for a trip to Las Vegas. Until then we will stick to our occasional visit to a casino for nights of small spending but large living.

My New List

I added a new 'feature' to my blog the other day that will most likely prove to be only interesting to myself, but since this is my blog I am going to tell you about it anyways. You can find it on the lower right side of my homepage by looking for the picture like the one posted above and then clicking on it. It will just link you to a list of the countries that I have visited so far in my life. I first made a note including this list on my Facebook page (no worries if you don't know what Facebook is) as a good way to keep track of the general places that I have seen since I enjoy traveling so much and I don't want to forget anything that I have seen so far (this is also the reason why my favorite souvenirs are pictures). I later decided though, that it would be better to include this on The Movielife instead of Facebook as this is more my online home to share my daily life and travels with friends and family in basically a journal form. So if you want you can check out the new 'feature' feel free to do so. I hope to greatly increase the length of the list as the years go by and I will continue to update it as needed.

Saucy

Late last week Kathi and I received a care package from our Adopted Aunt Karen. There were many goodies in the box including the Oreos you saw on Kathi's blog, but the most satisfying addition to my stomach will be the oh so simple Taco Bell sauce. Yes, she included many a sauce packet from my favorite of fast food chains. What other restaurant provides you with such entertaining reading material while you fill your stomach? Fortune cookies from a Chinese restaurant you might say? Yes, but you only get one of those per visit while Taco Bell will allow you to fill your trunk before heading home. What a great place and what a great care package.


Thanks to everyone else who has also sent us care packages. That includes many of you readers and we really appreciate the thought and the goodies. I'm sorry there hasn't been a blog post for each of you.