In London, there's an obelisk on the banks of Thames River, known as "Cleopatra's Needle", which, oddly enough, has nothing to do with Cleopatra.
"...[Cleopatra's Needle] having been erected [that joke never gets old among writers] in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis in 1450 BC on the orders of the pharaoh Thutmose III." - The Best Book of Useless Information Ever
Beneath the base of the monument is a time capsule. It contains a set of British currency, a railway guide, a Bible, and twelve portraits of the prettiest women in England.
A fact uncommonly known, is that there are actually two Needles of Cleopatra, both made of red granite from Syrene (now present-day Aswan). They were both constructed in Heliopolis, and then carted off by Alexander the Great to Alexandria. 2,100 years later, the obelisks would be disturbed again by the Egyptian khedive, Ismali Pasha. He sent them to England the United States as gifts. The English one resides on the shore of the Thames and the American one is in New York City.
While I watched "National Treasure 2", I thought that's what they were referring to by "the twins across the sea". Not quite...
On a side note, I got the "Stardust" soundtrack a few days ago. It's really good! I'd definitely recommend it, especially if you liked the movie. (And if you haven't seen the movie, you have to see that too!)
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