One Special Day in Cairo and Giza
A Wake-up Call
The phone was ringing. Wait…Why on earth was the phone ringing? Alex answered it. Our driver had arrived, we had lost track of our organisation. We had 10 minutes to get ready and get on the bus.
Just 10 minutes. No shower, no time for anything but throwing on something comfy and running to that bus.
Half laughing and still half asleep we, somehow, managed to organise ourselves for a whole day in 36-degree heat. We hopped onto the bus, and we were en route to Cairo.
Both the city itself and its proximity to Pyramids is mind-blowing. Take a visit if you can!
Soaking up Cairo
The largest city in Africa and infamous for its fascinating history, Cairo is an amazing place to visit. Even just standing in this place of such cultural significance is overwhelming.
The hot sun beating down, crowds dashing around, the traffic and the noise made our experience very intense. Cairo is an utter whirlwind of a city.
However, Cairo is so much more than just a busy city.
The Egyptian Museum in Cairo
Steeped in ancient significance, this city offers some of the most incredible history in the world. The first stop for any traveller must be the Egyptian museum. This museum is utterly remarkable.
The museum contains the most fascinating artefacts, from Tutankhamun’s excavated gold to mummies from thousands of years ago. The information available is fascinating. This includes details of the use of the Rosetta Stone to understand ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. It was really interesting to hear about the importance of this stone’s discovery in our modern understanding of the ancient Egyptians.
The sheer amount of artefacts in this museum is quite exceptional. We wandered around most of the museum. Eventually, we came to the Mummy room.
Cards on the table, this is not something for everyone. It is quite a shock to see bodies preserved in this way, especially after such an incredibly long time.
However, the mummification process was a highly important ritual for the ancient Egyptians. Although, this was a luxury process that only a select few could afford.
It takes at least half a day to explore the Egyptian Museum. We found it so interesting we could have been there a lot longer. It felt special to see these artefacts that we had learnt about back in our school days, in real life.
It is not yet air-conditioned but a new building is currently underway with air conditioning and better areas for preserving the artefacts. This new building should arrive in 2021. This new building will be displaying artefacts which have never before been displayed and will be known as the Grand Egyptian Museum.
After a fascinating morning in the Egyptian Museum, surrounded by these remarkable artefacts, we hopped back onto the bus, and we headed over to one of the seven wonders of the world. (As you do!)
The Pyramids of Giza
We pulled up to the pyramids and walked straight over to the entrance to buy tickets. It was so unbelievably exciting to finally be at such an amazing place!
We really could not believe our luck, as when we looked around us, we realised there were very few tourists around. There was one small group riding camels, but no more.
Tickets received and bags checked. We walked over to these magnificent structures! It is so unbelievably humbling to even come close to these Pyramids. The picture below in particular still looks so surreal.
Built over 4000 years ago and still bravely standing today. It is hard to imagine the incredible history through which these pyramids have lived.
The Nile river used to run behind the pyramids and was used to transport stone from far away quarries for the Pyramids.
Visiting these magnificent structures was incredible, although, the heat of the Egyptian sun beating down does become almost unbearable. You can hardly imagine how people must have suffered to build them.
Seeing the Sphinx
A simple walk downwards also led us to the Sphinx and several small market stalls. The Sphinx is such an iconic structure!
The Sphinx is thought to be the oldest monumental statue in the world. We have done some reading on the Sphinx since arriving home. It appears that it is difficult to know anything for sure regarding this structure.
Who was responsible for building this structure? Who does the face on the Sphinx represent? How long has it been there? The answers to these questions remain largely a mystery.
You just had to... didn't you?
We were exhausted and we were warmer than we ever thought possible. We headed back onto the bus for a long old drive back.
It turns out, visiting one of the ancient wonders of the world just was not enough excitement for Alex… On the way home, we stopped at a service point where we could grab some snacks.
Alex decided to pet a dog who he later released had literally the biggest fleas we had ever seen…. Seriously, they were huge.
By some miracle, when we got back on the bus we were both flea free. After that we got some well earned rest after a very long, but incredible day.
Final Thoughts of Cairo and Giza
Overall, Cairo is an incredible place to visit. We would both love to go back and see more of the city itself. The culture and history of this city leave so much to be discovered. We went at a time when it was safe to do so and was considered relatively safe by our governments. Always check before you go, but this city is not to be missed if it is safe to visit!
Both the city itself and its proximity to Pyramids is mind-blowing. Take a visit if you can!
