Tour Day 8 – Cairo Sightseeing
Today we enjoy a full day of sightseeing which will include the Citadel, the spectacular complex dominating Cairo’s skyline. From here we make a visit to the Sultan Hassan Mosque and Mohammed Ali’s Alabaster Mosque with its highly decorated and ornate interior. In old Cairo we will visit the Hanging Church of St. Mary above the old water gate. Also we will visit the Egyptian Museum, home of King Tutankhamun’s priceless treasures, discovered by Howard Carter in the Valley of the Kings in 1922. This evening, there is time on your own to do as you please. You may wish to take a dinner cruise on the Nile?
After having a good night’s sleep on solid ground, we wake up early – again – for another full day of sightseeing. What’s with these early mornings? I thought we were supposed to be on vacation!!
We begin with the Citadel.
It’s quite stunning on its own, but the view of Cairo from it is even more impressive.
Mom & I are goofing around for the camera… you’ll notice I’m raising my right leg – Mom is raising hers too, but you can’t tell.
We continue on to Mohammed Ali’s Alabaster Mosque, who is not to be confused with Muhammed Ali, the boxer.
Two mosques in one day… they’ve been waking us up for months, so I guess it’s time we checked one out.
Finally, we move on to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Ashraf is in his element – he’s almost giddy with excitement. Eric says I get the same way in a shoe store.
It’s very interesting and informative, but boy is it exhausting. And I must say, King Tut sure had a lot of bling.
We head home and chill out for a little while before Mom & Dad take off to see the light show at the pyramids.
While they’re out, Eric and I go searching for food. We cruise up and down the streets of Cairo before stumbling upon a cute little restaurant surrounded by auto-body shops…
There’s so much food, we’re able to bring the leftovers home for Mom & Dad to eat… aren’t we nice?
Tour Day 9 – Cairo – Pyramid Excursion
Today is full of amazing highlights. First we will drive to Memphis where we see the limestone Colossus of Ramses II and the giant Alabaster Sphinx. Next we continue to Sakkara where the Step Pyramid heralded the start of the pyramid age. From here prepare yourself for a breathtaking experience, as we marvel at one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Great Pyramids of Giza, and the Sphinx, which casts its enigmatic gaze across the sands of the desert. Your evening is at leisure.
This is the day we have been waiting for… Pyramid day.
These are one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and each of us has been looking forward to this moment long before our trip was even an idea… so you can imagine how excited we are.
And words can’t describe the experience – it literally leaves all four of us speechless… which is quite a feat.
We all take in the moment in our own special way...
We spend a couple hours just strolling around and enjoying the experience. Ashraf got us there just as they opened the area, so we’re ahead of most of the crowds, which meant at points it feels like it’s just us and them… the Pyramids, that is.
We then move on to the Sphinx which is equally as impressive, though to be honest, it is a bit smaller than I expected. Eric says it’s probably a lot like meeting Tom Cruise.
And once again, we seem to be more interesting than the actual attraction...
It’s our last day with Ashraf, so on the bus ride home Dad and Eric send him off in style. Dad gives a great speech thanking him for the experience. Ashraf truly made the trip for us and you can tell he’s touched by Dad’s words.
And Eric extracts his revenge for being made to run around the boat – he does a spot-on impersonation of Ashraf that leaves both he and most of the bus in stitches… which means the score at the end of the trip is a tie:
Ashraf = 1, Eric = 1
We stumble back into the hotel exhausted.
Poor Dad!
After such a fantastic day, the four of us decide to spend a quiet evening in playing Skip-Bo and chatting.
Tour Day 10 – Cairo at Leisure
Time to relax or maybe to visit the bazaar for some last minute shopping.
We said our good-byes to Ashraf yesterday, so today we’re on our own.
Eric and I need to do a bit of reconnaissance research in preparation for our return to Cairo in a couple weeks. We go out in search of a place to stay and the long-distance bus station, and Mom and Dad happily tag along.
Figuring out the logistics of traveling is tiring work, so afterwards we head back to Khan al-Khalili Souq and have one last falafel sandwich from our favourite stall.
We spend the afternoon taking full advantage of our 4-star hotel – we relax by the pool, play Skip-Bo, read our books, etc.
Eric goes out in search of a haircut and finally has success… he say it’s the best haircut experience he has had in over a year, including attempts in Toronto. The barber gave him tea – and kept his sideburns.
For our last dinner together, we return to the restaurant where we started our Cairo adventure…
And this time, they have the stuffed pigeon Eric has wanted to try.
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