In this world there are few elements stronger than the bond between a mother and a daughter. In 2015, just a few years after the harrowing revolution in Egypt and, simultaneously, an increase in terrorist attacks, the elderly mother, highly self-sufficient Danielle Tisell, decided she would visit Egypt to explore and learn as much as she could about that country. With high anxiety, daughter Jena Tisell felt she had no choice but to become her mother’s traveling companion. During their sixteen days together, Mrs. and Ms. Tisell became closer, learning many new things about each other-- despite the enthusiastic bickering in which they often engaged. Or maybe because of that emotionally honest quarreling about many issues in each of their lives. Their visit began in Cairo, staying for five nights in a hotel just five minutes away from the pyramids in Giza. After visiting one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, they spent the next five days on a pilgrimage to the Christian sites where the Holy Family stayed during their exile to Egypt. And, to finish off their journey with a flourish, Jena and Danielle took a five-day river cruise from Luxor to Aswan; the highpoint of their trip: seeing Mount Sinai, where God gave Moses the stone tablets engraved with the Ten Commandments. During this adventure they encountered fellow travelers and natives of the exotic land. Falah, their guide, became very close to the ladies, especially to Jena, and revealed his suppressed deep-seated convictions, opinions which were forbidden in the authoritarian state. Cornelius, the only other American aside from the Tisells on the cruise, had a common goal with Danielle to visit as many Biblical sites as he was able to in the Middle East and Europe. Despite the short time they spent together, a strong connection formed between the two pilgrims as they shared their spiritual experiences. Discovering this corner of the world with wide eyes and warm hearts, the Tisells realized how lucky they were in their own lives regardless of the loneliness which was a daily element of each of their world--not by choice but by the cruelness of destiny, Danielle was a widow and Jena always fell for a wrong man, but she had hope that someday the stars would align and the love of her life would find her and they would be together. As their cruise liner sailed on the Nile the serene landscape captivated its passengers. Inside the modest dwellings and in their courtyards, large families lived their lives almost the same way their ancestors had in the pharaonic times. The vessel plowed through the river like a time machine, the travelers onboard with different life experiences than the dwellers aground but their basic human needs were the same. They all wanted to love, be loved, put roofs above the heads of their loved ones, food on their tables, and better lives for their children in every way as they paddled the swift currents and undercurrents of existence