Bon Voyage!
With Louise Vinton bags packed with my luggage, we went on to the Voyage on to the Cairo.
As per the plan trip we had to take a cruise ship from Port Said. It was a day trip to Cairo, the capital of Egypt; the distance was some what 160 km i.e. 100 miles south. With some and history and geography that I learned in my school days I can tell you about Port Said. It is on the Mediterranean coast, on the Suez Canal. Today it is a place of elite and wealthy people who come in summer for its popular resorts. Port Said has distinctive architecture and some old grand houses.
Well as we started through the Cruise, we were mostly on deck, basking the scorching sun and applying the sun blocks. Wearing hats and sun glasses we all enjoyed gliding through as we reached Cairo.
As we entered sprawling Cairo, we were welcome by its pollution, so highly populated and traffic. Yet it didn’t dim out the intensity in us to see the magnificence of Egyptian Architecture and its history.
Cairo is heart which holds all the beats of Egyptian culture and Heritage.
My sightseeing there:
Cairo City Center:
Visitation to Citadel, Egyptian Museum, Cairo tower, Tahrir, Sultan Hassan Mosque and many other places. To vividly express, these places and monuments have special place in the history and heart of the people of Egypt. The ancient architecture and saga connected to them is very interesting and had impact on us. Midan el-Tahrir, the hub of modern city has liberation Monument which is superb piece of architecture and Egyptian Museum. Egyptian Museum has the world’s largest and one of the finest collections of Egyptian and Graeco-Roman antiquities. The treasures of Tutankhamun are simply outstanding and stunning.We had a small tour of Cairo’s Citadel which housed many ancient structures, mosques and monuments. The great and grandeurs of the two mosques Al Rifai mosque and Sultan Hassan mosque, that we visited, I cannot even comprehend it. Cairo is now the modern city, but the area called Old Cairo, it is an obligation that you must visit it. Its is a relatively the old portion of city and it actually take you back in those times. I just loved it. The remains of Babylon were amazing. Also the best part of the tour was to City of Dead. It was no spooky or scary but it’s a huge necropolis though now inhabited. In the evening we climbed up the Cairo Tower, for it gave such splendid and spectacular view of the Cairo. It was actually mesmerizing to see the blend of ancient time with modern city.
Cairo though being the major Muslim country, there were bars available for us to swig on some beer, quite essential as it was heating. Even the food was good, very much according to the local taste, we got their delicacies, it included roast pigeon, yummy kebabs and humus and foul dishes i.e. it is a bean dish.
It was told to us, that we should tip the people well, as that is how there main living is. And I generously did that.
The people we met were hospitable, friendly and courteous. And this was real good welcome for us. As we were shaking hands with people and tried talking to some. As we were told, we were taken to Coppersmith road of Cairo, where there were exquisite copper and brassware available, I bought myself some. Also bought some souvenirs for me and my dear ones, the traditional jewellery in gold and silver was available, but we had to bargain hard with them. We were warned not to buy antiquities as they may be not real or even if real it’s illegal to export them so.
As we headed back, it was late in night and we brought with us the incredible memories.