Saturday, October 22, 2022

We awake this morning to the Porter telling us we have an hour left and Breakfast will be served soon. We get up and get dressed and breakfast is the same paltry slices of bread with something resembling cream cheese and a small container of Fig Jam. But it fills the tummies.

We disembark in Giza and board a bus for Cairo. First stop is a Mosque named Salah Al Din Citadel. Quite beautiful in its own right, this ancient building does not disappoint when it comes to grandiose and a sight for our poor camera lenses eyes! All the ladies on our tour are cautioned to have their heads covered which they are all prepared for. Every time I put my camera down it yells at me and says there is more to point at! So it keeps me busy throughout the area.

Then it’s back on the bus and we stop at a Coptic Church called the “Hanging Church”. While inside here, we can occasionally look down through the floor several stories to see what’s below us!

Next stop is the Cairo Museum where hundreds of ancient antiquities are to be seen. There is a whole section on King Tut that is quite interesting including both inner and outer golden sarcophagi! Many opportunities that our cameras take total advantage of as we tour the museum.

Some fun items we see in the museum such as the smallest statuette in the world, only 3 inches tall! Alabaster statues in an alabaster coffin! Fun stuff!

Then it’s off to lunch at the Cairo Marketplace, a market that we have never seen the likes of. Tens of thousands of shoppers crowd the streets and alleyways as Vendors vie for their money! We are cautioned about the dangers of the Cairo Marketplace and instructed to only go in groups and try to have at least one man in the group. This is one of the most dangerous Marketplaces in the world! Sure wouldn’t want to be here after dark! We even witness the aftermath of a small traffic accident which is not surprising considering that this is the worst city in the world when it comes to traffic! We find some fun souvenirs and gifts and it is time to go sit and eat.

I order Stuffed Pigeon and Elee orders a shish kabob plate. I can now cross Pigeon of the list of foods I have tried. There is little to no meat on a pigeon but what is there is quite tasty! It was stuffed with a rice mixture and roasted.

Soon we get back on the bus for a short ride to our hotel, one we stayed at a week ago. We bid our guide goodbye as we part ways here. We see a fun sign on a store that we never explain. Mo has been a fantastic guide for the last week but we will get a new one as we head off to the Sinai Peninsula tomorrow.

The highlight of this moment is our luggage is here! Reunited after a week and we are thrilled! We will donate our new, small luggage in the morning as we no longer need it. we also see the last view of the Pyramids that we will see!

We attend a briefing meeting regarding the next leg of our journey and there are some exciting times ahead! Our new guide, Haly, is quite personable and a native of Sinai so this should be an equally great time. We go to the poolside restaurant and order a couple appetizers for dinner because we’re not all that hungry. We chat with a few tour members we have known this last week, some of them heading home, some traveling on to new destinations and some traveling on with us!

It is getting late and we are tired. We head back to our room to reorganize our luggage and get some sleep. Good Night!