Nicole's Grand Adventure (cont.)
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| The view from the Golden Gallery, at the tippy-top of St. Paul's Cathedral in London |
Day 4
I awoke bright and early the next morning and breakfasted at a nearby Paul. I had a spinach and goat cheese bake as well as an almond croissant, polished off by a lovely flat white. Because it was another gorgeous day, I decided to walk to St. Paul's Cathedral. Again, it had been some 25 years since my last visit there, and I remembered it fondly.
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| Happy Nicole from the Stone Gallery at St. Paul's Cathedral |
It took some doing, but I made it! And the views were spectacular. (I'm a firm believer in going and doing more now, while I still can. So, until the day I can no longer climb the steps, I'm climbing the steps. Because I fully realize that one day, I won't be able to physically do it.)
I finished my visit aaaallll the way down in the cathedral's crypt, where Christopher Wren, who designed and supervised the building of the cathedral, is interred.
Next up, it was on to the Tower of London. I'd never been to this attraction, and it was a bit of a hoof, so I grabbed an Uber. The site has a long and storied history, having served by turns as a palace, a political prison (Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned there on and off for years before finally being executed on the order of James I.), an execution site, an arsenal, a royal mint, and a public records office. Located in part to control river traffic on the nearby Thames, the attraction offers lovely water views.
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| The bedroom of a king at the Tower of London |
Opting for the self-guided audio tour, I picked up my earphones and device and oriented myself using the printed map. Honestly, you could spend all day here, but having both the audio guide and the map itself allows you to move freely about the site and learn more about what interests you most. (The ravens enclosure and history was fascinating, for example.)
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| The White Tower |
As the Tower of London was also the site of executions, there are both related exhibits and artifacts on display. Most executions took place outside the tower walls on nearby Tower Hill. But a few (like the execution of Anne Boleyn) took place in a more private way within the complex itself.
Lastly, the Tower of London also affords visitors the opportunity to see the Crown Jewels, and they are AMAZING. In some parts of the museum space that showcase the Crown Jewels, visitors can walk up to glass cases to read placards and/or get a closer look. Near the end, though, visitors stand on a slowly moving sidewalk, and this routes them by amazing crowns, scepters, and other regalia. So shiny and glittery!
Once I was finished at the Tower of London, I was a bit tired and a bit hungry. I figured a spot of tea was just the thing, so I caught a car to Brigit's Bakery, near my flat. What an utter delight! The interior of the bakery feels like a confection. I settled into a small table and ordered the classic afternoon tea with a glass of Prosecco. It came out quickly, a gorgeous mix of sweet and savory bites, my own pot of tea, and a glass of bubbly. Everything was delicious, and the little sweets were as beautiful as works of art. I thoroughly enjoyed this and walked home, full and happy!
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| Gorgeous afternoon tea at Brigit's Bakery |
I stayed in that night to pack up and rest up, as I had a big day tomorrow!
Day 5
I had a 10 a.m. flight from London to Cairo, so I'd scheduled an Uber and was ready to go fairly early. Once I got to the airport, checked my bag, and made my way through security, I relaxed and had breakfast before boarding my flight.
The ride to Cairo was uneventful, and pretty soon, I was de-planing in Egypt! I'd purchased an e-Visa online ahead of time, so I had that, and EF Go Ahead Tours had provided travelers with bright green luggage tags for ease of identification and pickup.
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| The treasures are endless at The Egyptian Museum in Cairo. |
Before I made my way through customs, Mena, one of our tour directors in Egypt, had already met me and directed me. By the time I got to baggage claim, he was already there, picking up my luggage and introducing me to some of my fellow travelers.
The tour company picks up travelers in waves from the airport, grouping them according to their arrival times. Once everyone scheduled to arrive at our time had made it, Mena directed us to a waiting van, and we were on our way!
