June 25

On Monday, we toured the Imperial Palace of the Hapsburg Empire. This palace which until 1918 was inhabited by the imperial family, was originally a castle built in the thirteenth century, was extended to a splendid residence in accordance with the increasing power of the Habsburgs and the expansion of their realm.

Today, the former private apartments of the imperial family in the Imperial Palace are open to the public. The tour provides good insight in the daily life of the monarchs. Emperor Franz Joseph and his Elisabeth lived here with their children and the entire royal household. From this location they represented the realm of the Habsburg and directed its politics.

We viewed the rooms for the officers of the imperial household, the large Audience Hall and the Conference Room, where ministers and the crown council held their meetings. The most interesting areas for us were the office of Emperor Franz Joseph as well as the living room and bedroom of his wife, numerous salons and an old-fashioned bathroom.

The rooms are in the Rococo style, with rich stucco work and valuable tapestries from Brussels (17th and 18th centuries), chandeliers made from Bohemian crystal and tiled stoves made from porcelain. The furniture, added in the nineteenth century, is in the Louis XV and Empire styles.

The Hapsburg dynasty built their empire through marriage rather than war. Emperors and empresses were encouraged to have as many children as possible and marriages were arranged with royalty from other countries as a way to expand the empire and cement alliances. Franz Joseph ruled the Austrian-Hungarian Empire for 68 years. He was a very hard working man, arising each day at 3:30 and beginning work at 5:30. Two to three times a week, private citizens could meet individually with the emperor about any issue. His wife, Elizabeth, was a very “mysterious” figure – often misunderstood during her life and became larger in death.

On Tuesday, we visited the Schonbrunn Palace (the summer home of the Hapsburg) located on the outer edge of Vienna. The Emperor Franz Joseph spent much of his time here. The size and splendor of both palaces are truly breathtaking. The Hapsburg Empire was very wealthy and nothing was spared in the decorating of this palaces. The interior is an orgy of frescoed ceilings, crystal chandeliers, huge mirrors and gilded ornaments. We took the grand tour and were able to view all 40 rooms that are open to the public. To give you an indication of its size, there are over 1,441 rooms in the palace. The Schonbrunn Palace was the site of a famous meeting of President Kennedy and Premier Khruschev in the early 60’s. In addition to the Palace, there are beautiful gardens located on the grounds.

During the evenings we have been exploring the city and sampling food in various street side cafes. Vienna is a very clean city and the people are very helpful and friendly. The mass transit system, like those found in many of the major European cities we have visited, is very efficient and easy to navigate. Most buildings and hotels are not air conditioned and despite temperatures in the mid to high 80’s, it is pleasant. Prices are certainly much higher than we see in Egypt and with the high value of the Euro vs. the Dollar, it seems expensive. A typical meal costs 12 Euro (around $18). Our hotel is located just a short walk from the main square in the historical center of Vienna.

June 23

We arrive in Vienna yesterday around 10:00 AM. It really throws off the whole first day as we had been up since Sunday morning. After we got to our hotel, we just rested until around 4:00 PM and then met Denny and his friend for a walk and dinner. Our hotel is located only about 8 blocks from the main city center. Like most of the more traditional hotels, the décor is very nice but it is not air-conditioned. Hopefully it will cool off so we can sleep in the evenings. The European Soccer Cup is being held in Switzerland and Austria now and even though there are no matches here in Vienna, there are literally thousands of fans who have journeyed here to watch the matches together on huge screen televisions. Most of the sidewalk cafes and pubs have televisions to attract the fans. Fans are colorfully dressed is their team colors, faces painted and carrying little country flags. It would be very similar to tailgating back in the states at college football games.

We enjoyed meeting back up with Denny and catching up on the past year. He, of course, filled us in on life in Iowa and the recent flooding and we brought him up to date on the happenings at Schutz. Denny’s friend, Trish, has been teaching the past three years in Pakistan. She really enjoyed the first two years but the third year has been a real challenge for her. There have been a couple of bombings at restaurants frequented by Westerners. As a result, many places are no longer safe to go to. Electricity has become very unreliable, often going out 6 to 8 times a day. She is going back for a fourth year but will be actively looking for a new location next year.

June 21

Last Sunday (the 15th) we went out to the Hilton located on the Mediterranean near Borg El Arab (about an hour from Alex). We wanted our grandson Nick to be able to enjoy the beach and the sea and this area is quite nice. We buried him in sand up to his neck – he looked just like a mummy! Later on in the evening we hosted the local Egyptian family after supper. The kids enjoyed playing soccer and playing on the school playground. Again it was very interesting to visit with them and learning more about their culture.

