The Aegean Sea Cruise: A Bit More From Cairo, & Alexandria, Egypt

Today is our last full day aboard the Grand Princess ship. We are still at sea, sailing the beautiful and shimmering blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea. I’m reading “My Life in France” by Julia Child, and what a terrific book so far. It was the final book written by the venerable cooking expert known as The French Chef, and more importantly, author of numerous best selling cookbooks including “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. I can almost hear her speak the words I am reading, with her usual sense of humor and amusing manner. It is a perfect book to read on vacation. So my last two days at sea are filled with this enjoyable story of the great Julia Child. Anyway, I digress.
I have a few more photos to share from Cairo, Egypt and then a few quick flashes of Alexandria. This one above left was within our hotel in Cairo, it is a replica statue of the "guard" statues inside King Tut's tomb. Next up are photos from a rather interesting place where we stopped for lunch in Giza. It looked a bit like a camp for gypsies, hurriedly put together with color tents and makeshift grounds. But it was actually connected to a hotel (see hotel pool below), and made to look as it were. We sat down and were enthusiastically greeted by a man who mainly spoke Arabic but knew enough English for us to communicate. To the table he brought an individual mini-grill, which had piles of chicken pieces, elongated meatballs and tomatoes. It sizzled and smelled absolutely delicious. Immediately behind him was another waiter who served plates of hummus, diced eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, and some other dip, plus a dish of things wrapped in grape leaves and other mysterious foods. Finally a plate of freshly made bread- sort of liked pita bread but all puffy. It was quite good. It was surprisingly good, and I bravely consumed most of what they served. Yes, I was trying to delve deep into the local culture and taste Egypt. Here are a few photos:

above: as we first approached the restaurant, this is what we saw. Naturally I was hesitant, but I always keep an open mind while traveling!

above: this was the sort of hookah bar...

above: it sure looked festive....

above: this was the little grill with all the meat on it sizzling away

above: there were all sorts of dishes with delicacies, including some mystery friend things next to the french fries- I tried it all.
The Imperial Mohammed Ali Mosque
We visited a grand Imperial Mosque, called the Mohammed Ali Mosque. It was up on a high hill in the center of a fortress, along with the Sultan Hassan. Interestingly, this mosque was built by the same architect who constructed the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. Within this mosque is the tomb of the prophet Mohammed Ali.

above: exterior view of the Mosque. The silver domes are all covered in lead.

above: the external courtyard, but this is considered a prayer area at the mosque, so shoes came off here.

above: the water fountain within the courtyard to cleanse yourself before prayer


above: this was reserved for the Sultan, who back in the day, would have a grand place within the mosque.

above: beautiful inscriptions on these round panels adorned the four pillars of the main dome.

above: the main dome was surrounded by half domes, all beautiful and ornate. These are actually carved from wood, and decorated.

above: difficult to see in this photo but above the door is a wonderful gold half ring.

above: within the mosque is the tomb of Mohammed

above: and within that room is the actual marble tomb itself

above: I like the lion on the wall here with the mosque in the distance.

above: close up of the water fountain- it was carved from ONE giant piece of alabaster

above: a close up of the detail above the water fountain. You can see the restoration work in progress, look at the panels on either side of the center one.
A few other glimpses of Cairo
Here are some other random photos around Cairo to give you more of an sense of the city:

above: Cairo is a huge, sprawling city

above: its not uncommon to find donkey drawn carts on the main streets

above and below: or herds of sheep crossing in the middle of busy roads!

Finally while in Alexandria I didn’t take many photos, but here are a few:

above: the Alexandria Library building itself is slanted with an interesting glass roof

above: an ordinary building, but I just liked the arched windows with blue tile work

Once again, thanks for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into Egypt. We’ll arrive back in Rome tomorrow, which is starting to feel like home we've been there so often this past year. Thanks for stopping by today. Have a great weekend.
-Rick Rockhill

The Aegean Sea Cruise: More from Cairo, Egypt

We’re at sea today, sailing north back to Rome. Last night it was a perfect night, I left the balcony doors open to enjoy the sound of the ocean lulling me to sleep. Today it is warm and sunny, a perfect day to relax on deck by the pool and relax. I still have many photos to share from our two days in wonderful Egypt, so here goes. First, a few photos from the dinner cruise we took along the River Nile:

above: a blurry photo of "Scarabee", the dinner cruise boat

above: I've had a lot of fine wines in my time, but never heard of this one: "Omar Khaggam Vin Rouge Gianclis"

above: there was an Egyptian wedding on the boat that night

and a exciting belly dancer...


above: who I danced with!

