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.
