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    • TravelerThe Wicks go Back in Time
      Day 4

      Khan al Khalili

      October 16, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

      Islamic City of Al Mosaaz and the Bazaars. Some might believe this place is a tourist trap, but as Lonely Planet mansplained to me, they have been selling things here since the 14th century, long before the arrival of the first tour bus!
      I have unwittingly labeled myself as an easy mark by wearing an Egyptian shirt I purchased 5 years ago on a trip to Luxor. All the local merchants who see my white, Egyptian cotton shirt know that I am the kind of guy who buys stuff from anyone who is persistent. This, coupled with my tendency to accidentally have money sticking out of my pocket confirms they will approach me. Again quoting Lonely Planet. “The merchants of Khan al Khalili are some of the greatest smooth talkers you will ever meet.” Everyone wants to get us inside their store. I have already bought some za’atar spice and have fended off everyone since then, but now Dianne is looking at a small tee shirt for a boy. (Spoiler Alert Janice, we bought Hendrix a tee shirt) A price is agreed upon and I cough up more cash. Of course not all of it is put away and some is still sticking out of my pocket. As we continue on our way, the sales pitches are more and more wearing. We decide with our guide Islam to stop for coffee at a 200 year old coffee shop, hoping to get some relief from the vendors. It just brings out a new crop of travelling sales people. A handicapped gentleman who had no legs and few teeth had my respect already and earned more as he loudly alerted me to the fact that my money would soon be leaving my pocket. It was just about on the floor as I had taken out my phone to google how much I should have paid for za’atar spice. Dianne gives me the “you’re doing this again” look as I tuck my bucks back in. It doesn’t stop the parade of vendors and beggars but at least I now have something to be thankful for. That helps. The most enterprising Pashmina salesman latches on to us. We have 4 pashminas at home, but eventually he finds one we must have as it is fireproof, certified Egyptian and a colour you can get nowhere else. We buy it with the money I have left and I feel a great relief. I have shot my wad. No more dough. Time to go back to the hotel.      Read more

    • TravelerEGYPT 2022
      Day 5

      Fantastic sighseeing day!

      May 21, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

      Went to the Citadel, Alabaster Mosque, lunch (a typical Egyptian meal of bread, plate of carrots/peas/zucchini/French fries (I know 🧐) the warm cream chicken soup, more bread, then a sizzling grill of beef, lamb, chicken and rice pudding w/shaved coconut). Then the guided tour of Egyptian Museum which exceeded my expectations. A wonderful day. We are hot, sweaty. Resting before our welcome reception.Read more

    • Traveler80 Tage Wir und Amera
      Day 6

      Ausflug zu den Piramyden von Gize

      December 27, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

      Das Schiff hält in Alexandria an um uns zu unserer Reise zu den Pyramiden raus zu lassen 👍😀es geht 3.5 Std. Nach Kairo ins Museum und anschliessend weiter nach Gize zu den 3 Pyramiden es war Eindrücklich und Schön.
      Aber ich sag euch der Car Chaufeur hatte seine mühe mit der Schaltung ( die arme Kupplung)🤣🤣🤣
      Die Sphinx durften wir auch no Begrüssen dann noch ein kurzer Stopp bei einer Papier Produktion und los gehts zum Schiff.
      Kurz vor dem auslaufen Pot Said bei nacht😀      Read more

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    • LadyandtrampEgypt for 1 Month, then Mexico
      14

      Cairo's Egyptian Museum

      December 17, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

      While waiting for the train, we had time in the afternoon to visit the museum. It is only a 5 minute walk away. Mind you we had to face the crazy traffic! Luckily several Egyptians offered to take our hands, haha, and walk us across the streets. They are only 2 traffic lights that we have seen in our time here and one is near the museum. Thank heavens.

      We heard that previously the museum had been absolutely packed with artifacts but with the pending opening of the new Giza museum, a lot of artifacts have been moved over there already. We found that going to the museum on our own, was a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. We especially loved the King Tut display. For some reason, we didn’t have to pay to take photos, but once again there were several rooms with precious artifacts that we were not allowed to take photos in.

