TROPICAL FISH
Back in Cortona, I am discovering that loose flowing outfits might in fact keep you cooler than tight revealing clothes… If just as hot, the air is certainly purer out here and I am glad to have made it back safely, just one day after some idiots blasted Sharm El Sheik on the coast. Sad and maddening. Tropical fish refers to my imminent trip to Paris (no, did not really plan to do the metro hotspots of Europe after the London bombings earlier this month). I’ll be investigating some of Carl Gustaf Lundin (IUCN)’s friends. A good excuse to catch up with Loris and Nath, and Ben and Betta – who I am told by Mark Shaw, are engaged to be married. Wowow. Tell you more soon.
In the meantime, the stage of the Cortona Vintage Festival is being rigged for the weekend and I am preparing for the arrival of Daniela from Roma with her beagle.

Cristian in the morning.

The film we saw last night in the open air cinema at the Parterre in Cortona.

Dancing with Afros over the weekend.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN
As opposed to our stunt in Egypt in January, this time round I have seen the other face of Egypt. It has been top class food, amazing views, fabulous service, the best of the best – and all thank to Iman Soliman, her friend Mindy, Omeima Kamel, John Grainger and Ahmed Ahmed who took me under their wings and lived up to Egypt’s world-renowned hospitality. Virtually every night saw me flapping around town in one exotic location or other. Iman had views down to a T taking me to boats on the Nile full of film stars, floating rafts with live bands, and lunch at the Mena House. Mindy provided vent for hysterical moments and helped shape theories about the males in the country. Omeima revealed that you can play bridge and crocket in Cairo by treating me to dinner at the exclusive Gezira Sporting Club (one of Omar El Sherif’s hang outs). John indulged me with some Egyptian plonk – errr, the best red wine in the country, and a great dinner in an ex-brothel. Finally, Ahmed crowned the cliché by going after me over a sheesha pipe and orange juice on my second day in Cairo. What more could I possibly have asked for?

A sheesha pipe was smoked whilst above the bar, people shot clay ducks.

WELCOME TO EGYPT
But you have to have the right voice to say that in true oriental style. For the past week I have been looking like something from the Decathlon camping department; a mix between a walking tent, a sleeping bag, and whatever you would throw over the washing line. It is called being culturally sensitive, I think. So I covered up from head to toe and kept convincing myself that “it is all in the circulation of air” – through the layers of clothes – as I approached boiling point on several occasions. That said, even in full flowy apparel, I still felt quite naked when confronted with the Soudis who had flocked in for their annual holiday in Egypt. An eye opener was to discover how women in burka actually eat. Shove the food down from the eye slits? And how they manage to manoeuvre huge plates of food without getting their very long sleeves coated in food – long wrist bones? Breakfast in the Flamenco Hotel in Zamalek gave me ample time to study (“Your hotel is very strange”, said Omeima Kamel, from the TV and Egyptian high society, on a variety of occasions. I think she may have been right…)

Not my picture, but lunch at the Oberoi Mena House with the Pyramids looking down over the table was extraordinary.

The very strange Flamenco hotel - maybe Flamenco means Faulty Towers in Arabic??

FROM STAG TO FAG
A quick nutshell before I leave the country…
Here is the latest from this month.
Luca not only had a stag night, he also got married!
He tied the knot on the 9th with Barbara. Great spot to get married in, the church in Chiusi is full of wannabe mosaics.
Prior to that, the MR2 was in town but did not make it all the way to Montepulciano.
After that Ste Tanner paid a visit from Geneva to buy the coolest shoes for his fidanzata.
Right after that, I bogged off to Cairo to breathe the equivalent of one packet of cigarettes a day, getting a smokers cough without the calming benefit of the tobacco.

Chiusi Duomo, where Luca and Barbara got married.

Luca on his Stag Night.

Mate and Fox (mum and dad) in front of the fountain in Montepulciano.

Winding down at the Parterre in Cortona after a touristic day out.