Egyptian Museum, Markets and more Pyramids

It’s a dark and stormy night in Cairo. I’ve spent the past few days visiting the sites. The tour started today; we have an Egyptologist accompanying us and he is giving lectures and assignments. Essentially I’ve gone to Egypt school.

Mostly my fellow travelers are 40+. We're half North Americans and the rest are Brits. Surprisingly there's no Australians.

Without exception every tourist destination (including this hotel) has airport level security. One and all is passed through a metal detector, and the ubiquitous guards are armed with machine guns. Tomorrow we leave Cairo, and the tour director informed us we will have a police escort through the Western Desert.

Coptic Cairo
Hanging Church
A small percentage of Egyptians are Christian. This church is built on the remains of a Roman tower. This place of worship isn’t actually hanging from the tower it’s sitting on top. Although part of the tower has been dismantled, it is obvious this structure was built to last. Vancouver builders may want to take note.

It is said that Jesus and his folks stayed in this location for three months; the family roamed Egypt for three years.

The Roman Tower

Church Interior

Newer Mosaics in Church Courtyard

The Hanging Church

Islamic Cairo
Mohammad Ali Mosque
Although slightly tarnished, this mosque covered with alibaster is worth a visit. This mosque is approximately 200 years old; it overlooks the city.









Khan El Khalili Market
This 600 years old market or souq is bursting with Middle East trinkets; each merchant’s main goal in life is to extract as many tourist dollars as possible. Although a bit of an assault on the senses – I thought it was fun. Did manage to bargain a scarf down to $10 from $30. It felt like a deal!








Tutankamen exhibit and worth the price of admission.



The Pyramids
Over the three weeks I was in Egypt I visited the Giza plateau three times. My first visit a pest named Ali followed me around for an hour trying to convince me to ride his camel. These guys will not take no for an answer. Don’t make the same mistake I did….just ignore them. Arrrgh….

To get away from the "vermin" I entered the interior of the Great Pyramid. You must navigate a steep 100-foot tunnel before getting to a much roomier corridor. Everything, in the tomb, of course, was removed long ago. Apparently, many of the thefts were inside jobs. I was surprised to find absolutely no interior decoration; the elaborate painting and carving came later in the tombs and temples.

When on tour we visited the Pharaoh’s Boat Museum located next to Khufu the largest pyramid. The 3000-year-old boat was designed to carry the Pharoah to the afterlife. I finally saw the Sphinx, which is not next to the pyramids like it looks in pictures, it's located down a hill.

When I returned to Cairo after the tour I went horseback riding around Giza, and the desert beyond. Quite enjoyed the ride but three hours on Sheba was probably over my limit - ouch!

The Tour

This is our route.

Cairo

The roads are insane in Cairo; there's no rules - well the streets have lines to indicate lanes but those are mostly ignored. Sometimes two cars share a lane. My cab driver was doing 120mph (NOT kilometres) and he was the slow guy. Must take getting used to.

It was late at night when my plane landed. My hotel was in Giza and as the cab drove to the resort, I caught a glimpse of the outline of a huge angular object against the dark sky. It was a pyramid - Khufu to be exact. I was truly in awe and will never forget that moment.

The next evening I went the Sound and Light at the Giza Plateau. It was on the corny side, but hey it's the only surviving ancient wonder of the world. Below are some snaps.

The Sphinx

Khafre in green

Khufu or the Great Pyramid

The Sphinx in blue

Khufu

Westminster Abbey, Parliament Buildings, Near 10 Downing

On Saturday I went on a tour in and around the parliament buildings. Due to "troubled times we live in" the government doesn't allow anyone to get too close, especially 10 Downing. We strolled around a classically styled Georgian neighborhood(not unlike 10 Downing we were informed). Then visited the very gothic Westminster Abbey. The building, although very cluttered, is an interesting study both inside and out. Charles Dickens, Queen Elizabeth 1 and Laurence Olivier are some of the many notables interned in the Abbey.

Also on the agenda for that day was a trip to the National Gallery. The highlight of my visit was one of the sunflower paintings by Van Gogh. The thick brush strokes and bright provencal colors cannot be duplicated in pictures. It was beautiful.

St. Paul's Cathedral

The first time I saw St. Paul’s was in the evening when the building is illuminated. For me it was a moment very similar to seeing the Rockies for the first time - Wow!

St Paul’s is surprisingly tasteful. The building is the legacy of Sir Christopher Wren. After the fire of 1666 destroyed London Wren was placed in charge of rebuilding several of the churches.

The cathedral is constructed of white Portland stone; the only decoration Sir Christopher Wren (its architect) intended was the carved bits. Apparently Queen Victoria was “not amused” and stated she would not step foot again into the building unless some color was added. To appease the monarch mosaics were added to the interior. These were crafted, at great expense, by the guilds that still exist today; it is therefore unlikely they will be removed anytime soon.

Although not quite London’s answer to the Grouse Grind, climbing the 530 steps to the top is a challenge. The stairs lead to the bottom of the interior dome and then to the upper exterior. The view at the top must rival that from the London Eye; I thought it was worth the trip.