Woolly says – We’d set the alarm for 4.30am for our onward flight, transport was booked for a 5.00am pick up, Jo, who is sometimes sensible went straight to emails to find out that our transfer had been cancelled at 10pm the night before, she was not a happy human. Luckily the lovely hotel staff stepped in and only 10 minutes later than planned we were racing through the dark streets of Amman on our way to the airport.
A short flight later and we arrived in the bright sunshine of Egypt with the driver waiting for us, Cairo was heaving as the car slalomed through the traffic until we arrived in the Giza area. Then things started to go further downhill, we couldn’t find the accommodation and although many locals were asked, they didn’t have a clue either, this didn’t bode well. Finally, after many phone calls our lovely driver pulled up at a building and we followed our host inside and up several flights of stairs.
Ten minutes later we walked back down the stairs and headed to the hotel that Zoe had just booked for us!
We have stayed in some rough looking places on our travels, but this was filthy, we didn’t want to sit on the beds let alone sleep in them, the only thing that was as advertised was the view of the pyramids. Luckily, we are good at changing our plans and with a new place quickly booked a mere 300 yards down the road we grabbed our backpacks and went to check in elsewhere. The booking company has been informed and are dealing with our issues.
Woolly says – Finally we were sorted out but by now starving hungry so following a recommended eatery we headed in to have the most wonderful dinner and to watch the sunset over the incredible structures before us.
After great night’s sleep we sat consuming our breakfast on the roof terrace overlooking the Pyramids of Giza which we would see more of on the following day. Today would take us into the centre of Cairo to explore some of the things they had to offer.
First on the list was the immensely tall Cairo Tower. The Cairo Tower is a free-standing concrete tower in Cairo, at 187 metres (614 ft), it was the tallest structure in Egypt for 37 years until 1998. Built from 1956 to 1961, the tower was designed by the Egyptian architect Naoum Shebib, inspired by the Ancient Egyptian Architecture. Its partially open lattice-work design is intended to evoke a pharaonic lotus plant, an iconic symbol of Ancient Egypt. The tower is crowned by a circular observation deck and a revolving restaurant that rotates around its axis occasionally with a view over greater Cairo.
Having handed over our hundreds of pounds which seemed like a lot but on the conversation was around £5 GBP for each of us, we entered the bottom of the tower and just had time to admire the mosaic work before being transported to the very top.
Jo had already gained a faint green tinge as we shuffled onto the viewing platform. What a view it was, looking across the huge city we could see the Nile far below us with its boats and sailing boats. Far in the distance stood the pyramids, it was incredible and even our green monster seemed to be enjoying it. Once we had had our fill we headed into the café and sat with our cooling drinks admiring the views once more.
Hitting the streets we passed the Zamalek tree, the oldest tree in Cairo, planned in 1868 it had been gifted to the then King, it was pretty good and lovely and shady. ON we went arriving at a wonderful roundabout which led towards some impressive lions. A gent stopped us and as the women chatted, I sat and looked across the river, a few minutes later and we were in a car with air con blasting across my fur and before I could enjoy it to the full extent we pulled up at the next destination on our list.
The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, commonly known as the Egyptian Museum, houses the largest collection of Egyptian antiquities in the world. With over 120,000 items, built in 1901, it is the largest museum in Africa. Among its masterpieces are Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s treasure, including its iconic gold burial mask, widely considered one of the best-known works of art in the world and a prominent symbol of ancient Egypt. So, you can guess what we were heading to look at.
The place was packed with tourists and guides as the three of us set off to see everything we could, and there was a lot to see.
Statues, tombs and all manner of wonders passed our eyes until we arrived at the most famous exhibition of all, Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s treasure.
Sadly we couldn’t take pictures in the area but I can tell you that it was incredible and something we will all remember for the rest of our lives, we were however able to a photograph of the outer black sarcophagus that the King had been buried in, it was nothing compared to the two golden inner sarcophagus’s though.
Making our way past mummies and beautifully decorated coffins we felt we had seen enough and found the way to the exit arriving in the baking temperatures of the city once more.
A short taxi ride away we climbed out of the vehicle and spend a few minutes admiring a wonderful mosque before crossing the road and heading into the bazaar.
Khan el-Khalili is a famous bazaar and souq in the historic centre of Cairo. Established as a centre of trade in the Mamluk era and named for one of its several historic caravanserais, the bazaar district has since become one of Cairo’s main attractions for tourists and Egyptians alike. It is also home to many Egyptian artisans and workshops involved in the production of traditional crafts and souvenirs. The name Khan el-Khalili historically referred to a single building in the area; today it refers to the entire shopping district. It was wonderful as we wandered through the small aisles crammed with all the normal touristy trash it also had all sorts of wonderful, crafted items.
We found a small café and sat happily for a while eating falafels and sipping on our freshly squeezed lemon juice before heading back towards the mosque and some transport back to the Giza area.
The insanity of the roads, grimy buildings and all the splendours we had been able to see left us wanting more but that would have to wait for another trip.