Return to Cairo and the USA

Every day of this trip was busy. Monday, December 30, was a very busy day. After an early breakfast on the Viking Ra, we disembarked and waved good-bye as we transferred to the Luxor Airport. Here we boarded a Petroleum Air Services (PAS) charter flight back to Cairo and then transferred by bus to City of Stars Hotel very close to the Cairo Airport.

  

Since we missed our day at the Giza Pyramids, because we had to stay in Jerusalem two extra days, Ahmed helped us schedule a private tour to visit them after we returned to Cairo on the last day of the trip. We made a quick stop at the City of Stars Hotel, picked up two box lunches, our tour guide and a driver to fight the cross town traffic to get to Giza. We also managed to see a couple of other major sites in Cairo along the way.

 The Unknown Soldier Memorial in Cairo is a pyramid-shaped monument.  The site was also chosen for the President Anwar Sadat tomb after his assassination in October 1981.

The Citadel of Cairo or Citadel of Saladin is a medieval Islamic-era fortification in Cairo, Egypt. It was the seat of government in Egypt and the residence of its rulers for nearly 700 years from the 13th to the 19th centuries.

 

GIZA PLATEAU, PYRAMIDS AND THE SPHINX

 View of the pyramids at Giza from the plateau to the south of the complex. From left to right, the three largest are: the Pyramid of Menkaure, the Pyramid of Khafre and the Great Pyramid of Khufu. The three small ones in front are called the Queens Pyramids.

The entrance into the Giza Plateau.

Walking up to them, it was hard to imagine how large these 5,000 year old monuments are.

This is the original entrance into the tomb.

We climbed up to the newer public entrance.

Much of the outer limestone shell has worn away leaving the blocks exposed.

Our tour included a camel ride. 

Getting up on a camel was a bit of challenge.

When the camel rises, they raise their rear legs first, so you must lean far back and hang on tight to keep from tumbling off face first.

View from the saddle.

Virginia and Kurt on Charlie and Coca Cola.

The afternoon lighting was beginning to put a reddish glow on the Pyramids.

Everyone has to have one of these silly trick shots.

We had to rush, the Sphinx was closing soon. Our tour guide began greasing the guards palms in order to allow our entry.

The Great Sphinx at Giza, Egypt.

The Great Sphinx is among the world’s largest sculptures, measuring some 240 feet  long and 66 feet  high. It features a lion’s body and a human head adorned with a royal headdress. The statue was carved from a single piece of limestone, and pigment residue suggests that the entire Great Sphinx was painted. According to some estimates, it would have taken about three years for 100 workers, using stone hammers and copper chisels, to finish the statue.

According to some, the damage was caused by Napoleon’s troops, who shot off the nose with a cannon.

The Causeway that runs between the Valley Temple and the Funerary Temple.

The light is fading and it is time to head back to the Hotel. When we got back to the hotel, it was after dark. We took showers, had one last dinner with our tour group, and left for the airport at 10 pm., leaving the bed that we never had time to sleep in.

We arrived in Frankfort, Germany at 5 am, Tuesday, December 31. Fortunately Lufthansa was offering upgrades to Premium Economy for half price. We jumped on this and got great seats for the 11 hour flight to Houston.

So ends our complicated 17 day trip to Israel and Egypt:

 

 9 different airline flights

3 different hotels and a hospital

2 countries on different continents

River Taxies

Fulecca Sailboat

Trams

Ambulance

Taxies

Horse and Carriage

Motorboats

Camels

River Cruise Ship

Many bus rides

and Lots of Walking

We visited 8 Egyptian temples

4 Pharaoh Tombs

6 Pyramids & Sphinx

Several Museums

Churches, shrines, temples, mosques, synagogues

and Walked in Jesus' footsteps

Viking RA - Day 7

When we came off our ship at Edfu, we got a very nice horse carriage ride that took us to Edfu Temple, which was a nice bonus.

It was about two miles to the Temple, winding through the Edfu streets along with cars and other carriages.

 

EDFU TEMPLE

This Ptolemaic (Greek influenced) temple, built between 237 and 57 BC, is one of the best-preserved ancient monuments in Egypt. It was preserved by desert sand, which filled the Temple after the pagan cult was banned. The temple is dedicated to the god Horus, the avenging son of Isis and Osiris.

