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| Picture by Kolohe |
Since this was our last day in Egypt, we checked out of the hotel in the morning and said our goodbyes to the hotel staff that had been so nice to us.
First stop of the day was Sultan's Palace. During our initial stay in Cairo, Heather had purchased a bottle of flower extract potion from them and then the glass container broke in her suitcase while we were traveling around southern Egypt. Unfortunately, the liquid got on some of her cloths and the smell permeated everything in her suitcase. They gave her a replacement bottle, but the smell of Sultan's Palace stayed with us for the rest of the trip.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
While we were driving across town, we kept noticing different colored squares painted on the sides of buildings adjacent to the road. When we asked Khaled why they painted squares on the buildings, he explained that at one time the squares had been interior walls of people's apartments. When the transportation department expanded the road, they just destroyed units on the ends of buildings and left the remainders of the buildings intact.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
The new National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) had its extravagant grand opening on April 3, 2021. I think I saw a news clip about it on television. However, the more I think about it, I do not remember if I actually saw a news clip of the festivities, or if I have just seen so many pictures in magazines that I think I saw it on TV. Anyway, the events included the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, choirs, singers, dancers, a light show, parade, military escorts, and a 21 canon salute to the former kings and queens as they passed by on the parade route.
There were 22 mummies, including 18 kings and 4 queens, that were moved from the historic Egyptian Museum to NMEC. Each mummy was transported on a separate vehicle that was designed to look like a boat floating down the Nile River. The parade included hundreds of performers and thousands of spectators turned out to line the parade route. It was an amazing event fitting for kings and queens.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Entrance to the museum is through a space-age like tunnel that opens into the main exhibit area. In the center of the room there is a large open area where visitors can look down on a video presentation projected on the floor featuring Egyptian history. Circulating around a ledge above the floor is a separate presentation running simultaneously. On one side of the circle there are stairs that lead down to floor where the video is projected and then a side corridor leads to the mummy exhibits. To respect the dignity of the kings and queens, I am not including any pictures of the mummies.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Located on the main floor are mummy caskets and other Egyptian artifacts.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Heather |
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| Picture by Heather |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
In a separate room are exhibits of personal items used by ancient Egyptians.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
I do not remember the name of the mosque we toured in the afternoon, but we had to take our shoes off and women had to cover their heads.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
The Kha El-Khalili Bazaar is one of the oldest markets in Cairo. It started out in the 14th Century as a single building, but has now expanded into a complete area of town. Ali and his wife were our guides and said we needed to skip the tourist part. Instead, we went in a back entrance that locals use.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
While we were having dinner outside of a restaurant, tour busses started driving through the area. The streets are so narrow, it was amazing to watch the large buses make the turns. People and shop owners were accustomed to the large buses and would just move their merchandise so that the buses could pass. I was sitting at the end of the table and several times a bus passed within a few inches, or I got up and moved my chair so the bus could pass.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Heather |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Sophia was hungry, so Ali and his wife purchased some cotton candy for her. They had their baby along and she liked to pose for pictures.
While we were at the bazaar, a young Egyptian boy followed us all night trying to sell us something. He also kept track of everyone in our group. If someone strayed too far, he would help them find the rest of the group again. When we finished shopping, Kolohe gave him an American shirt that she had in her backpack. By the end of the evening we were tired from walking and fortunately we found a ride back to the main entrance where our van was waiting. After saying goodbye to everyone, we then left for the airport where we had a red-eye flight to Paris.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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