      The museum had a lovely outside restaurant so we ate a tasty spaghetti bolognese lunch there while thinking of an old family friend (Italian) who is in her last hours of life. Here’s to a good life in Canada, Auntie Maria.      Read more

    • Egypt
      121
      Day 4

      Egyptian museum

      December 6, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

      I had what I consider dinner for breakfast 😁. We spent the day at the museum learning about Egyptian history and art. When a new tomb is discovered it is opened and not entered for 2 weeks. Nobody shaves their face before going in b/c someone shaved once and the bacteria in the air from the tomb entered their skin where they had a cut on their face and killed them. Finished the day watching the sun set over the Nile river and the hauntingly beautiful city from the rooftop.Read more

    • TravelerItaly and Egypt 2022
      111
      Day 21

      More great sights of Cairo

      October 12, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

      Today has been more leisurely as we started off at 8.15 and arrived back at the hotel before 4pm….and it wasn’t hard walking - in fact my Apple Watch will be most upset at the lack of it, as am now very much enjoying downtime feet up on the bed!

      Our first stop was the citadel - which is high up on a hill with a great view over the city, and where there is the Muhammad Ali mosque - a beautiful mosque build by Saladin and a copy of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, though I think I heard is a bit smaller. Then we were taken to the market area, where our guide said has junky souvenirs made in China so to be aware! It was not the market area I had remembered with the Islamic gate and architecture, and I hope Omnia and Amr can maybe take us to that part when we get back to Cairo after the tour. So while we had free time there Amr suggested we visit another mosque nearby, and he and Omnia talked to the man on the entrance…this was not a tourist show mosque, and we women had to go in a separate entrance, and we found we were in a little women’s section, separated with a trellis from the main body of the mosque, and there were many women sitting on the floor, with children or quietly chatting with friends, reading or praying….I think it is a place to escape from the men! Anyway, we did look a bit odd coming in, but we quietly took a place in a corner (Omnia did not come in as she wanted to do some shopping!) and Louise and I sat on the floor. The women were sweet and friendly and made eye contact and we even had a sort of conversation with a girl who was playing with a small child…she showed us photos of different relatives and ended up taking a selfie with Louise and me! A very different experience.

      Then lunch at a nearby very nice restaurant (where you could have light meals) and that was leisurely and relaxing. Then we went off to the Egyptian museum - the new grand museum is still not opening till maybe next year, so this is the one in the city that we have been to before, which still has many exhibits despite many treasures already being moved…it still feels full of stuff! So our guide took us on a tour of highlights which was fabulous- as if you stopped at every showcase you’d be exhausted trying to take it all in. Ended seeing the jewellery of Tutankhamen and also the 2 innermost coffins - amazing stuff, and we arrived back not too overwhelmed, just right! Another great day…BUT tomorrow we will get a wake up call at 3am to leave at 4am to go to the airport for our flight to Aswan!! So an early night tonight, and more adventures tomorrow.      Read more

    • TravelerEuro Music Trip
      Day 170

      First day in cairo

      October 24, 2023 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

      When we first landed in Cairo it looked like tatooine from starwars, there was fog everywhere and everything was a muted yellow brown colour. Our flight took most of the night and morning so we hadn't slept and were extremely tired but didn't want to ruin our sleep schedules so we spent the rest of the day roaming around Downtown cairo. My first impressions are that the people and traffic are quite chaotic and visually the city is very homogeneous. All the buildings are the same colour and style, I kinda seems like instead of hiring an architect all the builders just get told to copy whatever the building on the other side of the street looks like. Lunch was delicious, I had a curry and creamed rice and then went to bed at 6 :).Read more

    • TravelerItaly and Egypt 2022
      1
      11
      Day 20

      Cairo - first active day of tour

      October 11, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

      Yesterday was officially day 1, when we all arrived here, and had a welcome dinner, but today was the first active day. We have found that there are 10 other people in our group - we had thought we were a separate group on our own, but the others are fine - Australians - and no problems! Six had come on from a Jordan tour, and the other 4 are just friends…very easy and no ghastly people!! So last night after dinner we were told to assemble at 7.15 in the foyer to start the day! This is to avoid crowds and heat (though we still certainly had crowds) and a bit daunting to the new arrivals after 24 hours of travel…but everyone made it and we had an amazing day.

      Just riding in our bus in the chaotic Cairo traffic is an experience…cars going in many directions, donkeys and horse carts, people strolling through to cross the road….our first stop was Sakkara where the step pyramid is - the oldest pyramid - and Memphis, the original capital of Egypt, where there is a museum with enormous statues of Ramses II.

