Cairo & Giza, Egypt
Today was the highlight of the trip: a visit to the Pyramids and the Sphinx. It was also our third continent on this voyage (first Europe, then Asia Minor, now Africa). We left the ship at 7 AM and our first stop was the Cairo Museum of Antiquities. We saw the King Tut exhibit and a variety of artifacts. After lunch at a hotel in Giza, and a short shopping trip, we made
three stops at the Pyramids: the first was at the panoramic view where the picture above was taken, the second was next to the second pyramid (the one over Dan’s shoulder) and the third stop was at the Sphinx. After that visit, we drove back to the ship, arriving around 7:30PM.
three stops at the Pyramids: the first was at the panoramic view where the picture above was taken, the second was next to the second pyramid (the one over Dan’s shoulder) and the third stop was at the Sphinx. After that visit, we drove back to the ship, arriving around 7:30PM. We were tired, but did not walk as much as on other shore excursions. The weather was pleasant... warm but not too hot. The bus was air conditioned. We had not only a tour guide and a driver, but also a security guard and an escort from the ship staff. The security guard carried a gun. I guess that made us feel safer! There was a lot of police presence everywhere we went, including an escort over the desert road from Alexandria to Cairo.
I was surprised at how close the Pyramids were to civilization. There are buildings very close to the Giza Plateau. The local entrepreneurs were also very aggressive... with a different concept of personal, private space. They were as pesky as flies.
My Travel Blog
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
