Cairo – return to Tut
▲ ▲ ▲Tuesday – up early and we have our buffet breakfast of fresh fruit etc downstairs at the hotel. The food is great and the apricots are to die for.
I have eaten just about everything on this trip and still no sign of Mummies Tummy. Brilliant. Either I have a cast iron stomach or the ‘medicinal’ alcohol has done the trick and killed all the bugs. This morning we are making a return visit to the Egyptian Museum.
Kylie and I are the only 2 in our group that have been there before so we are one up on the rest. Hopefully Mohamed will let us do our own thing after the mandatory talk – not that he will have any choice in the matter – somehow I do not think he will want to cross paths with Sekhmet.
We are glad we arrived a day early and went here before as we are only going to spend about an hour and a half here – really not much time allowed to look at things today but we can concentrate on what we missed first time round.
When we arrive we put our plan into action and tell Mohamed that because we have been here before, we will do our own thing and we will meet him at the arranged time and place.
Before he has a chance to say anything we are away – leaving Mohamed in charge of 4 persons – I don’t think Britannica was too pleased with Kylie and me departing – but hey – too bad. One does not argue with Sekhmet. We get to see the pieces from Tutankhamen’s tomb that we missed before so that was good.
On the left is the tomb of Auguste Mariette a Frenchman who was the foremost Egyptologist of his generation and the founder of the Egyptian Museum. A most fitting monument to a great man. The museum is just as intriguing as it was first time around and we now have an opportunity to spend more time soaking up the history than racing around taking photos – been there – done that.
When we meet up with the rest – Mohamed hurries us along and we set off for The Citadel of Salah al-Din. Interesting, but I am not really into middle eastern religion. However, it is a very ornate place but I would have preferred to stay the day at the museum instead of hearing about Islamic culture.
We even had to pay LE1.00 for an Egyptian to look after our shoes so that we could go inside. It’s a shame that we had to see this place after the Museum. If we had seen it first we could have stayed the rest of the day at the museum and walked back to our hotel.
When we get back to the hotel we decide to walk across Tahrir Square to check out the life in Cairo. Well, there’s not much going on, except for a few street beggars and the usual lots of traffic so we decide we’ll get some late lunch.
Not being too adventurous and craving for some junk food we see a Pizza Hut and decide that’s for us. Actually the pizza was delicious – and after having a bit more of a look around we go back to the hotel – going through the security scanners and showing our hotel passes. Another swim and relaxation therapy.
Today is a public holiday and celebration. It is the 25th anniversary of Armed Forces Day (commonly called October Day).
This is part of a procession over the Tahrir Bridge which is practically right under our balcony. I am glad that we arrived back in Cairo today so that we can sit on our balcony and watch this once a year event unfold before our eyes.
HISTORY LESSON : Shortly after midday on Saturday, October 6, 1973, the October War began when Egypt and Syria launched a combined surprise military assault on Israel.
They timed the attack on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. During Yom Kippur, most Israelis were in synagogues praying and fasting. Due to the surprise attack, Egypt successfully crossed the Suez Canal on October 7 and Syrian forces advanced on the Golan Heights.
When the parade is finished we are treated to a brilliant display of fireworks! We sit on our balcony for quite some time after this finishes and the traffic is still at peak proportions.
Highlight of the day : Tutankhamen’s treasures.