      Lunch at a restaurant near Sakkara, good, but I just ate the meze which was yum…and we also paid a visit to a carpet making school, where they are keeping the tradition going of making the carpets - cotton, wool or silk. Then the afternoon’s activity was the Giza pyramids and the sphinx. Millions of people of course, but they are all so extraordinary and enormous, that it is a wonder however often you see them….our guide is good, entertaining and knowledgeable and good to be with. He will be with us for the whole tour, not just Cairo.

      It was fairly hot as the day wore on, but now cool in the evening…very pleasant. We met at 7pm with Amr’s friends (Amr and Hesham) and it was lovely to see them…had a drink and little dinner…no one was over hungry and the travellers needed another good night’s sleep…I have left the 2 Amrs talking, as I feel quite ready for bed too, even though my Apple Watch is not satisfied…it doesn’t appreciate trudging on the sand and uneven surfaces round the pyramids etc…! Anyway, all is very good….and tomorrow we don’t start till 8.15 !!      Read more

    • TravelerItaly and Egypt 2022
      Day 27

      Back in Cairo

      October 18, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

      A good day, but no sights to report on…our brains can relax, and it is relative, but Cairo is much cooler than Upper Egypt (which is the south!)…in fact it is very pleasant tonight. We flew back from Luxor this morning, and by the time we got through the Cairo traffic from the airport we could check in to our rooms. We have a nice one with Nile view.

      So this afternoon I had a good session of downtime in the room after a little lunch. Amr had a swim and then relaxed too. Tonight we were all taken to an extremely nice restaurant - the farewell dinner. Beautiful food, at a table right by the river in the open air. Everyone disperses tomorrow except for our little group of 10. We are moving to a downtown hotel, Omnia will be back in her apartment, and we will stay there too after 3 nights in the hotel. Said a fond farewell to our wonderful guide Bassem and tomorrow after breakfast we are on our own - that is, our group, and the “tour” part will be over. Omnia and Amr have made some plans for the coming days, and we will have more exploring round Cairo, and meet with some of their friends.      Read more

    • TravelerItaly and Egypt 2022
      1
      Day 32

      A fairly relaxed Cairo day

      October 23, 2022 in Egypt ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

      Today was actually more relaxed. Amr and I left soon after 8 and walked to Granita, the restaurant right near the Marriott where we had dinner one night before the cruise, and today we met Amr’s friend Hesham and his American wife Carole. The last time we saw her was in New York decades ago. He lived and worked in the US for quite a while (his parents were diplomats too, so he had grown up in many countries like Amr)…and moved back to Egypt about 15 years ago but lives in one of the new settlements out of Cairo. He is funny and nice…says in the US they regard him as Egyptian, and in Egypt they regard him as American…anyway, we had a nice breakfast and chat with them, then walked over to the nearby Gezira club where Amr had a swim and I read my kindle and had one of the delicious lemon juices.

      Got back about 2 and had a leisurely afternoon. Omnia is getting the apartment ready to be left for a long spell again…covering furniture and putting ornaments etc out of dust’s way! She will be coming back to Oz, arriving a few days after us and staying for about 3 weeks - spending almost a week of that time in Melbourne. Amr tonight has gone to a reunion of his high school class. Apparently they meet up (the ones still in Cairo) fairly often - it isn’t a special annual event or anything, but he may see people he hasn’t seen for over 50 years!!

      No photos of today. I will add one with Hesham and Carole, but they are on Amr’s phone and I can’t get it yet. And I did manage to fiddle and delete and defuzz the photos from the high tea at Omnia’s the other night, if it’s worth looking back….will now add photos but they aren’t good…the ones of all 4 of us must have been on one of their phones…bad of Carole blinking, but all I have!! Breakfast was yum - I had a cheese and mushroom omelette (with a salad!) and yogurt and honey on the side and Amr had his favourite Egyptian dish of foul - beans with feta and harissa.      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Cairo, Kairo, Kaïro, ካይሮ, القاهرة, Qahirə, Кайро, ཁ་ཡི་རོ, El Caire, Caire, Káhira, Κάιρο, قاهره, Le Caire, Lo Cayiro, Cairo - القاهرة, קהיר, Kairó, CAI, Kaíró, Il Cairo, カイロ, ქაირო, 카이로, Cairus, Kairas, Kaira, Каиро, Kaherah, Caïro, Каир, Kair, Ël Cairo, Cairu, கெய்ரோ, ไคโร, Lungsod ng Cairo, Kahire, Kayro, Каїр, قاہرہ, Kahirä, 开罗

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