Today is the Stanely finds Livingston day; not a huge holiday but for Livingston, probably something of a red letter event. In a very tangential way, my wife's family crossed Stanley's path. It unfolded when I found this receipt (above) in some family papers. It is from 1929 for a gem purchased in Cairo by my wife's great aunt. She took the tour in the late 20s and bought a very nice stone from this company, Macan Markar, at the hotel Shepheard in Cairo. A story in itself I'm sure. It didn't take much looking to find a picture of the hotel from the 20s, about the time of her visit. Certainly a grand place. Winston Churchill, Lawrence (of Arabia) and Stanley (of Livingstone I presume) were in the guest book. (That's it; the end of the path's crossed part).
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| Shepheard's Hotel about 1925 |
I can imagine Annabelle heading into the "Moorish" Dining Room at precisely 8pm local time to take dinner after a day of camels (we have that picture), pyramids and gems. It seems so possible, one could reach out and touch it in the mind's eye. White linen, orchestra in the background, waiters scurrying and star sightings galore.
Some dinner music perhaps?
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