The temple of Edfu is the largest temple dedicated to Horus.

The main entrance of Edfu Temple showing the first pylon.

Black Granite Statue of Horus and Virginia

A second set of Horus falcon statues in black granite flank the entrance to the temple’s first or outer hypostyle hall.

Hypostyle Hall and Courtyard

Inside the sanctuary at the center of the temple, the Holy of Holy's.

Volunteers cleaning the hieroglyphics.

Reliefs on the walls of the Temple of Edfu.

Viking Ra Leaves Edfu for Luxor at 10:30 am.

The ever present vendors followed the ships to the locks, throwing their wares up on deck in hopes of a sale.

They even went into the locks with us, a dangerous business.

Entering the Lock

Exiting the Lock

It took three hours to navigate the locks. The Viking Ra sailed back to Luxor, arriving at 10 pm.

Viking RA - Day 6

NUBIAN VILLAGE

Early Saturday morning we boarded a river taxi for a trip upriver to visit a Nubian Village.

The size of our group required two river boats.

We spotted camels as we approached the Nubian Village.

The Nubians migrated from Sudan to southern Egypt about 8000 years ago. They brought with them their own culture and language.

The Colorful Nubian Homes

We arrived at the Nubian Village and disembarked for a tour of a Nubian home and school.

A family opened their home to us and served our group tea.

This mural was in the courtyard of the home.

 The entire home was extremely colorful.

The family raises crocodiles, which were once common on the Nile, but are now rarely seen. 

This little crock is about 18 months old.

Unusual artwork was also for sale.

The camel is still very much a part of the daily life of the Nubians.

 The shops were very colorful.

We visited a Nubian school.

Central courtyard of the school.

The children were learning their ABC's and songs in English.

 

Philae Temple

After our visit to the Nubian Village, our bus picked us up to transport us to motor boats in order to return to Philae Temple for our daytime tour. The Temple, which we previously visited at night, is on an island between the Low Dam and the High Dam. This UNESCO site was moved from its original location on Philae Island to its new location on Agilkia Island, after the flooding of Lake Nasser. As the waters of Lake Nasser rose, the Temple was disassembled and relocated here. It took UNESCO nine years to complete the relocation.

This temple was built to honor the goddess Isis.

The Temple was built between 380-362 BC.

Temple Approach and Philae Columns

Motorboats provided ferry service to and from the Temple island (Agilkia).

 

SANDALLIA PAPYRUS INSTITUTE

We made a stop at the Papyrus Institute to learn how the delicate paper was made from the Papyrus plant.

Our guide showed how papyrus paper is still being made by hand today.

Papyrus Alphabet/Hieroglyphic Translation Chart

Beautiful Papyrus Artwork for Sale at the Institute

 

KOM OMBO TEMPLE

The Viking RA casts off from Aswan for Kom Ombo Temple at 1:30 pm.  The Viking Ra arrived at the Kom Ombo Temple at 4:30. We docked at the base of the temple.

The Kom Ombo Temple is dedicated to the two gods, Sobek, the crocodile god of fertility and creator of the world, and Horus, falcon god of the sky. The very unique layout combines two temples in one with each side having its own gateways and chapels.

Preserved papyrus shaped column and ceiling at Kom Ombo temple.

Original colors can still be seen.

Depictions of offerings being made to god Sobek and goddess Hathor.

Medical instruments image at the Temple of Kom Ombo, showing scalpels, forceps, scissors, plus prescriptions and two goddesses sitting on birthing chairs.

Ancient Artesian Well

 

CROCODILE MUSEUM
Sobek’s chief sanctuary was at Kom Ombo, where there were once huge numbers of crocodiles. Until recent times the Egyptian Nile was infested with these ferocious animals, who would lay on the riverbank and devour animals and humans alike. So it is not surprising that the local inhabitants went in fear. Captive crocodiles were kept within the temple and many mummified crocodiles have been found in cemeteries, some of which can be seen in the Kom Ombo Museum today.

A few of the three hundred crocodile mummies discovered in the vicinity are displayed in The Crocodile Museum.

The dining room was set as we walked back from the Temple to the Viking Ra in time for dinner.

The Viking RA casts off from Kom Ombo Temple for Edfu at 6:00 pm.