Visiting Kings, Riding Camels and Seeking Chariots

We are home from our Egypt trip.  It ended with some concern because of the war declared in the neighboring country of Israel.  All flights went through without a hitch, thankfully.  

I am going to share a bit of our vacation with you.  We left Detroit at 7 pm on September 24 and arrived at our hotel in Cairo around 4 am on September 26.  We ate breakfast and then hit our room for several hours.  When we awoke and went outside, we were amazed that we could see the Pyramids from our hotel.

This is how we spent our first day in Cairo.

Day 2 started early with breakfast at the hotel.   We then headed out to do some sightseeing.  Our awesome tour guide Armina had told us that she would not be talking much on the first drive of the outing because we would be too busy looking at the traffic and right she was. The traffic in this city of 22 million people is absolutely insane, there is no rhyme or reason that you could see to the driving.  If you go to Cairo do not plan on driving yourself anywhere.

Many of the photo credits in this post go to my friend Heather, my husband Frank, and several other members of our group.  Thank you everyone for sharing your photos with me.

Our first stop was the Civilization Museum.  It is amazing how very progressive this culture was thousands and thousands of years ago.  We are still enjoying and using the inventions and innovations they created and discovered today.  

This visit was followed by the Sultan Hassan Mosque Tour which I found to be one of the most interesting visits that we made.

A second museum visit also took place on Day 2 and it wasn't even lunchtime yet.  Oh and did I mention that the temps were 113* this day?

We spent the afternoon touring and then enjoyed dinner at a local restaurant.  It was a long full day and the pyramid tours were scheduled for early in the morning.

Dinner was scrumptious but I was so exhausted I barely remember it.  I do remember laughing a lot though.  What a wonderful group of folks with whom to travel.

Day 3- The Pyramids of Giza was our first stop of the day.  Some of our group chose to go inside these pyramids.  Frank and I waited for the Sakkara Pyramids that we visited in the afternoon to go inside.  They are newer by a thousand years and a little roomier LOL.

This was also the day we went on a camel ride.  It was a fun morning and my camel was very personable.  Look at his smile!

We stopped to make a visit with the Sphinx.  It was another blistering hot day......

Next stop....the Papyrus Museum, another of my favorites and not just because it was air conditioned LOL.

This is where I purchased the majority of the souvenirs I brought back.  It is amazing to me that this ancient civilization was able to make indestructible paper and write down stories in ink that last forever so that thousands of years later we can learn about their culture, traditions and beliefs.

Inside Sakkara Pyramid where Frank could (kinda) walk upright while touring.   Did I mention the heat?

Next stop....the Carpet School.  I don't think there are any child labor laws in effect in Egypt, they just call it a school.  The kids all seemed happy enough and they have those smiles down pat, hoping to get some of our American dollars.  

Our final dinner in Cairo.  In the morning we head to board our Nile Cruise.  It seems like we were here much longer.  We fit a LOT into a few days.

I feel like I fit a lot into this post as well.  I'm going to leave it there for now and pick up as we board our Nile Cruise tomorrow.   See you then.