Grateful That America's Lasted 250 Years

The article reflects on a homecoming after three weeks traveling across Egypt, ranging from Abu Simbel—about 30 miles from Sudan—to Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast. The writer describes memorable encounters with landmarks including lunch beside the Sphinx, and recalls earlier international trips to Greece, where they visited sites such as the Acropolis in Athens and Corinth. Although international travel feels transformative, the author emphasizes that returning home still provides a sense of comfort.

The narrative also links travel with contrasting social conditions, noting that Greece and Egypt face economic and safety-related challenges. In Greece, the author cites visible deterioration in Athens and mentions homelessness and a nearby methadone clinic near a hotel, while in Egypt they describe disorder in traffic and stray dogs. The author further references the 1997 attack by al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya on the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut near Luxor, where 62 people were killed, mostly tourists, and says the trip coincided with that history becoming known afterward.