A word about traffic in Cairo - it is insane. First of all, Cairo is a city of some 20+ million people. And there is not enough room for all of these folks. The interstates are HUGE, and cars, trucks, and motorcycles are driving all over them. Lanes are a suggestion. Signs are a decoration. People are walking across the interstate. White vans, which operate as buses, are picking waiting passengers up IN the right-hand lanes. I saw trucks with their beds piled high with cargo, and folks sitting on top of that cargo, while other people hung off the literal back of the truck, just zooming down the interstate. I cannot imagine driving in this town, and I absolutely do not recommend it.
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| This is a depiction of an Egyptian ba, a spiritual entity hovering over the deceased or exiting the tomb in the hieroglyphics. The ba is part of the soul that can travel between the worlds of the living and the dead. |
We all checked into our rooms. (Be aware - At nearly every hotel we stayed in, you were required to show your passport to check into your room. Ditto with the river cruise. Keep your passport handy on these occasions.) After freshening up a bit, our group went to the hotel restaurant off the lobby to meet one another and enjoy dinner together.
Our initial group of 30 travelers (as the tour was sold out) had dwindled to half that - 15. Several travelers had cancelled or re-booked other trips to avoid a tense Middle East region. In hindsight, this was a bit of a blessing. It was a challenge to move 15 people around Egypt. I can't imagine how much more difficult it would have been, had we had the full group of 30 people.
We all ate, got to know each other a bit, and then headed up to our respective hotel rooms and to bed. (Note: Even though my friend Jill and I are close and have traveled together before, we both booked single rooms for the entirety of the trip. As a novice to group travel, I wanted to preserve some guaranteed alone time, for balance. She likes her own space as well.)
Day 6
After breakfast in the hotel restaurant (The restaurant served buffet style. There were tons of choices and plenty of food, with both local/regional dishes and also more mainstream offerings available.), we boarded a charter bus and made our way to The Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The collection here is massive; they have so many statues and stone antiquities that there are rooms off the main display route that almost look as if they are functioning as storage. (My understanding is that some of the artifacts here - including the ones relating to King Tut - will move to the Grand Egyptian Museum, once it finally opens. That should help a bit with the crowding.)
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| The exhibit of artifacts from the tomb of noble couple Thuya and Yuya displayed some gorgeous pieces. This is Thuya's inner anthropoid coffin. She is thought to have died between the ages of 50 and 60. |
I loved the exhibit on the tomb of the noble couple Thuya and Yuya. Though they weren't royals, their daughter went on to become a great queen, and she used her influence and power to give her parents a royal burial. (When their tomb was excavated, it was found to have been partially robbed. This robbery is portrayed in one of the books I read in preparation for my trip to Egypt - The Golden Goblet.)
There are so many masterpieces here that it's overwhelming - ancient papyrus, statuary (some of it stretching higher than a full floor), gold and silver mummy masks, coptic jars. Visitors can take photos in the majority of the museum, but not in the rooms where some of the more notable gold and silver artifacts are housed. (This is likely due to security concerns. When I visited the Tower of London, photos similarly weren't allowed in the spaces that held the Crown Jewels.)
Moving through this space brought a few things to mind:
- This is an historic building, constructed in 1902. The HVAC is not what I'd call modern, and I'm not sure that I saw a single one of those climate/humidity control devices the whole time we were there. So, be prepared for that.
- The Egyptian attitude towards mummies is very different than what you'd see elsewhere. So many of the mummies on display here have their human remains intact; these are not just the sarcophagi and coffins you're seeing. In some instances, the wrapping has been partially removed so you can see the face or the feet of the mummy itself. And there are sections where mummies are stacked on wall shelves like so many cords of wood. It's just a different orientation to human remains than I've seen in any other country I've traveled to.
- The size of this collection - and its historical significance - cannot be overstated. These are the markers of the cradle of civilization, and they will take your breath away. The mythology and iconography is so developed and so rich, and the artistry is so advanced and so well executed. It is utterly unique.
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| Head of statue of Amenhotep III |
Once we finished at the museum, we had lunch on a docked boat - Nile City. There was plenty of yummy food - kebabs, hummus, babaganoush, plenty of pita, etc. I did find the decor to be a bit dated, and I later saw that single diners were eating on decks outside, which would have been preferable to our indoor seating.
