Time for a strictly travel-related blog…
My daughter Melissa graduated from college 8 ½ years ago (2007). I had told her that for her graduation gift, I would take her on a vacation (just the two of us) anywhere in the world she wanted to go. Her initial suggestion was to go somewhere in Europe – maybe including Paris. I told her that yes – Paris was one of my dreams, as I had studied French for six years, but I told her that I was also thinking of going somewhere else after Paris. She hadn’t really thought of the fact that for a while in early High School, she had thought of studying Egyptology, so I thought we could see all of the Egypt exhibits at the Louvre in Paris, and then go see where they all came from with a trip to Egypt. Melissa’s jaw dropped, and she said she just didn’t think going to Egypt was a realistic possibility, so she didn’t suggest it.
So, I did LOTS of online research into tour companies, tour options, etc. I looked at Nile cruises, bus tours, etc., and finally settled on a private tour. Instead of traveling in a large bus over hundreds of miles, with a bunch of old(er) people, we got to fly the long distances (Cairo to Aswan to Abu Simbel to Aswan), had a private van (Melissa, me, a driver and a real Egyptologist – not a “tour guide”). At the time, taking the private tour was only about $600 more than the tour bus or cruise options! I found a fantastic U.S. based tour company – Egypt Magic – that handled all the details, customized the trip for us, and provided an excellent tour coordinator in Cairo.
https:/http://www.facebook.com/egyptmagicprivatetours
CAIRO & GIZA:
After five days in Paris, we landed in Cairo. Cairo is a fascinating city – a blend of Muslim and Coptic Christian cultures. From climbing to the top of the inside of the Great Pyramid at Giza (hot, humid, dark, but totally worth it),
the Sphinx,
and the Cairo Museum (with the extensive Tut exhibit and mummy collection).
Traffic in the city is quite a mess. We shared the road with 7 lanes of traffic crammed into 3 lanes, camels, goats, pedestrians, and motorized carts overflowing with goods to sell. Our tour coordinator also took us out with his friends, where we learned to smoke the “shisha” (a water pipe with apple-flavored tobacco), and to a wonderful Egyptian restaurant.
One place we loved was the Mosque of Muhammad Ali (not the pro boxer…), perched over the city.
One interesting story about this place is related to the brass clock tower in the courtyard. It was presented to Muhammad Ali by King Louis Philippe of France in 1845. In return, Muhammad Ali donated the beautiful obelisk of Luxor now standing in Place de la Concorde in Paris.
Paris got the better end of the deal, as the clock they gave to Muhammad has never worked!
I will continue our Egypt journey in future posts. But for now… I think I’ll have a glass of wine.
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Lastly… grab a glass of wine, and ENJOY!!!
