cairo sightseeing

Wi-fi and some downtime at last. We have been on the go, and getting home too late to get on the computer. We like the Intercontinental but it is a 30-45 minute car ride from any sites in Cairo. So for two excursions a day, we need to allow lots of traveling time. Fortunately we all fall asleep in the car, and enjoy our catnaps.

In Cairo, it turns out our mornings were spent playing squash either at the Intercontinental Hotel or at the National Squash facility, followed by a pool side lunch at the hotel. In the afternoons we would go exploring some neighborhood in Cairo. One afternoon we explored Coptic Cairo. The very first Christian churches dating back to the 9th centuryare here with all their elaborate wood carving, inlay work and stained glass windows. Egyptian Copts have their own pope and their own churches. One is called the hanging church because its foundation is built upon Roman ruins. People claim that Mary, Joseph and Jesus hid in it. This area is very tranquil and charming with its cobblestone alleys and twisting streets. It was a welcome relief from the traffic that chokes the rest of Cairo. To enter this little neighborhood we had to walk through a police guard and metal detector. The next afternoon we went to the Citadel, several Islamic mosques and the famed Khan al Khalili bazaar. We had Aida guide us through the craziness of the merchants hawking their t-shirts, mummies, boxes, etc. Aida is half Egyptian and half Austrian and provided us with history, practical information and perspective on life in Egypt.


One evening we met with Amr and his girlfriend, Rowana. They took us to a hip, white tented lounge called Sequoia on the banks of the Nile. We sat on white sofas and eating Egyptian specialties. The crowd was Egyptian but there wasn't a headscarf in sight. Another evening Will and I went to the top of the Hyatt hotel for drinks and a terrific view of the Nile at night. This hotel was slick with Saudis, Americans, Europeans, and Egyptians pulling up in Bentleys and Mercedes. The requisite German Shephards sniffed our car for bombs. Next to the hotel is the Hard Rock Cafe Cairo. While we went out, Willy navigated the City Stars Mall alone and Bear crashed. Bear has had the sniffles and a chest cold and has been a trooper going along with the program, though he doesn't feel 100 percent himself.