On Monday we visited several of the sights around Alex – many of which Pat and I have not seen. We went to the Catacombs, the Pillar of Pompey and the Greco-Roman Amphitheater.
Tuesday we took the “fast train” from Alex to Cairo. When you arrive at the train station in Cairo it is like arriving on a different planet. There are so many people and it often seems overwhelming (even when you have experienced it before). As soon as you leave the train, taxi drivers “attack” you with offers to take you where you want to go. Westerners are often targeted as they usually pay more. Two or three has a “spirited’ discussion about us and we finally selected one to take to our hotel for 30 LE. Before we left the parking lot, he wanted 5 LE more (to pay for the parking area). When we refused to pay, he somehow managed to leave the lot without paying. The ride to the hotel was typically frantic as traffic at that time is bumper to bumper and the driver obviously thought we would be impressed by how quickly he could get us there. When I drive in Alex, I think it is hectic but it is nothing compared to Cairo. There are so many more people and cars. The large increase in cars is do in part to a change allowing Egyptians to buy automobiles on credit when they previously had to pay cash and a large influx of cheap cars.

Tuesday we took it easy and just walked around the Zamalek area where our hotel is located. This was once a very elite neighborhood and still home to many foreign embassies. It is tree shaded and still very pleasant. Wednesday, Nick was recovering from a little bug so Pat stayed with him and Angelia and I toured Old or Coptic Cairo and the Citadel (built by Saladin to fight off the Crusaders). The Citadel contains two mosques that are quite impressive. One was built for Mohammed Aly and contains his tomb. One of the churches we visited in Coptic Cairo was believed to have been one of the locations that Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus stayed for a short time.



On Thursday, we visited Memphis (the first capital of Egypt), Saquarra (home of what is believed to be the first Pyramid), the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids of Giza. Nick and Angelia rode camels and got to climb down inside one of the pyramids. The temperatures were very hot (over 40 degrees Celsius). On Friday, we visited the Kahn so Angelia and Nick could try their luck bargaining for items to take back. The key here is to offer no more than 1/3 of what the asking price is and be ready to walk away if the shop owner doesn’t want to sell. Usually they will come after you as you leave and finally sell it to you for your price. For them it all evens out as many tourists pay the shop owners price. It can be quite fun as the negotiating is all done light-heartily.

Our daughter and grandson left this morning at 3:50 and we will leave tomorrow morning at 3:05. We think they got to experience a lot of life in Egypt (riding the trams, taxis, walking the neighborhoods, meeting local families as well as the foreign hire staff, visiting historical and cultural sights as well as seeing how life is here for us). We really enjoyed having them here and look forward to future visits.

We have a busy day a head of us, packing and finishing up some loose ends before we leave. The campus is nearly empty as only one other teacher is here (she is teaching summer school along with three staff who live in Alex). We will head to Vienna for 4 days before coming back to Iowa on the 26th. Our good friend Denny will be meeting us in Vienna. Hopefully everything will go well in our journey home. We look forward to seeing our families and friends.

June 14

School’s out for summer!! Our school year officially ended yesterday with Senior Graduation at the Bibliotech last evening. 19 seniors were recognized in the 90 minute ceremony. Unlike last year, it was much closer to the starting time and more streamlined as only 4 seniors spoke (not each one as last year). The speeches were very well done. Hopefully it has set a model for years to come.

Angelia and Nick are having a good time and have adjusted well to life here in Alexandria. The staff really extends a warm welcome to visitors and go out of there way to make sure their visit is special. They have experienced typical Alexandria cultural life: riding the tram, riding in taxis, riding in school vans with me driving (truly an experience), walking the neighborhood, shopping in local stores, walking along the Med, drinking hot chocolate at Starbucks (which boasts the best location in the world on the sea), eating fish at Zypherion, visiting the Bibliotech and enjoying the hospitality of several local Egyptians.

This evening we were invited over for tea with the local family we visited in the May 17th blog entry. They are a wonderful family who graciously open their home for us. They go out of their way to make us feel welcome in their homeland. As we were leaving today, the mother (Eman) told us that meeting us has changed the way they think of Americans. For many people in the world, all they know of America is what they see on television and in the movies. The most popular movies and television shows here are action-orientated with lots of high speed car chases and violence.

And of course, people here find it very hard to understand what our government is doing in Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries. It is easy to see why America is often viewed in a negative light in this part of the world. As we have often said in this blog – perhaps the greatest resource for this country are its people. The warmth of their friendship goes far beyond politics. If only our government leaders could spend some time here – they might soon change their policies and accept people for who they are and not try to impose our way of life in countries that have their own cultural values

June 09

Last Monday was Sports Day and the kids had a great time. It is so neat to watch the older students’ team up with the younger students. The spirit of cooperation and friendly competition was very high. The “Sponge Race” was a big hit. In our competitions, the white teams (which I urged on throughout the day) defeated Pat’s blue teams in 7 of the 9 competitions. The phrases “Run like the wind” and” Squeeze like a python” could be heard throughout the campus.

