We finally got to see the Pyramids in Giza up close and personal. It was an amazing sight. On the Giza plateau there is the Sphinx, the Great Pyramid, three other large pyramids as well as several other small pyramids, some ruins and even some Greco-Roman ruins, and the Heliopolis. We didn’t have a whole lot of time to spend so we didn’t go inside of any of the pyramids or see the new Solar Boat Museum, or take a camel ride out to see every single pyramid close up; but we did climb the Great Pyramid! When you get right up to it and try to climb it, it is a pretty awe inspiring monument. Each block is huge, about five feet tall and very hard to climb up. I can’t imagine how they moved them and build these things. The Sphinx isn’t quite as big as I imagined it to be, although when I thought about it every picture I’ve seen they are always below it looking up so it seems bigger. It’s still pretty big though.
It’s sad that the city has grown so close to them. On one side the city is pretty much right up next to the pyramids, which is odd because when you see pictures it looks like they are way out in the middle of nowhere. On the other side of them it does stretch out into the open dessert. I hope they stop the building from getting any closer though. It’s also always sad to me when we are out touring that Egypt hasn’t taken precautions to preserve their national treasures and they don’t have national park systems set up like we do in the states. It would be nice to also have signs and guides to give educational background on the landmarks and security to help control the tourist. There was a lot of security at the pyramids but they didn’t care what people were doing and there was also a ton of trash all around.
The other thing that surprised me about our visit is that I was expecting bus loads of American and European tourist at the pyramids but there wasn’t. There were maybe two or three tour busses but you didn’t really see them much, who was there was hundreds and hundreds of Egyptian school children. They were what we would call “inner city” children and it was probably the first time they had seen the greatest thing about their country even though they probably live just a few miles away from them. And although, they were probably from Cairo they were acting like it was the first time they have ever seen an American in person. I was surprised how many kept on coming up to me and taking my picture. I joked around with the first few and held out my hand and said “baksheesh” after they took my picture which means tip. You’ll see a lot of camel owners or venders asking for baksheesh if you take a picture of them, but after awhile it got tiring getting my picture taken.
After our lovely adventurous romp around the pyramids we went to the Mena House Hotel and had a charming lunch in the tea room with a great view of the pyramids. The Mena House has been there since the late 1800’s and is absolutely gorgeous with it’s marble walls, mirrored ceilings, and intricate wooden mashrabiyya. It’s been a dozen old famous movies and hundreds of famous people have stayed there over the years.
After lunch we changed into some nicer clothes and went to the Cairo Opera House, we had tickets to see Stomp. I had been wanting to see Stomp for several years and think it is the coolest thing that I got to see it at the Cairo Opera House. The performance was amazing and I would highly recommend it. It was very creative and entertaining.
After the show we went to the Grand Hyatt hotel, first stopping at the Hard Rock Café Cairo to get a few souvenirs but didn’t eat there. We had a lovely dinner at a Lebanese restaurant right down at the waterfront of the Nile River. It was so peaceful and relaxing watching the felucca’s sail by and the lights from the Cairo tower change in a nice light display. The food was great and they had local women make traditional Arabic bread in a brick oven.
It was a wonderful, exciting day with experiences we will never forget. It helped to get out and do something fun so I wasn’t so upset about Moonshine.
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