Ciaro street scenes

Just a few random shots. The city is so interesting.

School sign near our hotel. That is now a gun but instead a temperature detector. LOL

Ready to be the Amazon banista.

Getting ready to get on the school bus.

Cat hat.

The Giza Pyramids of Egypt

Another dream come true – a visit to the Giza Pyramids. We get there early in the morning right when they open, and have the place practically to ourselves. Again, I love that there were few tourists. What a magnificent site! Three pyramids of limestone built in 2600 BC towering next to me. The limestone rocks of various shapes and sizes feel cold yet soft to the touch. I try to imagine the work that went into building these three tombs (Menkaure, Khafre and the Great Pyramid of Khufu). Apparently they have proof that the workers were paid and that it was an honor for the workers to build a tomb for their King. These are considered some of the largest structures ever built.

It was another beautiful day and the morning sun gave the ancient soft-toned rocks more depth and perspective. I have much more to say, but am so tired. Time to refresh for another day of antiquities tomorrow.

The Great Sphinx of Giza

Cairo souks and mosque

We arrived in our little island in Cairo called Zamalek on the Nile River. It’s a wonderful area consisting of various embassies, hotels, cafes and restaurants. It’s a mix of old and new. The first full day we took tour of the old city to include the Al-Azhar Mosque and the old local souks of Khan el-Khalili. At the mosque I had to go into a special back room to put on a modest dress (Hijab) with hood. We were able to walk freely through the mosque with shoes in hand since the prayer session had just finished. The mosque is the second oldest continuously running university in the world for the study of Islamic law. There were several little teaching lessons happening in the mosque which were also being live streamed. I marveled at the beautiful white granite floors and cushy soft carpet inside for prayer. It was a serene place with wide open spaces – very calming.

After the mosque we were off to the old markets/souks of Khan el-Khalili in old Cairo, where the guide told us most things were now made in China. Vendors would hassle you a little to buy their goods, but if you ignore them they let you alone. Supposedly the souks come alive at night so we were happy to not have the big crowds. Later we relaxed with some tea and coffee in the famous old café El-Fishaway built in 1771 AD in the El-Hussein area of Cairo which has hosted kings, artists, intellectuals and movie stars. Famous patrons were Nagib Mahfouz, Nobel Laureate and Morgan Freeman who was in Cairo while filming a movie.

Traffic is insane here. There are no lanes and its hard to see if there are any traffic rules or laws. Most all cars are beat up and dusty and drivers cram what should be three lanes into five or six separated by an inch or two. This is all happening at the same time people are trying to walk across traffic. Drivers love to use their horns, yet they are surprisingly calm. It reminds me of Naples, Italy, but ten times worse. Thank goodness we’ve had good drivers. And BTW, we often used Uber in Jordan and Egypt which works very well.

Here are various photos from the day.