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Rooftop View
Minaret
Park
What about Cairo? Did I feel any danger there? In spite of
the two revolutions and the pending elections at the time I was there, and the
spate of unfavorable media coverage about Egypt, travel warnings from
embassies, that has diminished their tourism by 90%, I felt absolutely no sense of danger.
In fact, there was good security in place everywhere. And what impressed me so
much was the people. I have never met such gracious, generous, friendly people
anywhere before. Young, old, men, women and children approached me and my
travel companions on the street with smiles. “Welcome! Where are you from?
Welcome to Egypt!” You know the saying “Walk
like an Egyptian?” Now I know what it means. These are proud people, open and
friendly, who walk with a noble stance, proud of their country and heritage and
greet you with welcoming smiles.
Linda and some lovely young ladies in Old Cairo
The only real ‘danger’ I felt in Cairo was the traffic. They
drive like maniacs, weaving in and out with no regard for lanes or right of
way, always with their hands on the horns blaring their way through the chaos.
I learned not to look out the front of the van window after several heart-stopping
moments. Our driver, Magdi, was an expert and managed to get us everywhere safely.
I’d highly recommend the services on land and river offered by the Escapade Travel who offer professional,
friendly service. www.escapadetravel.com.eg
Cairo is the capital of Egypt, and the largest city in the Middle
East with a population of about 7 million people. Of course there are areas of
the city that look run-down. One area in particular with blocks and blocks of
half-finished apartments that we were told were part of the corruption, and
built on land not designated to be developed for housing. And of course we didn’t
see everything, just a glimpse.
River View
Cairo’s modern ‘downtown’ is on the east bank of the Nile.
It was built under the influence of French architects and there are many beautiful
mosques as well as Copic sights to see. There are other more affluent suburbs
of the city. On the west bank of the river are the great Giza pyramids and
farther south the archaeological sites of Memphis and Saqqara.
It isn’t a city that I, as a female solo traveler, would
want to venture to although I recently met a Canadian woman who has been
teaching there for seven years and loves it. I’d certainly not hesitate to
return to this marvelous country in the company of a tour group. A couple of
people in our group did go out exploring one night to Tahrir Square which was
the focal point of the revolution against former president Hosni Mubarak, and
today is the usual place for demonstrations. (Usually on Fridays, we were told
by the Egyptologist, because that is a ‘day off’ in Egypt.) They took a taxi and wandered around, went to
a restaurant for dinner and back to the hotel. No problem.
Tahrir Square
My room at the Fairmont
Nile City was on the 19th floor overlook the river so it was
quite relaxing to enjoy the beautiful view and pleasant surroundings. There was
a lot to do in the hotel including the relaxing lobby where you could order
drinks and snacks and watch a large video screen of musicians playing that gave
the feeling they were right there in person. The service at the hotel was
superb and the staff most congenial and friendly. There is a pool on the roof of the hotel
where I spent one afternoon swimming and tanning. There is also a spa and fitness centre,
casino, exquisite dining rooms, bars, movies and shopping area. www.fairmont.com
Sunset View from my 19th floor room
Very cozy accomodations
Treats left in my room
Relaxing before dinner
The music video in the lobby
Desserts!
A tastey seafood appetizer plate
All kinds of seafood
and desserts!
The chefs
Rooftop Pool
We were taken on several excursions while in Cairo. Of
course the main interest for me was the Egyptian
Museum located right near Tahrir Square.
This was the only place I really noted a big army presence but it was
all very unobtrusive, parked on the little side street by the museum. During
the revolution in 2011 people broke into the museum and stole some of the
precious artifacts as well as damaging others. So there is a lot of security at
the museum. It contains the world’s most extensive collection of paranoiac
antiquities. I saw the King Tut exhibit when it was in Seattle but those
treasurers were insignificant compared to what you will see on display
here: magnificent golden chariots,
precious jewelry, and countless other incredible treasures as well as coffins,
mummies and other artifacts from prehistoric through the Roman periods The
museum houses approximately 160,00 objects in total. We were told they plan to build a new museum
so that more of the treasures can be displayed.
In Old Cairo we visited several churches including the
oldest Greek Orthodox Church and the Ben Ezra Synagogue which dates from the 9th
century and is the oldest Jewish place of worship in Egypt. We also visited the
4th century Hanging Church which is built on the bastions of the
ancient Roman wall and ‘suspended’ above the level of the Nile. In one of the oldest Coptic churches in Egypt
we entered the crypt-like area below where there is a small room that is
supposed to have been where Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus found shelter
when they fled to Egypt. Old Cairo also had
an excellent bazaar for buying souvenirs, some very expensive and others
modestly priced including furniture and jewelry.
We stayed in Cairo for three days and visited several other
important sites outside the city including Giza and the sphinx, Memphis and
Saqqara.
Greek Orthodox Church
The Hanging Church
Jewish carving on door lintel
Synagogue
Bazaar
NEXT: Giza and the
Magnificent Sphinx.
