Day 1 & 2: Dec 2 - Dec 3, 2003 (Tues & Wed). Got thru all the stuff at the airport and thru all the Cairo traffic to our hotel, the Sheraton Cairo. It's actually in Giza, not Cairo. Cairo is on the east bank of the Nile; Giza is on the west bank. The hotel was very nice and our room overlooked the Nile.
View from our hotel, the Sheraton Cairo. It's actually in Giza, not Cairo. Cairo is on the east bank of the Nile; Giza is on the west bank. The hotel was very nice and our room overlooked the Nile
At the carpet factory. It was amazing to watch how fast they tied the knots and more amazing to wonder how they know which color of yarn to use on which strings!
Notice the simple paper drawing...that's all they have to refer to. I was selected to try my hand at tying one of the knots and did successfully replicate the knot but was of course slow and clumsy.
Day 3a: Dec 4, 2003 (Thursday) Christian Quarter: We woke up to rain!! Everyone was very surprised including the Egyptians. We were originally scheduled to go to the pyramids first but changed the schedule around due to the rain. Our first stop was the Coptic (Christian) Quarter in Cairo. The first church was the "hanging" or "suspended" church because it was built over ancient pillars and was expected to collapse hundreds of years ago. This picture is inside that church. Again, one of my pictures is missing. I had one of the altar area.
This next picture is of the entrance to the ancient pathway (which they called a "street" back then!) to the church that was erected over the crypt (hole in the wall) that Mary, Joseph & baby Jesus supposedly stayed when they fled Herod. Pictures were not allowed inside.
This is the 3rd church we visited. It was originally a Christian church but the pope couldn't afford the taxes on all the Egyptian churches so a rich Jew purchased it and turned it into a synagogue. The inside configuration is still Christian but we could not take pictures in here either.
Day 3b: Dec 4, 2003 (Thursday) Cairo Museum: This is the front of the museum. What's really amazing is everything but King Tut's stuff is sitting in the open. You're not supposed to touch anything but there's nothing to prevent people from doing so. Also you can take pictures without flash but people were disregarding it big time in Tut's room.
This is our guide, Tarek. He was a wonderful guide, very personable and informative. (The Egyptian men have incredible long, curly eyelashes!)
King Tut's Throne