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Egypt/Italy Tour 2003: Monday, 21 April 2003
Last day in Egypt
In which we leave Egypt for Italy and begin our encounter with youth hostels ...
A night spent on the train from Luxor. I had a much more comfortable night than on the previous train journey as I'd brought along a sleeping bag. We woke at 7 a.m. and shortly after, a small man came round selling tea (black) with sugar. Very welcome.
At about 7.40 a.m., Ashraf came round and told us it was 15 minutes to Cairo - so everyone was woken up and we all got ready. Twenty minutes later we were still not there - "the longest zero minutes of my life", said Andrew wittily.
Eventually we arrived and our luggage was loaded on to our two buses. The first two images show us on arrival at Giza Station in Cairo.
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Cairo Museum
By 9.30 a.m. we were at the gates of the Cairo Museum (3). In front of the main entrance is a small pond containing both papyrus and lotus plants.
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Two general pictures of the interior of the museum follow.
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More specific items photographed were as follows. One of the problems in this museum is the immense amount of material. It is very difficult to take it all in. The following is the most minor of selections.
Image 7 shows some canopic jars. These contain various organs of the body after they have been removed during mummification.
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The following strange object (8) is a gigantic fish, Lates niloticus, caught in the Nile at Esna.
No. 9 is a sarcophagus (2000 BC ex the temple of Queen Hatchepsut; this has beautiful colours). No. 10 is the throne of King Tutankhamun. It consists of wood covered by layers of gold. The King and his wife stand under rays of the sun. No. 11: alabaster vases of gods - these contained wines, beers and perfumes.
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No. 12 shows this extraordinary alabaster image of god, whose purpose was to entertain pregnant women. No. 13 shows more canopic jars.
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Tutankhamun section
This is a section within the museum containing some of the most stunning (and also famous exhibits). No. 14 shows the King's mask; 15 and 16 the golden sarcophagus; 17 a golden head dress.
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Next, 18, is Anubis, the protector of Tutankhamun's tomb; 19: a statue representing a spirit and 20: the layout of the tomb of King Tutankhamun.
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Corrado commented that it would take 3 days to get round the Cairo Museum and I believe him. A lifetime to do it properly I suspect.
The last photo of Egypt shows the east wing of the Cairo Museum viewed from outside.
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We then drove to the airport, checked in and waited for the 2.30 flight to Rome.
Review of trip to date (written in the departure lounge at Cairo airport).
"We are now nearly 1 week into the trip. Egypt was fabulous - all the arrangements went well - and the pyramids, temples and antiquities were impressive and interesting. The cruise ship was outstanding and all the other arrangements (trains etc.) quite adequate. So far we have a good pictorial record of what we've done although the editing at the end will be quite a job."
[You can say that again!].
Now, from a vantage point of 7 months later, I would second all of that. I was impressed by Egypt.
At this point, most of the other adults dropped out of the trip and only Linda and I, Liz and Corrado went on to the Italy leg (although some parents went on holiday separately in Rome and we met them again there). We took off more or less on time - an Airbus 320 - a nice meal was served. Landed in Rome, 17.55 hours.
Italy!
We drove in a small convoy of 2 buses from the airport in to Rome. It was still spring in Rome - young leaves just appearing on the trees; flowers abundant and beautiful by the sides of the roads. It is all so very green, so unlike Egypt. It was sunny as we drove in with the sun behind us but rain clouds were around.
Rome looks very orderly and tidy compared to Cairo, but the counterpart to that is that Cairo in many ways seemed more exotic and exciting.
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