The travel writing sphere has a soft spot for France and Italy. They are extremely romanticized because they are awesome; we love to dissect every morsel of French living and la dolce vita. But why should France and Italy have all the fun? For the next month, I’m going to be posting a note every day about an aspect of Egyptian life that is worth celebrating and romanticizing a little bit.

First up is Cairo’s flame trees—these babies bloom every spring and turn my entire neighborhood bright red. They are just so darn cheerful. I love them so much.