Monday, April 11th - Recap of Egypt - Part II: Luxor (Karnak and Luxor Temples, Valley of the Kings and Queen of Hatshepsut Temple)

The flight from Cairo to Luxor is about an hour long. We got greeted again at the airport and driven to our cruise ship, the Semiranis I, by a representative of the tour company. We checked in and got ready for our cruise on the Nile. The ship is an older ship, and much smaller than what we see on cruises on the ocean or Mediteranean. The ship has basically four different floors, with the restaurant on floor one, the reception on floor 2, a few vendors on floor 3, the bar (and our room very close to it - Walla (I swear to God), it just happened that way) on floor 4 and the pool and sundeck above us. The food was always good, even if the selection was more limited than on a big cruise ship. This ship could hold maybe 100 or so passengers, and it wasn't full.

On Sunday, we visited two temples; the one in Karmak and the one in Luxor. They are 3 km apart in a straight line and used to have a road that joined them. That road is bordered by sphynxes all along on both side of it. The statues at the temples are so impressive, as are the hyeroglyphics on every wall that you see.

We visited the Valley of the Kings on Monday. We visited three tombs. They were all different from each other, but it was really neat to see how each one is built into the mountain and then covered over by that same mountain, It is amazing that they were discovered at all! Our next stop was at Hatsheput Temple. It was quite impressive. Upon our return to the ship, we started sailing on the Nile to our next destination, Edfu (but that will be the next blog entry!).

Places we saw at Luxor

Karnak Temple

The paint colour is still there after over 3500 years 

Me and the sphinxes bordering the avenue going from Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple.

Sphynxes on the avenue joining Karmak and Luxor Temples (3 km long)

Luxor Temple

An obelisk at the Temple

Columns shaped like the lotus flower at the top (the ones opening up are shaped like the papyrus flower)

The Valley of the Kings

Some of the tombs found at the Valley of the Kings

The valley leading to Hatshepsut Temple

 Hatshepsut Temple

The colours are pretty amazing, for being from about 1500 BC

Sunday, April 10th - Recap of Egypt - Part 1: Cairo and Giza Plateau

We left Muscat in the early evening of Thursday, March 31st, to fly to Cairo. We got greeted by someone from the tour company at the airport, even before we crossed passport control and security. He got us our tourist visas, and then took us to our driver who took us to our hotel (crossing the Nile to get from Cairo to Giza along the way) where we had a view of the pyramids from our room. It was kind of cool to see that.

Friday morning, we had breakfast at the hotel then headed out to see the Grand Pyramids of the Giza Plateau and the Sphynx. On the way, we got to meet the other two couples that were on the same tour as we were. They were both from the States (Utah and California) and were very nice. We ended having a lot of fun together throughout the week. From the pyramids, we went to Memphis (Egypt, not Tennessee) to visit the step pyramid of Djoser, built in the 27th century BC by Imhotep in Saqqara. We came back to the hotel late afternoon and went back to the pyramids at Giza for a light and sound show on the pyramids and the Sphynx. It was pretty cool.

Saturday saw us leave early again, this time getting a guided tour of old Cairo, including the impressive Egyptian Museum. We visited an old mosque and an old church. We also went to a cotton shop and a place where they make (and sell!) papyrus. It was really cool to see. After lunch, we went to the airport to catch our flight from Cairo to Luxor, where we will start our cruise on the river Nile. It has been a very busy first two days, but very enriching. Deatils about Luxor and the rest of the trip to follow in the next blog, tomorrow Insha'Allah!

View from our hotel room: quite impressive

What we've seen in Cairo and Giza, and surrounding area

Pyramid of Khufu, the largest one on the Giza Plateau

Up on the wall of the pyramid of Khufu

Pyramid of Khafre, second largest one on Giza Plateau

Pyramid of Menkaure, smallest of the three pyramids at Giza Plateau

 

The two smallest pyramids of the palteau of Giza

The Sphynx, guarding the pyramid of the plateau of Giza

The three pyramids of Giza Plateau

The step pyramid of Djoser, at Saqqara

Hieroglyphics at Mit Rahina Museum 

Statue of Ramses II

Photo is turned 90 degrees to make it look standing up

Papyrus production: the plant, the maker and the final product.

Our yummy lunch!

The Citadel of Salah Al-Din (an old muslim mosque)

Part of the ceiling inside the Citadel

Mosaic inside the Hanging Church (or Suspended Church)

Our security guard, in the background: he accompanied us all day (and carried a gun)

Small part of the Khan El Khahili Bazaar

Boat where we had lunch, on the Nile River!!

The Egyptian Museum, home to over 120 000 statues!

Photos were not allowed in the museum.