Evening star., 1924-04-27


where he takes tea on the
terrace Of the Winter Place
Hotel. new arrival invariably
hugs the edge to get an unobstructed
View of the Nile. The visitor who
has been there several days is con-
tent to sit farther back, while the
winter resident prefers to take mis-
tea in the garden on the other side
Of the hotel, or if he happens to be
an American, to replace tannic acid
with cocktails at the bar
The tea hour is ''the" hour in Lux
or. 1t is then. that the hotels-of
which the Winter Palace is the most
lrnportant-are at their liveliest
All the tourists are back from their
excursions to the Valley Of the Tombs
OF the Kings. Medinet Abu, karnak
, and the other glories of the past, and
tea is not only an appropriate social
function but n welcome stimulant
after tiring day in the broiling
sun.
The Winter Palace is the rendez-
vous for all the foreign colony of
Luxor at this hour. On it's spacious
terrace, which flanks the Nile for the
entire length Of the hotel, or in its
! beautiful gardens are to be found
I the most famous travellers, the great
est Egg biologists and archeologists
and world celebrities who have come
! to Luxor to pay homage to King Tut.
During the day the Winter Palace
and the other hotels are practically
deserted. Every one is climbing over
| ruins, visiting tonlbs or engaged in
some form of sightseeing or adventure
But when the sun begins to set be-
yond the Libyan Hills the terrace
garden-and bar-take on an air of
activity and gayety. And the visitor
to Upper Egypt sees Luxor at its
best
During the short winter season
it is now only three months-there is
nearly always a Nile steamer. loaded
with tourists, at the river bank.
Their whita-clad passengers swell
the animated throng in and about
! the hotel-compIeting picture
| which for color and exotic high
lights is not surpassed anywhere.
White-robed native walters move
about the terrace with trays Of tea
and the most marvellous pastries.
From the lobby may be heard the
strains Of dance music, for the dan
SAINT is part of the round Of pleasure
on the banks Of the Sweet Nile.
But even more agreeable than the
| strains of music which are waited
about by the late afternoon breeze
at least to many tourists-is the me-
tallic rattle of the cocktail shakers
in the Winter Palace bar. At the
Luxor Hotel the Tut-ankh-Amen
cocktail is the drink of the hour.
| But at the Winter Palace double
| dry Martins" are de rigeur. And
they are made by a black barkeeper
who handles a wicked shaker
Z x " = -.'.-.-..''
TN such surroundings-the bar and
= the terrace of the Winter, Palace
are the high spots in Egypt. in the
opinion of many travelers-the events
of the day are recounted as the sun
sinks behind the yellow Libyan hills
and its golden glow. is replaced by a
silver, shimmering dusk. And it is
here that you get the "low down" on
the tomb Of King Tut-ankh-Amen.
For ninety-nine out Of every hun
dred tourists, who visit Luxor the
tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen is merely
the excuse and not the reason for
their trip. And those who are per-
mitted to see it's interior invariably
| find it the. least impressive of all the
| sights" in upper Egypt. The Great
Temple of Karnak is the stellar at
tracaion Of Luxor. 1t dwarfs every
thing else in this part Of the world
in fact everything else in Egypt
At tea time the air around the Win
ter Palace is filed with rumors about
the tomb, and what its excavators
have discovered. Every one. who has
the kings returns with some story
about alleged happenings there-the
deadly curse of the tomb on its de-
spoilers, its hidden store of jewels
and treasure, the latest deductions OF
Howard Carter and his archeologist
Prof. James Breastead, the famous
American egyptologist Of Chicago; A.
| c. More and Prof. Percy Newberry
who is one of the greatest authorities
| on the valley Of the tombs of the
kings, are surrounded by questioning
friends who are intent upon hearing
the significance Of the latest discov-
cries. When Howard Carter appears
| upon the scene, as he often does. fol-
he has villa on the opposite bank
Of the Nile near Gournash. he is the
cynosure of all eyes. There is nc
question that he is the hero Of the
hour-as far as the tourists are con-
cerned-
| In his white sun helmet and gray
flannels Howard Carter, despite his
small stature. is a picturesque figure
Despite the fact that everything
found in the tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen