2010 – A World Cup Odyssey (part 3, or 5 depending …)

2010 – A World Cup Odyssey (part 3, or 5 depending …)

These are the pre-trip factors:

A) I saw King Tut on his US Tour back in something like 5th Grade and was never the same. I remember staring at the mask for something like 45 minutes without moving from the spot.
B) I have had a pen pal in South Africa since 1986 (Liverpool !!!) and would like to visit her and her family.
C) In 1990 I visited my good friend and his family and attended the World Cup in Italy.
D) I have been to the 3 World Cups held in the US over the past dozen years (94 Men, 99 Women, 03 Women).
E) But, my friend has moved away from Cape Town … her family is still there and I have to believe she is likely to pay a visit ….


These are trip potential plans:

A) 10 days in Cape Town, see whoever is playing there. Try and find the houses in the beach paintings my friend sent me in 1992.
B) 3-4 days in Cairo to see the Pyramids, Valley of the Kings, and some other sights …
C) 4-5 days in Italy to visit my good friend and his family.
D) Train ride across Europe with a couple stops possibly at CERN, dinner in Paris, walking the beach at Normandy, and sitting in a pub in London before flying back across the pond.
E) A couple days back East in the US in NYC, DC, Philly, or Boston.


The only question that remains, is do I do this alone …? Will I be seeing someone …? And, why do I keep thinking of that scene near the beginning of “The Constant Gardener”?