Up next, we headed to the Citadel of Saladin, which is the home of the mosque of Muhammad Ali. While we didn't spend any time exploring the Citadel itself (which is a shame, as it looked fascinating), we did visit the mosque. And it is a wonder.
The mosque, which is also known as the Alabaster Mosque, sits atop a hill in old Cairo, giving it fresh breezes and lovely views of the surrounding city. Built in the mid-1800s, this giant structure contains a tomb, a main prayer hall with a stunning domed ceiling (It will amaze you.), and a series of courtyards. Visitors to the mosque should be prepared to doff their shoes or purchase inexpensive shoe covers (bring cash), as well as cover their shoulders and knees, as the mosque is still an active site of prayer. (On days we'd visit mosques, I wore dresses with hemlines below the knees and brought along a scarf for my shoulders. This worked well and also kept me cool during the day, as it was still hot even when we visited in early November.)
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| The mosque of Muhammad Ali, also known as the Alabaster Mosque |
As I was walking inside the mosque, a group of pre-teen girls approached me and asked for selfie photos. I was a bit confused, but complied. Well, then the floodgates opened. Any pre-teen girl at the mosque began approaching and asking for selfies. I was confused and asked them why, but the language barrier was not helpful. (They'd say, "I love you!")
I required more information. When I asked our guide, she explained that, because my skin, eyes, and hair are lighter, I was an anomaly in Cairo. And if these students were visiting Cairo/the mosque from further afield in Egypt, I might be one of the few women with light eyes that they'd ever seen. (All in all, I decided that this was what Beyonce must feel like - everyone asking for selfies and telling her they loved her. Not bad for an afternoon, but I don't think I'd want to live that way. Heh.)
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| Gorgeous domed interior of the mosque |
After enjoying the mosque interior, we went outside to appreciate the views and the breeze. There were a few vendors selling souvenirs there, and they were rather aggressive. We found that to be the case throughout Egypt, particularly at tourist sites. My advice to travelers is this:
- Bring small American bills - lots of them. I brought roughly $100 in one-dollar bills. I used these throughout the trip for souvenir buying or to tip public restroom attendants (and there are a lot of those restroom attendants).
- Do some research and make some conscious decisions before you set out each day about what you want to buy and what you want to pay for it. Egypt is a bargaining culture, and you shouldn't pay the first price given for anything. Haggling is a national sport in Egypt.
- If you are not interested in shopping, keep moving, don't slow down, and don't make eye contact. Doing so will only encourage the seller, and we had sellers literally chasing down some members of our group during this trip. I so appreciate the hustle and entrepreneurship, but American customers are not used to this aggressive style of selling.
During our trip, we had a cultural stop nearly every day, and these are really shopping opportunities that the tour company had arranged with trusted vendors. I confined most of my shopping to these visits, only buying one or two things from vendors at tourist attractions during the whole of the trip.
Next up was our cultural stop of the day - a papyrus shop! When we arrived, they greeted us with a hibiscus beverage, then explained how they make papyrus. Then, they gave us a brief tour of the shop and turned us loose to browse. I found one item I liked, a horizontal image depicting agrarian life.
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| Learning about papyrus! |
Again, even at brick-and-mortar stops like these, don't be shy about bargaining. They are going to try and sell you more, upcharge you, etc. Know what you're buying and what you are willing to pay, then negotiate. Even at this shop, the seller first tried to charge me more for the item than was listed on the display. Then, he tried to sell me 1-2 additional pieces with the one I wanted (which I didn't want or need). Be prepared to be quite firm and walk away if you need to.
After making our purchases, we went back to the hotel for a break. That night, we drove out to New Giza, in the desert, for a fantastic dinner at Andrea El Mariouteya. This open-air restaurant offers sweeping views of the desert, the food was amazing, and the atmosphere was magical. We were surrounded by locals celebrating and enjoying one another's company. I would highly recommend a visit here, and if we'd had more time before leaving Cairo, I would have gladly returned.
More to come . . .
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