Having taken the afternoon off to read something, I was pleased to discover that not only the cars in the race are quite noisy, but all the neighborhood dogs feel compelled to bark their hearts out at each passing vehicle.
I therefore changed my plans, took out my headphones, and watched the first episode of Joanna Lumley’s Nile, a 2010 series of documentaries in which the British actress followed the Nile to its source.

Now British TV has this thing about celebrities traveling the world – and I enjoyed in the past the Michael Palin globetrotting adventures. Of course I’ve been a fan of Lumley ever since she was Purdey in The New Avengers – adolescent crush and all that.
And this trip along the Nile looked just like my sort of thing.

The first episode of the four-part series covers the Egyptian leg of the trip – probably the most accessible tract of the course of the Nile, and one familiar to many tourists and travelers. It’s hard to do something new with these locations, but the show does entertain – mostly thanks to Joanna Lumley herself.
A program like thin normally hinges on the exotic locales and the charm of the host, and Joanna Lumley is absolutely fascinating. Her voice is incredible, and she’s witty and ironic – what more can we ask of a traveling companion.

It’s been a nice way to spend an hour, and I got one single bit of information that I did not know and I might use for a story or something.
And again, Joanna Lumley is beautiful, and her voice is simply enchanting.

And there is a whole catalog of Lumley-hosted travel documentaries – covering Grece, India, Japan and the Silk Road. So it looks like I’ve found a way to spend my Sunday afternoons for the rest of the cold season.