Friday evening we attended our first wedding here in Egypt. It was definitely unlike any we have ever attended. It was held on the gardens of Montazah in the former summer palace of King Farouk (which has been converted into a hotel). The wedding was to start “promptly” at 5:00 PM but in the true Egyptian way, it didn’t begin until 6:30. The wedding began with a procession from the palace to the ballroom where the reception was held. There are no vows or ceremony was we think in the west. The couple walked down a carpeted path between the two buildings as friends and family tossed rose pedals in the air. They would pause at various places for photos with family and friends. The groom was dressed in a traditional tux while the bride had a beautiful white wedding gown and veil. As a Muslim, she is scarved and it is likely her groom will see her without the scarf for the first time after they are married.

Once inside the ballroom, the couple took their place on a white bench seat and they and all the guests were presented with wine glasses filled with various juices (no alcohol can be served). The couple was toasted and then they exchanged the wedding rings to signify their marriage. Following the ring exchange, they had a special dance and then the bride danced with her father. Following this dance, a few couples danced along with the bride and groom extending their congratulations. Not many of us danced as this is not often done at Muslim weddings. Although both the bride and groom are Egyptian, they were raised much of their early life in the States.

At most weddings in the states, there is a reception line in which the guests pass by the bride and groom, extending their congratulations. In this wedding, the bride and groom along with the parents went to each table and “mingled” with the guests, thanking them for coming. All throughout the ceremony, music was played, video and still photographers were taping and taking photos and a boom camera was used to show the action and a large projection screen.

Group dancing took place next. This consisted of the bride and groom surrounded by guests, dancing to all types of music. Around 8:00 pm the festivities were put on hold as the call to prayer took place and several guests along with the bridal party and family members took part in the prayers in a different area of the palace grounds. The next activity for the evening was a PowerPoint slide show of the bride, the groom and their courtship.

As this finished, the lights were dimmed and a beautiful 5-tier wedding cake was brought out and placed in front of the bridal couple. Then the room was darkened and in marched 4 men in traditional military costumes each holding a flaming brass rod (the same size as a sword) and in the middle was a 5th man carrying a large brass sword – this was handed to the bride for the cutting of the cake. With the traditional eating of the cake came the exchange of the wedding bands.

Following the exchange of the bands, dinner was served buffet-style. The food was a mixture of western and Egyptian. Needless to say the concept of a serving line fell by the wayside and as typically happens here, people just moved up to the tables, disregarding any sense of “line order.” When we first got in line, we were among the first third but by the time we actually started to go through the line, we were in the last third. But it really didn’t matter as there was more than enough food and it was excellent.

After eating, a “Gypsy” Band began to play. By that time, it was nearly 10:00 pm and we decided it was time to head out. We had a great time and were happy to be invited to this celebration.

Today, our daughter Angelia and our oldest grandson Nick made the long journey from Iowa to visit us here in Egypt. It was so neat to see them come through the terminal. It was a long flight. They left Des Moines at 5:30 AM Sunday morning and arrived in Cairo at 10:30 AM Monday morning with stops in Atlanta and New York. They will be here with us until the 21st of June. We are going to have a wonderful time!

June 02

You can’t judge a book by it’s cover – certainly can be said about the city of Prague in the Czech Republic. Last June on our way to Krakow, Poland, our train stopped in the rail station of Prague. It is located on the edge of the city in an area that is pretty run down. Pat and I commented at the time that we really didn’t see any reason to visit the city. This year, I traveled with the Seniors (May 22nd through May 26th) for their class trip to Prague It is indeed one of the most charming cities in the world. It is like going back in time – cobblestone streets and 18th century architecture. The city has been very well maintained and has an excellent city transportation system. A one day pass (approximately $6.50) allows you to ride the metro, the trams and the buses anyway throughout the city. We toured museums, palaces, churches and other historical sites and had a fascinating time. Weather was a bit cool but it was excellent for the amount of walking that we did. The seniors had a good time and really seemed to enjoy exploring the city. We definitely plan to return here so Pat can enjoy this fine old Eastern European city.

Sports Day is coming up tomorrow – all the students are looking forward to this day. All grades are divided up in teams with members of the senior class acting as team captains. They will take part in fun games and relays. Pat and I will be in charge of the “Sponge Relay” which is always a lot of fun, especially on a hot day.