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Sat. 12/1
Our 777 flight aboard EgyptAir was uneventful after another drama at JFK where another pair of cuticle scissors,
this time left inadvertently in my carry-on, was again confiscated. Such is life when one is perceived a terrorist.
Sun. 12/2
The area approaching Cairo airport is flat, muddy and dreary. We arrived at 4:30 PM after a 11 ½ hour flight.
The Grand Circle tourists were rounded up, sorted out and delivered to the glamorous Ramses Hilton in downtown
Cairo. Our 12th floor room overlooks the Nile and a tangle of very busy, noisy thoroughfares and crowded
streets. The view is marvelous, especially at night when the lights of the city and along the river are
shining brightly. We discovered a McDs across the street from our hotel on the 7th floor of a mall
throbbing with Egyptian rock music. The burgers were good, the place crowded with teens (having their
evening meal after an all day Ramaden fast) and the security guard happily sleeping at his post.
In fact, every building has a security check entrance, including our hotel.
Mon. 12/3
There is a very good breakfast at our hotel in dramatically lovely décor. We had our orientation meeting,
an interesting talk on Egyptian history followed by a quick and perilous round the block get acquainted walk.
Dodging every which way traffic is an art in itself and not for the faint hearted. The Museum of Egyptian
Antiquities is only a stone’s throw from the Hilton, but getting there by bus takes ½ hour minimum in this
city of 17,000,000. The exhibits of ancient Egyptian civilization are worth it. Archaeological treasures
abound, as well as gilded coffins, sculptures and papyrus art, and especially the amazing contents of the
tomb of Tutankhamun. The tomb itself is covered in gold and artwork. To excavate them from the ground,
each had to be meticulously disassembled at the site, brought to the museum and reassembled there.
Outstanding! A group dinner (mediocre) was held on the moored riverboat Le Pasha where a number of
Egyptian dishes were presented. Interesting!
Tues. 12/4
A horrendous traffic jam delayed our arrival at the pyramids of Giza for over an hour. We were all
surprised that the most famous pyramids lie directly outside Cairo itself. Khufu (Cheops), 450’ tall
Khafre and Menkaure are awesome to see up close. Only by standing right next to them and looking up,
can one appreciate the grandeur. We were able to access the only excavated burial chamber in Khafre,
deep under the ground, by negotiating several long, narrow passageways while bent over at a 45 degree angle
and inching along. The stories of the burial rites and ceremonies of the kings are mind boggling.
We visited the Sphinx, still an awesome sight despite years of erosion and devastation by vandals.
I took a camel ride, short but fun, to prove I had visited Egypt. Lunch was at the Mercure. At Saqqara,
once the necropolis for the old kingdom capital of Egypt. Most interesting there is the Step Pyramid,
the largest, and one of the world’s oldest stone structures, built 2700 BC, and the temple ruins within
the complex. We wondered how the ancients were able to carve, transport, and set in place so many huge ton
stones with such precision. But the ancient Egyptian builders took their secrets to the grave with them.
This evening, we enjoyed the hospitality of a local family in their home. They went all out with a feast
of delicious Egyptian food and the visit proved interesting and inspiring.
Wed. 12/5
We bussed to old Cairo, home of Cairo’s Coptic Christians and Egyptian Jews. It is a very old gated area
of narrow winding streets in the process of major renovation. The
CHURCH OF ABU SERGA (St. Sergius) is a 4th Cent. church built on the spot where it is believed the Holy Family
resided during their exile in Egypt. Directly under the choir is the crypt containing the remains of the
original church where tradition says the Holy Family lived. Originally this crypt was a sanctuary, but
became a crypt after the larger church was built. The CHURCH OF ST. MARY EL MUALLAQA) is also known as
the “Hanging Church” because it was built atop the southern tower gate of the old Babylonian fortress with
its nave suspended above the passage, some time between the 14th and 15th centuries. You can look down and
see the top of the original fortification that time and sediment have buried.
Egypt’s oldest synagogue,
BEN EZRA, resembles an early Christian church. Here, as in the Christian churches, are beautiful displays
of artwork and much wooden work inlaid with ivory. We visited the main mosque of Cairo, second in size only
to Istanbul's Blue Mosque, and situated within a gated hilltop complex surrounded by the walls of an ancient
fort, the CITADEL. It is a beautiful edifice, and the ramparts outside offer splendid views of greater Cairo.
Lunch was at the NILE HILTON. In the afternoon, an American woman married to an
Egyptian and living here for 15 years gave an insightful and somewhat funny talk regarding her life here,
with all its pitfalls. This evening we attended a Sound and Light show at the SPHINX/PYRAMIDS. Very dramatic!
Continue...
This trip to cruise the Nile River in Egypt was made Dec. 01-14, 2001 by a New York State couple.
Your comments are welcome.
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