Monday morning began with us leaving the cruise ship and driving to the Valley of the Kings (outside of Luxor) to tour three kings' tombs. The Valley of the Kings has 62 tombs, each chiseled into the side of a mountain. Most tombs are 2,500 to 3,100 years old. No cameras were allowed so it's difficult for me to describe the beauty of these burial chambers. For example, the tomb of Ramses IV was built 3,200 years ago and was used by Christians during the first century A.D. to hide from the Romans who searched them out to kill them.
Imagine going up to a square in the side of a mountain approximately five feet wide by eight feet high. The corridor leading on an angle downward is 10 feet wide by 14 feet high and extends approximately 150 into the mountain. Along the two walls and the ceiling are the brightly colored heiroglyphics that you've seen pictures of. Bright reds, blues, yellows, and greens. Depictions of hawks (protector of the kings), fish, men, women, boats, the sun (the god Ra), and cobras, among other things. At the end of the corridor is the holy of holies where the body/mummy of the king is placed.
From there, we took the short trip to the Valley of the Queens to visit the tomb of the Queen Hatshepsut (pron. "hat-ship-suit") a name I encourage you to say slowly if in public. This queen took power 3,500 years ago and she told her architect she wanted a "unique" temple. She didn't want hers to look like all those other guys' temples. I'll try to post a picture because she sure succeeded.
After this, we flew from Luxor to Cairo arriving at our hotel around 11. At the Cairo airport, we had a scare. One of our pilgrims is a retired cardiologist. He missed a step and fell on his wrist. Fortunately, we have four doctors among us including a retired arthropedic surgeon, three nurses, and a pharmacist. Oh, and two priests who can't diagnose a broken bone but can pray. So, he was covered. Unfortunately, a trip to a Cairo hospital showed it was broken so he'll have surgery on it when he returns to Houston.
The arthropedic surgeon and Dr. Saleem Ateek, who speaks impeccable Arabic, accompanied the man to a local hospital. When I asked the surgeon his impression of the hospital and the physicians they encountered, he said "late 1800s." Our guide, an Egyptian Moslem, said that when health care was nationalized, it went downhill very fast. He said he refuses to allow his family members to go to a national hospital or see government doctors. (Let that be a warning to us in the United States.)
Tuesday morning began with a tour of one of Islam's most important sites. It's the Citadel of the Great Saladin. It was started in 810 as a military pavilion on a hill with a strategic position overlooking the city of Cairo. Between 1176 and 1183, Saladin fortified it as a fortress against the Crusaders. We toured the Alabaster Mosque, built inside the walls of the Citadel. It was built in the 1800s when Egypt was part of the Ottoman Empire - which lasted from 1517 to 1809.
Then, we finished the day at the huge Egypt Museum near our hotel. We saw King Tut treasures, mummies, carriages, beds, and more statues and figurines than I've ever seen in one place. Truly a remarkable museum.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) is our last day on the pilgrimage and we go to the Great Pyramids of Giza and The Sphinx. Then, Thursday morning, we leave early for our flight from Cairo to London and then London to Houston. The Austin pilgrims will arrive home around midnight.
Now, if you, gentle reader, will indulge me for a few personal observations.
1. Cairo is a surprisingly beautiful city. Like the Sinai Peninsula (site of the Exodus) I had a totally different mental picture. Our hotel is on the banks of the Nile and is much like the area around the Thames in London and the Seine in Paris. Very sophisticated landscaping and greenery. What's not to like is the traffic. It literally is gridlocked 24 hours a day. We saw it throughout the day as we bused from one site to another.
2. We encountered at the Citadel a number of Egyptian schoolchildren taking a field trip. They were dressed in bright red and yellow scarves, bright blue and green shirts and blouses and all of them were happy and waving to us. We waved back figuring our friendliness just might be more effective than our national political policies. We truly were moved and impressed with their beauty and their friendliness.
3. If I were a professional photographer, I would want to be in Cairo. One block is a beautiful building and landscaping and the next block is a run-down brown building with trash piled up in front. The people are strikingly handsome.
4. Armed security is everywhere. Our hotel is surrounded by armed guards/policemen. When our bus pulled back in this afternoon, I noticed a policeman with a bomb-sniffing dog going around the bus. Everywhere we go, we go through, not one, but two x-ray machines. Police are present all around important buildings sitting in blue mini-trucks, some with mounted machine guns.
5. The president, Mubarak, is not liked by the people. That's one reason there's so much security. After Anwar Sadat was assassinated, they're not taking any chances.
6. Tonight, before dinner, a group of us sat in the lobby lounge listening to a string quartet play. It was interesting when they played "Ave Maria."
7. And, last, I overheard one pilgrim say "There's sure gonna be a lot of wedge salads eaten in Houston and Austin when we get home." That's because we've been warned not to eat any fruit with the peeling on it, no tomatoes or lettuce or drink any tap water in Jordan or Egypt. Despite those precautions, at least five of our pilgrims have had an uncomfortable day or night of GI "issues."
The tomb of Queen "Hat-Ship-Suit" who wanted a temple grander than those other kings. I think she succeeded.
The Alabaster Mosque, built within the walls of The Citadel, one of Cairo's landmarks.
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