At the beginning of January, a friend posted one of those silly little quiz or question things on Facebook. It said something like, “whatever was the number one song the week of your 21st birthday will be your motto for the year. Mine was, believe it or not, Walk Like an Egyptian. I arrived in Egypt a few days after that FB post for two weeks of nonstop travel with the Smithsonian. Never has a stupid internet post been so appropriate; well, at least not for me.
Cairo defines sensory overload. It is all at once noisy, spiritual, dirty, and beautiful. The never ending din of sirens, car horns and construction equipment create a kind of white noise that is somehow soothing. Over this cacophony, five times a day, the chant of call to prayer reminds you of the mysticism of this magical place. I can’t say I loved Cairo, but it did feel oddly familiar.
Islam is the primary faith of Egypt, but there are a number of Christians (Coptic) as well. Old Cairo shows its Coptic history with pride. There is even a significant Jewish population, but the old synagogue is currently closed for restoration.
But, let’s face it. We don’t visit Cairo for the beautiful mosques and churches. We come for the Pyramids. They do not disappoint. These structures, the only remaining wonders of the ancient world, were built over 4,500 years ago!!! Standing in front of them and walking around them simply takes your breath away.
Click on the arrows for the slide show.
One benefit of travel during a pandemic is we had them ALMOST to ourselves. And before you get snarky, no I did not photoshop out the other tourists. I will also say that our amazing guide knew how to get us around to avoid crowds.
After a couple of days in Cairo, we boarded a pre-dawn flight (the first of several) to Aswan. Although we were now south of Cairo, we were in UPPER Egypt. It’s seemingly backwards because the Nile flows north.
The Nile created Egypt. The fertile land around its banks and established by the annual floods allowed an Empire to flourish for nearly three thousand years. Today, it’s waters are used both for sustenance and power but also for transport and recreation.
I loved the colorful boats that ferry people back and forth.
The feluccas, still an important mode of transport, are beautiful to see and fun to sail on.
The birds that also call the river their home made me happy each time I saw them.
I went out one day on our Nile cruise early in the morning to capture birds and was treated to baloons.
Along the Nile are the temples and we visited a-LOT of them. Philea, Kom Ombo, Karnak, Abu Simbel, Luxor, the list goes on. We also went to Valley of the Kings and visited some more pyramids. I will save all that for the next post since I have to get myself organized to move in to my new apartment on Tuesday. It’s all very exciting!!!
Have a good weekend.
