Mummies are a staple in Halloween movies. I remember a particular episode of Are You Are of the Dark? (a spooky kids’ show in the 90’s) that featured a centuries-old mummy accidentally brought back to life! The concept was never particularly frightening for me, and I wasn’t riveted (as some kids are) by adventure tales of exploring ancient tombs, pyramids, and the like. Though of course I saw the Indiana Jones movies and The Mummy (1999), for some reason it didn’t ignite that spark of imagination inside me. However I was still curious, when we recently visited Bordeaux, France, to check out an exhibition at a local museum: Living and Dying in Egypt. Apparently, they had real mummies to see!

And what I found wasn’t a spooky experience but more of a spiritual one. I really enjoyed learning about death rituals in ancient Egypt and getting to see a mummy up close wasn’t scary, but oddly moving.