I thought you all might enjoy the highlights tour from our trip to Egypt. Let me start by saying that it was amazing. It was like walking into a history book and going back in time. A half-hour out of Cairo, they were farming along the Nile with water buffalo. Of course they had cell phones too… Edward and I found ourselves wondering what the internet would do to the culture over the next century.
When Edward’s brother saw this photo, he asked if we had faked it. A fair question given how terrific Edward is with Photoshop. But, I can see that my hair is dented by my hat, so it’s real. Some people think that the Sphinx, or at least part of it, is 9000 years old.
The two most memorable things about the trip were the unbelievable scale of the pyramids and temples, and the heat – which ranged from 100 degrees to 120 degrees (we visited in September) as the trip progressed. Edward and I got the hang of the heat right away, and when the sweat started to roll down my face we took that as our cue to start drinking bottled water or the occasional Diet Coke. ;-)
We also avoided local water, fresh vegetables, and the like; even brushing our teeth with bottled water. As a result, unlike many on the trip we managed to stay healthy. Which was a good thing because it was a rigorous trip. We often woke before dawn to get to a place before the heat of the day. From now on whenever I see one of those shows on the Discovery Channel about how “the pyramids were built” I’ll be adding silently “and in such intense heat”.
But back to the scale. Everything was huge. I had seen some to terrific lithographs from a Scottish artist named David Roberts who visited Egypt in 1838 and he had included people – deliberately I’m sure. (If you’re interested in seeing his work, there’s a great web site at: http://www.museum-tours.com/museum/roberts/roberts0.htm) But still nothing can prepare you for how big everything is when you’re actually in the middle of it. It was just astonishing. Also, practically every column and wall are covered with hieroglyphics. It must have been something when it was all covered with brightly colored paint.
To help you understand the scale thing, Edward took my pic next to an individual stone of the Great Pyramid. Awesome huh?
I got it into my head that a photo of us on a camel would make a great holiday card. Only one problem. I am afraid to ride animals. But I was determined. So for the first and last time in my life, I got on a camel. And with the camel's cooperation we got the perfect holiday pic.
Edward took this photo of water lilies at the pond in front of the Cairo Museum. Lovely isn’t it? There was a fair amount of flowers and greenery for a place that I had expected to be dry. The gift of the Nile as they say.
Luxor is one of two amazing temples in Luxor – formally Thebes, the capital of Egypt in its hey days. Our cruise boat was literally docked right in front of this temple for a day. I took a picture from the roof deck with both the pool chairs and the ruins in view. It was surreal.
Karnak temple, the second temple in Luxor/Thebes is so large that St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s could fit in this column section. In all, it’s large enough to contain 10 cathedrals. Amazing. We went to a light show at night here that was exceptional. Not only was it beautiful, but they were able to make the history easier to understand through their use of light.
This is a photo of Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple in the Valley of the Queens.
Queen “H” is my hero. In 1473 BC she crowned herself pharaoh of Egypt. There are even a few statues of her wearing
the pharaoh’s headdress and beard still around.
What chutzpa! Unfortunately this site
is also notable for a great tragedy. In
1997, 58 tourists were killed here.
Hence the guard and his shade now positioned in front of the statuary on
the top floor.
Edward took this wonderful photo of King Tut's mask. In addition to the mask, the collection includes two gold sarcophagi, several huge gold boxes, beds, some lovely jewelry, and tons of beautifully carved items. Edward said it was much more stuff than what came over during the tour. If you’re interested in Egypt and want to read a great book, get “The Murder of Tutankhamen”, by Bob Brier. It’s all about the time period during which Tut grew up and ruled. It’s history light and it’s quite delightful.
The traditional vessel of the Nile is the felucca. After watching them for several days, we took a short trip in one to a beautiful island in Aswan called Kitchener’s Island. It was a botanical garden and it was very lush. One of our group, who was from Maui, said it was like her garden at home.
When they put up the Aswan Dam, they flooded out lots of people, most of who were Nubian. These people were either lucky, or moved. Meanwhile they built this lovely village in the Nubian style. It seemed a little “Disneyeske”, but did take a good photograph.
The Aswan Dam also flooded Philae. It took them 6 years to raise the money and move it to this location. As a result, the beautiful paint inside, which was visible when David Roberts visited, is now gone. But otherwise it is quite lovely and it’s still the same temple that Cleopatra took Mark Anthony to because she loved it so much.
Kom Ombo was one of the temples that we visited as we cruised up the Nile. I included this pic because the paint on the hieroglyphics was so well preserved.
What I remember most about Edfu, another Nile temple, is how large the hieroglyphics depicting people were. It's another example of the massive scale that defines Egypt.
Of course how they were moved is a mystery since they contain huge statues both inside and out. I took a lot of photos of them to try and capture their immense size, but this one which includes a single stranger, probably comes closest to doing the trick.
I love this Abu Simbel close up because the texture of the rock is so beautiful. I also get a kick out of the graffiti from the 1800’s on the cheek. That was possible because when the site was rediscovered it so was covered with sand that only the very top of this statue was visible. It took them some time to uncover it and in the meantime some enterprising tourists left their mark. If you look at the David Roberts lithograph, you can see that when he visited they were still digging it out, but he was able to get inside – just barely.
Last, but not least, we have a beautiful sunset on the Nile. When Edward and I chose this tour, one of the most appealing features was the cruise up the Nile. I thought it would be really cool to sail up the Nile like Cleopatra. And you know what? It was.
So there you have it. If you ever have the opportunity to visit yourself I highly recommend it since no pictures can fully capture the majesty of Egypt.
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