We docked at Port Tewfik, Suez City at about 6am, by
7am. the coach was boarded, we have an 84 mile drive to Cairo. The pyramids today - so
exciting! We drove through the desert into Cairo, we passed the City of
the Dead originally a cemetery. People had built houses to stay in when they
came to visit their ancestors, right next to the tombs. Now the
homeless people of Cairo are squatting there, and the school bus stops outside in the
morning. They say they have quiet and peaceful neighbours! Cairo is a place of
such contradictions, I would really like to stay much more than one day.
The coach overtook a bus with children riding on the bumpers, they were all
laughing and waved to us. We passed the Pyramid Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. Our
first stop was at the Mohammed Ali Mosque which is beautiful, it is high up on a
hill, Cairo was spread out below us and we could see the Pyramids in
the distance. We entered the
Mosque, surprisingly we were
allowed to use the camcorder in there. It is built as a rectangle with an inner
hall with marble floors and a domed temple in the centre. It has a steeple on
one side and a clock tower on another. In the inner sanctum the green ceilings
are high domed and ornate, huge round lamps are suspended from the ceiling along
with chandeliers, the whole effect is stunning.
Next we drove through Old Cairo, which is quite something. We
saw some amazing architecture and some places so derelict that you wonder how people
live in them, eventually we reached the Cairo Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, it
holds all the caskets, treasures and the Death Mask of Tut Ankh
Amoun, including a brilliant camp bed that folds on hinges. Apparently he had boomerangs
too although we didn't find them. A lot of the things we have seen here today are
in my book, a lovely memento. We could really have done with spending a day here
alone, but it was time to move on again.
Our next stop was for lunch at the Mena House hotel, a sit down meal
with waiter service, live music and a pantomime horse dancing around us while we
ate! A belly dancer entertained us while we had coffee. This hotel is really
gorgeous with high ceilings and wall tapestries and a lovely little fountain in
the entrance hall.
Lunch over it is finally time to go to the Pyramids and the Sphinx. The pyramids are not smooth as I'd expected from pictures I'd seen,
as they have lost their outside cover, but climbing up them to look around is
awesome. Again we didn't spend enough time here, soon we were walking down to
the Sphinx. She is being restored at present so has scaffolding up her back. I
thought that she was very beautiful, such a serene face. When we left the coach stopped
at a photo point where we could
film all the pyramids together.
We were taken to a Papyrus shop next, where they demonstrated how papyrus is made.
Andrew recorded this, then we wandered around their gallery fascinated by the
lovely papyrus pictures. Andrew bought me "The Blessing of the Goddess of
Love" the girl in the shop said that we obviously don't need it! We got
"The Goddess of Love Receiving Gifts of Milk and Honey" for Andrew and
a "Tree of Life" which has the cartouche for
health and happiness on it for Andrew's parents. The shop next door was amazing too, full of Mother
of Pearl chairs, tables, chests etc.
A long coach trip back, then a wonderful dinner and excellent wine, everyone
has had a good day today. We had a stroll in the moonlight then went up to the
Belvedere suite again for Metaxa and coffee before bed.
