CAIRO

We got up early on the 23rd to catch our flight back to Athens.  We were able to get there in plenty of time, but our next flight on Egyptian Air was a couple of hours late.  Our flight went smoothly.  As we arrived in Cairo our guide was able to greet us as we got in and get us through immigration quite quickly.  We arrived at the Renaissance Cairo Mirage Hotel in New Cairo close to the airport.  Thankfully, we were upgraded to a suite and felt happy to get to our room after a long day of travel.  We ordered some room service and just enjoyed relaxing in our room that evening.

The next morning we started out with an amazing buffet.  Afterward we went on an excursion to see the sights of Cairo.  Mohammed was our driver and we really enjoyed talking with him.  It's funny how people in Cairo drive....right down the middle of the lane!  Not always but a lot of the time.  Google mentioned how Egyptians drive...kinda like a school of fish flowing through the water...and that's really  how it is.

We drove into Old Town Cairo and met up with our guide for the day, Reham.

She took us through the Old Town, and we walked through a few ancient Christian churches and a Jewish Synagogue.  Here are some pictures...

It was cool to see all of the ancient relics.  

I mean...these books...

This one was interesting as it claimed to be a hiding place for Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus.

                      The legend goes that they hid in this basement where there was fresh water.

Our next stop was the Citadel Mosque.

It was a HUGE mosque and very beautiful.

This is in the courtyard where women would wash themselves before entering the mosque.

The inside was very beautiful.

Next we stopped at an essential oil shop where we were given samples of lots of different types of oils.  Some for healing, some for smelling good (perfumy), and some that were citrisy.  We ended up buying some orange, Frankinsence, Myrrh, and one that is the base of Calvin Klein One.  It was an overall good experience.

Next door was the Golden Eagle Papyrus.  This was a cool place because we were able to see how papyrus was made.  The demonstration was really neat and it was good to see actually how strong the papyrus is and how it could last for centuries.

                                                                This is a papyrus plant.

Pictures on papyrus

Next was our stop at the Pyramids of Giza.

It was really great to be able to see these iconic ancient buildings that we only have ever seen in books!

...And of course, we had the camel experience... 

The Sphinx was totally cool!

It would be amazing to get a glimpse into even one day of how the ancient Egyptians lived.

That evening we came back to the Giza side of Cairo for a dinner cruise on the Nile.

The food was really good but the entertainment got a little crazy!  And loud!

After the belly dancers came out we stepped outside and just watched the shoreline of Giza and Cairo...much better view.

It was a really great evening!

This was our kind driver, Mohammed.

The next morning we enjoyed some donwntime at the hotel.  

It had a beautiful pool to swim in and I loved relaxing with my book!

For the afternoon, we took a taxi into town to do some shopping at the Cairo Market.

There were a lot of people and a lot of vendors trying to get us into their shops.

One vendor even asked Rick, "How can I take your money from you quickly"?

Rick got a good kick out of that.

We bought a couple of things...a bell and a hat...and I found the cutest pair of linen pants to purchase.  The vendor started at $75 and I told him I would only spend $15 dollars on them.  He eventually relented and I was happy with my purchase!

There was some interesting street food.

Me in my new linen pants.

I LOVE them!