The Nile. I was born along its banks. I’d flown over great lengths of it. But I’d never seen it up close. So I eagerly accepted an invitation from Lazuli Nile Cruises to join a dozen or so other journalists for a six day cruise up the river from Luxor to Lake Nasser the first week of June 2024. Would I have an epiphany moment when I set foot in Egypt, I wondered? I didn’t, although I did find myself hypnotised by the river thinking “it’s my river”! Nevertheless, this first visit back to Egypt since I was a newborn was a real eye-opener.