Walk Like an Egyptian - The Bangles Part II

 To answer the question as to how things were going with myself and

Ille, from Estonia,

we were already discussing the prospects of visiting each others homes, mine in Weymouth Dorset at the time and her's in Tallin and elsewhere, but still some milage to get out of Sharm el Shaikh.

With not a single bone of religeon in my body I was very much looking forward to Day 2 as not only for the prospect of some serious Birds but also a visit to one of the Worlds most famous eclesiastical buildings and sites!

At the foot of Mount Sinai stands the edifis that is
SAINT CATHERINE'S MONESTARY

and withing those walls the biblical BURNING BUSH and we had taken the extinguisher just in case. However, far more importantly to all of that, which we could view later, was to find some local and fresh Camel Dung on the steep and winding track leading up the mountain side! It was at altitude that we found the first deposit and soon located the first of a number of the endemic

SINAI ROSEFINCH

(female)

(male)

and a full 90 minutes before moving from that spot or seeing another bird!

The wait was well worth it as the next to show was a
LAMMERGEIER

Bearded Vulture or even known as the Bone Crusher
after its trait of flying to altitude with a bone, releasing it to smash on the rocks below before eating the jolly lot!
On the far easied decent we located our first ever

DESERT LARK

while back at Monastry level the intent was to get amongst the architecture
but got distracted by firstly the fantastic

NILE VALLEY SUNBIRDs

the extrordinary

TRISTRAM'S GRACKLE

or
TRISTRAM'S STARLING
nesting in the cracks in the stonework and finally a lone

PALASTINE SUNBIRD
before muzing on the cost of this 'charabang' at just £5.00, lunch included, but the day wasn't over!
Again joining the

Tallin Tourist's

it was once again
Game On!

Let the good times roll, let them knock you around.
Let the good times roll, let them make you a clown.

Let them leave you up in the air,
let them brush your rock and roll hair.
Let the good times roll,
Let the good times roll, won'tcha
Let the good times roll

Let the Good Times Roll - The Cars

Though knowing little about it, architecture is one of the joys of my life, if only pleasing to the eye, having visited many of the Stately Homes and Cathedrals across our Green and Pleasant land. My singular favourite, with mind still wide open, is surely from the secular division

HATFIELD HOUSE
where you get 2 for the price of one with the Jacobean in the foreground and the more distant Tudor, but for the secular it is doubtful there will ever be anything to top

WELLS CATHEDRAL
with its unique

SCISSOR ARCHES