I know I am way overdue on posts. There is just so much I need to catch everyone up on… the step pyramid Saqqara, the Red Pyramid which we got to go inside, the Bent Pyramid, pyramids, pyramids, pyramids, a long weekend in Alexandria complete with Greco-Roman amphitheaters with bizarre acoustic phenomena, catacombs, the sea, and all kinds of fun, lots of fun hanging out with Meredith, the choc-full Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, moomie, moomie, moomie, catacomb,… there is just so much. Soon, I will post pictures and catch you all up.
The Khan was amazing! Built in the 14th century, there was plenty of amazing architecture, interesting carved buildings, and huge old doors. Emily snapped a few photos on her cell phone after it got dark. It was stunning!
Where do I even begin? We were in the mood for a good old-fashioned family game night and thought we would see what we could round up. We found a “De Lux [sic]” version of Scrabble which I think we can all agree lived up to its name… DEEEEEEEE-lux. Check it out…
Category : Meredith's Visit, My Life in Cairo, Oh, Egypt
Camels on the freeway. Sorry the picture is a bit blurry. We were probably going like eighty miles an hour, haha. This is the highlight of our cab ride. Good thing since we ended up getting stuck in traffic for another hour.
Hello! It’s Meredith here taking over for Emily while she is at class. I’ve been in Egypt for about ten days and I love it! It’s really great! I’m so thankful Emily and Brandon are letting me stay with them for the month because in addition to being great tour guides, they also make great hosts, chefs, and Scrabble players. It’s been so much fun!
After recovering from a good bout of jet lag, I decided posting some photos from the past week is quite overdue. We’ve spent a lot of time hanging around Emily’s neighborhood in Maadi, where even going out to buy groceries is an adventure to me.
Sunday was my first excursion to downtown Cairo. Emily and I took a cab to the metro station where we rode the very crowded women’s car to Tahrir Square. Now, when I say very crowded, I mean packed in like sardines. It was quite an experience! Once we got to our stop, we saw the old AUC campus and the gigantic Egyptian Museum but we are saving that for another day. Navigating through crazy traffic – which the locals describe as “organized chaos” (I’m yet to figure out the “organized” part) – we made our way down a side street lined with sheesha bars, coffee shops, and adorable kittens. I never knew there were so many cats in Cairo. I don’t really think of them as strays – they are more like domestic pets who sleep outside and do a little foraging for food. Anyhow, we were on a mission to find Koshari Abou Tarek. It’s known as the best Koshari restaurant in Cairo (which I think translates to the best in the world) and Anthony Bourdain even dined here when he visited Cairo for his travel/food show. We found the restaurant, got our Koshari, and hopped in a cab to head back to Maadi. The cab ride was a great tour of Cairo. I had my first glimpse of the Citadel, the City of the Dead, and the Khan al Khalili. Once we got back to beautiful Maadi we scarfed down our delicious Koshari and I “helped” Emily study for her Arabic midterm – as much as someone who speaks no Arabic can help.
And last night we went to the Khan al Khalili – a market that dates back to the 1300s – it was absolutely incredible! It was amazing seeing the really old, beautiful architecture and browsing around through the shops.
And that brings me up to today… Oh yeah, and we saw the Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza, too… Did i forget to mention that? It was pretty awesome…
So Friday is the best day to visit Giza. Emily and Brandon were out of school for the weekend and we left their apartment around 7:30am and swung by the neighborhood convenience store to pick up some water to take with us… Have I mentioned how much I love Emily’s neighborhood? This is their version of a QuikTrip.
And here are a couple of shots from the cab ride. As we approached the Nile we started seeing bright green patches of farmland mixed in with urban apartment buildings. It was a beautiful glimpse of green.
My first glimpse of the pyramids! I was excited!
