The Curse

A conversation in our household lately has been how many times one of our family vacations has ended in some sort of important event.

Berlin Wall, 1989

In 1989, Denise and I toured across Europe, and went to West Berlin to visit her first cousin.  It was a wonderful stay, and we have several photos of Denise and I standing in front of a colourful and intriguingly painted Berlin Wall.  A few weeks after our trip, the wall was smashed down, and this event perhaps more than any other led to the eventual dismantlement of the entire Soviet system.  The world has never been the same since. 

The Twin Towers, New York City, August 15th, 2001

In 2001, Denise and I decided to fit out our Minivan and traveled with our kids from our island off the west coast of Canada across Canada to attend her father's wedding in Nova Scotia.  After our visit there, we traveled south, and visited New York city.  We have several pictures of especially Kira framed by the twin towers of the World Trade centre.  About three weeks after our visit, on September 9th, the two towers came down in an act of heinous terrorism, and the world has since changed dramatically.  A previously introverted US president declared war on Afghanistan and Iraq, and these wars still continue, nearly 10 years later. 

Pre-Katrina French Quarter, New Orleans, Christmas, 2004

Over the Christmas of 2004, we as a family visited New Orleans and stayed with our friends the Homans.  In August of 2005, Katrina hit the south-east, the levies in New Orleans broke, much of the city was flooded, and many buildings were irreparably damaged by the high winds.  New Orleans was traumatized and may never be the same as pre-Katrina New Orleans again. 

Cairo's Streets, Khan el Khalili, August, 2011

Last summer, Kira and I, having finished a dig in Jordan and made our way to Cairo, met Denise and Aidan in the airport.  We spent several days in Cairo before heading south, walking through many areas of the city, and of course, visiting Tahrir square.  A few months later, Cairo's Tahrir is now in its 12th day of protests, and as I write this, it seems that the crowd will soon begin marching to the presidential square in Heliopolis.  Egypt's pop music, movies, and literature are listened to, watched, and read throughout the Arabic world, and because of this, Egypt influences the Arabic world culturally perhaps more than any other country. Egypt has a huge and powerful army, controls the Suez canal, and is the geographical centre of the Arabic world.  After 30 years, it seems that Mubarak will be overthrown before he plans to step down in September.  The change in government from Mubarak's virtually 30 year dictatorship is a huge and profound change not only in Egypt but also across the Arabic world and indeed the world at large. 

The real effect of the dismantlement of the Berlin Wall, 9/11, Katrina on New Orleans, and the current protest in Tahrir Square will be weighed by historians for generations to come.  Nevertheless, I suspect that these events will be seen to influence our time profoundly. 

Sorry.