Sunday, Nov. 23, 2009 – Cairo

Today, we go on a tour of Cairo. Our first observation from our balcony was of fog /smog. I can tell already that my allergies are not going to be happy today.

Day 11 - Cairo

We had breakfast at the hotel and it was an excellent breakfast. 

We boarded our bus and headed for the Mosque of Mohammad Ali. From the outside it was quite impressive. Upon entering, we were required to remove our shoes. We had been advised to wear long pants and long sleeves but that covering our heads was not required. From the inside, the mosque had beautiful domes and a bright chandelier that didn’t seem to fit the other decor. The floor was carpeted with a well worn carpet. Housekeeping was lacking. Parts of the chandelier were filthy with dust. I did not get the impression that the people who worship here subscribe to the concept that "cleanliness is next to godliness".

The next stop was the Egyptian Museum. This is the museum with artifacts from King Tut’s tomb. It was packed with people. My shoes were hurting my feet and Atef wanted to talk more than I wanted to live. I was so crowded that hearing what he was saying in this Tower of Babel was impossible. I finally resorted to sitting down on the floor and waiting until he was through with the room then moving to the next room. Now I will admit that seeing the King Tut artifacts made this worthwhile. I would have enjoyed the time here far more if we could have just been turned lose in the museum and look around on our own. They are building a new museum near the Pyramids. This is badly needed as this museum is so old and over crowded.

Our next stop was lunch. It was at an Egyptian restaurant downtown and was wonderful. Now this is the best meal that I have had in Egypt by a mile. We had hummus, tahini (sesame seed paste), freshly made pitas, falafel, kabobs, stuffed grape leaves, beer and other stuff. The only disappointment was the dessert which was a left over pita bread soaked in a milk mess. Still the meal was great.

After lunch, many went shopping in the bizarre. I chose to stay in the bus. We went back to the hotel, packed, ate a light dinner at the hotel and went to bed.

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