These days in Egypt have been enlightening, educational and enjoyable. Once again I feel enriched from learning more about the modern and ancient Egyptian cultures. Not all of it is perfect, but that again, what nation is? And how is perfection defined anyway? Depending on your point of view, the world looks very different when you travel. Aside from all the wonderful sights and experiences, if you have an open mind, it also provides unique perspectives on the similarities and differences we have from each other. More from the Pyramids:







above: look over my shoulder at the stone serpents carved at the top


above: a wild dog at the step pyramids


these columns are over 5,000 years old!

These days in Egypt have been enlightening, educational and enjoyable. Once again I feel enriched from learning more about the modern and ancient Egyptian cultures. Not all of it is perfect, but that again, what nation is? And how is perfection defined anyway? Depending on your point of view, the world looks very different when you travel. Aside from all the wonderful sights and experiences, if you have an open mind, it also provides unique perspectives on the similarities and differences we have from each other. Thanks for stopping by today, I appreciate it.
-Rick Rockhill

The Aegean Sea Cruise: Cairo, Egypt

We reached perhaps the pinnacle of this entire cruise, Egypt. It was the first time I’ve set foot on the African continent, so it was exciting for me in many ways. Our ship arrived in Port Said, Egypt after a full day at sea. We drive from port Said to Cairo as part of a secure caravan with police protection, and soldiers armed with guns. The nearly three hour drive was mostly open desert sand, with occasional developments here and there along the way. We elected to take a private tour, and not with a large group, so once we reached Cairo proper, we broke from the caravan and made our way through the busy streets. With over 20 million residents, Cairo is a huge, densely populated city. It is filled with contrasts of new and old Cairo. And by old I mean ancient, really ancient…like 5,000 years old ancient. The streets are chaotic and outright crazy. Cars whizzing around with no regard for lanes-or even the direction of traffic. Donkeys and horses, sometimes even sheep are walking in between cars. Horns honk to warn other drivers, and no one uses their turn signals, they just weave back and forth lanes which are painted merely as a suggestion. People cross streets casually virtually everywhere. It is not for the nervous driver. But it is exciting and has an energy level that rivals many cities. We started our day at the Sakkura step pyramids, which date back 5,000 years. This early pyramid design was the precursor to the Great Pyramids located in Giza, which we visited next. Pyramids of course are the final resting place for the Pharaohs, or kings of Egypt. Some pyramids took 20-40 years to build. The Great Pyramid was built with over 3 million stones, all moved by hand. They are a monument to their life and provide passage to the next life by building a place for their mummified body and things they will need in the after life. The ancient Egyptians perfected the mummification process and were geniuses in their time. In the interest of time, I’m going to post a few photos from the fist day in Egypt. I have hundreds of photos to organize and name. I’ll plan to post the Egypt photos over several days, so please be patient. For now, here are a few photos from the mysterious and magnificent Pyramids of Egypt:

above: this is a great shot because you can see the three Pyramids in a row. The one on the far left is actually the largest and most well known "Great Pyramid" (its an optical illusion from the position I was taking the photo). Egypt has 97 pyramids in total still standing. It is very likely there are more pyramids still below the sand, undiscovered as yet...

above: we attended the "Light and Sound Show" at the Pyramids. It was really cool and well worth it. My camera did not take great photos, but you get the idea.

above: Camel riders are everywhere at the Pyramids, seeking to lure money from tourists for photos or a ride.
We leave Alexandria, Egypt late tonight and then we’ll be at sea for the next two full days. I love being at sea, it will be a great way to relax and absorb the many things I saw and experienced while in Egypt. That's all for today's quick post. More tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by today, I truly appreciate it. “Assalamu alaikum” which is Arabic for “peace be upon you.
-Rick Rockhill