There was a moment before our summer holiday this year when I wondered whether we had gone mad.
Travelling around Europe, from Switzerland to England via Paris, on to Wales and then back to France with three children. What kind of a holiday was that? I imagined long delays, interminable cries of "are we there yet?", endless bickering and bits of food stuck to our clothes. I was almost looking forward to getting back to work before we'd left.
But the thing I had forgotten about Europe is that it has this incredibly civilised and rather wonderful thing called a rail network. It means that you can get from one country to another without even visiting an airport. There are even books about it, such as the rivetingly titled Travelling Europe's Trains by Jay Brunhouse (Fifth Edition). After three weeks of doing just that I feel compelled at least to write a column (First Edition). Having spent around 30 hours on them, I have decided that Europe's trains are truly marvellous things. They are fast, clean and filled mainly with rather pleasant people. Just the views of the countryside are enough to make the trip worth it.
There is also something rather romantic about a train. There is a promise of adventure and a pleasant journey as opposed to just a way of getting somewhere. Is this because of films like Brief Encounter (for adults) and Harry Potter (for children)? The trains even seemed to have a calming effect on the ferals who played "I spy" endlessly and made countless friends on our travels. I even made a friend, a French lady who had lived in Sweden (she heard Bea being ticked off for throwing in an "I spy" in Swedish when she ran out of English words). I can't imagine making friends on an airplane, but I think trains bring out the best in people. There is a jollier atmosphere somehow. There are picnics and beautiful cities and reclining seats that don't need to be put in upright position before arrival.
One journey we made was over seven hours; Eurostar from Paris to London and then London to deepest Wales. This was the journey I had dreaded the most. But it went amazingly quickly. First there was the excitement of going underwater (better than Atlantis apparently and certainly cheaper). Then seeing England (and rain) again for the first time in two years. Once we were on the Virgin train to Wales, the ferals watched Shrek 1, 2 and 3 while my husband and I shared fish and chips with our neighbours. I took advantage of the free Wi-Fi that had somehow seeped out from the first-class carriage next door to ours.
When I was growing up in England British Rail as it was then had a slogan that ran "Let the train take the strain". Now that British Rail has ceased to exist I couldn't agree more.
hfrithpowell@thenational.ae
The family travelled from Paris to London and back courtesy of Eurostar. For more details, go to www.eurostar.com
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
'Nope'
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent