A very special weekend in Cairo

Paul and I met for vacation Labor Day weekend in Cairo. He traveled from DC to NY, and then took a long flight direct to Cairo where he arrived about 7 hours before I did. He checked into the Marriott Hotel in Zamelek and met me at the airport with these flowers.

From Rwanda, I flew to Nairobi with a long 4 hour layover and then to Cairo. I didn't realize my itinerary included a fuel stop in Khartoum until we landed there. I was too embarrassed to ask anyone next to me- where the heck is Khartoum? Once we got to the gate, I saw a row of Sudan-Air planes and realized it must be the capital of Sudan. It was 11 pm when I arrived in the Cairo airport.

Everything about Egypt seemed so different; the Arabic words and numbers were undecipherable; lining up in an orderly way for things like Visa's and customs seemed optional (later I realized this is true of the traffic pattern too); and fully covered Muslim women everywhere was interesting. Many men were wearing long white robes and turbans or belts and flip flops. I noticed the heat right away; it is much hotter than Rwanda. I expected the terrain to be desert-like but actually Cairo is quite lush with many palm trees beside the Nile River. Here is a view of the Nile from our tower at the Marriott.
We stayed at the Marriott because we thought a large touristy hotel would be sure food is available during the day during this Ramadan month. The hotel was lovely with more than 6 restaurants, a large courtyard, beautiful pool /sauna open 24 hours, and nice staff. Paul is standing next to one of the colorful Egyptian lanterns lighting the gardens at the hotel.

We had dinner at the Egyptian Nights restaurant in the courtyard. It was late but still very busy, including live music. During Ramadan most people sleep late and once the sun sets enjoy lots of feasting and celebrating late into the night. The hotel had Christmas-like lights up for Ramadan including the words "Ramadan Kariim" strung accross the tall towers, which means having a generous month.
We were excited to try the traditional foods in Egypt like kofta (type of meatball), hummos, babaganoush, pita puffs, lamb, and koshary (pasta, rice, lentil, chick peas, onions and garlic and chili sauce in one dish). Nearly every restaurant we saw was filled with people puffing on two-foot-tall water pipes called sheesha with fruit scented tobacco. It made the breezes smell sweet, but sometimes made the air smoky! The next morning we took a taxi to the Egyptian museum which houses the most extensive collection of Egyptian antiquities in the world with over 120,000 items. As we entered the museum courtyard we were asked if we wanted a guide. We decided to skip the extra fee (since we had to pay for the museum, also to store our cameras which were not allowed inside, and s again to go into the mummy room!) Of course, it turned out to be very hard to read all of the mostly Arabic signs by the artifacts, so we slyly tried to join other various tour groups and catch parts of the stories. The Royal Mummy Room has about 10 mummies displayed (one of which is a newly found queen). We learned the collection used to have over 20 mummies but a President in Egypt at one point ordered it closed due to the controversy of displaying mummmified remains. We learned alot about pharoahs, pyramids, jewelry, and statues.

After the museum we took another taxi to the Khan el-Khalili bazaar district which is a huge open market with windy alleys filled with shops. We were lured into many shops to check out the Egyptian goodies...carpets, lanters, stuffed camels, sheesha pipes, etc. Here is Paul in one of the many stores. I gave-in and bought a colorful scarab necklace which supposedly brings good luck.

We liked these foot stool/chairs but weren't sure what they are called; we decided to call them poofs because the salesman liked to spin them in the air to fluff them up before they land on the ground.
Of course we bought a couple to bring home!

We tried to visit the famous Fashawi cafe near the market but it was closed for Ramadan. Instead, we sat at this small cafe and had a soda while many people tried to sell us jewelry and other souvenirs.

We also tried to find the spice market; there was a strong spice smell on the outskirts of the main market streets. Instead, we found ourselves on the narrow streets of a part of the bazaar selling secondhand household goods, foods, and clothing. It was interesting to walk around seeing signs in strange Arabic script, hearing the noises, smells and colors.

After the market we went back to the neighborhood of Zamelek where our hotel was located, and explored the area. This is one of Cairo's middle upper and upper class neighborhoods, as well as a garden district with quiet streets, small stores and nice restaurants on the Island of Gazira on the Nile. We realized when we heard prayer music at sunset and saw many communal tables, that everyone who is outside at this time is invited to eat on the street for free in a communal setting at 6:20pm every day during Ramadan in Cairo. It seemed like a nice and generous community bonding activity.

Walking around Cairo, it is hard to wrap your head around how Egypt has the longest recorded history in the world, with ancient Pyramids at Giza constructed over a 20 year period through 2560 BC, and the Citadel mosque built in 1176 A.D.

On our second evening, we went to the Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids of Giza. This was our first glimpse of the Pyramids and we thought they were both immediately majestic and yet far away on the horizon like a movie set. The show included storytelling and lazer lights. It was a little cheesy when the Sphinx tells the story of Egypt’s history, but seeing the amazing illuminated Sphinx and Pyramids was worth it!

After the show, we had dinner on one of the many boats parked on the Nile near our hotel. We enjoyed yummy Lebanese food at Dar El Amar on the Blue Nile boat.

The next day we did a three part tour of pyramids starting in Memphis, then to Saqqara to see the Step Pyramid, and last to Giza Plateau to see the Great Pyramids. Memphis is a city, once a capitol of Egypt, founded around 3,100 BC where a King united Upper and Lower Egypt. Today, it is pretty much ruins but we got our picture taken in front of the famous Alabaster Sphinx and checked out the gigantic Colossus of Ramses.

Next we visited the Great Step Pyramid Complex at Saqqara. Here we learned the Step Pyramid was a major milestone in the evolution of stone architecture, both in Egypt and in the world as a whole. The different pyramid versions that can be seen at this site eventually led to the smooth faced pyramids later.

It is really an amazing structure!

As typical tourists, our tour company (we really liked NOGA tours for all of our day trips) took us to a number of side destinations including a "rug school" on the dusty roads near the pyramids. We toured a complex where young children were making rugs (not sure about child labor laws? They said this was part of the school for the kids!) Paul and I each sat and learned how to tie knots to make an Egyptian rug. Then they took us upstairs to the "shop", sweetened us up with juice and sodas and tried to make the hard sell for very expensive rugs. I politely asked if there was a bargain bin or anything under $5, and of course there wasn't. We smiled and made a dash for the door when they weren't looking, making it out without buying anything!

The size of the Pyramids is truly hard to comprehend until seeing them. They have been around for over 46 centuries. The Great pyramid is a monument to Cheops and consists of two million limestone blocks ranging in weight from 2.5 tons to 15 tons. It was built by 100,000 men and covers an area of 13 acres. It's height is nearly 500 feet, and until the construction of the Eiffel Tower, it was the tallest structure in the world.

Near the pyramids it is easy to get trapped by peddlers of post cards and other junky souvenirs. They are amazingly persistent sales people, and it does get a little tiring continuously being polite but firm in saying no. We had read about this, so we were prepared for it.

There is a small part of the pyramid that tourists can climb near an entrance. We decided not to pay extra to go inside the pyramid after reading and hearing from others that the inside is empty and claustrophobic.

Camels crossed the road in front of our tour bus.

We made our way to the panoramic hillside where many visitors posed like they were touching the Pyramids.

We joined in the fun with our own poses.

The second slightly smaller Pyramid for Kahfre, who was commonly considered the builder of the Great Sphinx. Casing stones cover the top third of the pyramid, but are missing on the bottom. We liked this Pyramid the best.

We decided we should ride camels! We climbed on while they were sitting and then they leaned forward toward the ground as they stand up, snorting quite a bit while we held on tight.

After this photo two guides tried to separate us and get us each to pay more money. I was feeling trapped on top of the camel, straining to look back toward Paul demanding that they let me down! It worked out okay and I ran to Paul's rescue as he almost agreed to hand over more money, ha ha.

After the camels, we went to the front of the Pyramids (where the sound and light show was) and visited the Sphinx which measures 21 meters high and about 73 meters long.

We stopped at the little cafe at the base of the pyramids and ordered drinks. Paul seemed very thirsty and slurped down a Fanta in one gulp!

Then he was getting my attention away from the Pyramids...

and was down on one knee, asking me to marry him.

I am so lucky!

Paul was much more relaxed after that.

It was such a beautiful setting to enjoy this moment together.

The ring is so beautiful which he picked out all by himself.

On another side destination after the Pyramids, the tour guide took us to a perfumery in Cairo. This is a very popular thing in Cairo; they claim to be the original blenders of perfume which is then the base of designer brand scents around the world. They brought us many different scents and we each bought a bottle of our favorite. (What can I say? We're suckers for souvenirs.)

We visited Alexandria City for a day, which is located north of Cairo on the Mediterranean Sea about 3 hours drive. It is the second largest city in Egypt, known as "The Pearl of the Mediterranean", andwas founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC. We visited a public beach and rented chairs for a small fee.

The women are always covered up, so I wasn't sad we didn't have bathing suits with us since I don't think it would be culturally appropriate to swim without a shirt and pants on!

Instead, we dipped our toes in the Mediterranean Sea.

There is an amazing modern library in Alexandria which had stacks and stacks of books as well as a private printing press, and three museums inside.

Paul and I picked out some books to look at.

The area of Islamic Cairo has a lot of old mosques, domes, towers, and palaces from the last five centuries. On our last day we toured the Saladin Citadel, one of the most popular places to visit in Cairo. Around 1176 AD Saladin decided to build a wall around Cairo.The Citadel is sometimes referred to as Mohamed Ali Citadel because it contains the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, which was built between 1828 and 1848on the summit of the citadel.

The Mosque is very beautiful inside but I had to wear a robe because I was wearing a dress.

After seeing the Citadel and Coptic Cairo, we visited a Papyrus store where they showed us how the green skin of the papyrus plant is peeled off and the white inside is cut into thin strips. These strips are pounded and soaked in water, which toughens the fibers. The soaked strips are woven in and out (like a basket) and when placed between two layers of felt in a press, voila, becomes paper!

We had a romantic dinner on the Nile Maxim boat cruise. We loved the boat ride and lights on the Nile, the yummy salad bar and desserts, as well as the entertainment. We danced to a spanish/salsa band performers.

And we enjoyed watching the belly dancer...

who brought Paul a cake for his birthday.

I especially loved the traditional Whirling Dervish! The dance has been performed for over 700 years and I learned the twirling of the fabric symbolizes awareness and originates from a mystical Egyptian story.