2 Week Adventure

Umm, in case everyone doesn’t know by now, I am in love with Egypt.  This creates a problem when trying to write about our experiences here or narrow down our pictures to a selected few.  I have decided to sum up our last week in two separate picture posts because one would be entirely too long :)

Before we move on to some of my favourite snaps from the past week, let me tell you what we have been up to.  We have been fortunate to have Jen, Dan’s sister, join us for two weeks- awesome.  Not only was it amazing to see some family after so long, it gave us an excuse to explore parts of Egypt for the second time.

The following pictures were taken over the first couple days following Jen’s arrival, while we toured around Cairo and the surrounding area. I hope you like pyramids.

I stole a shot of this special children’s toy at the Egyptian Museum, one of my favourite places to visit in the city of Cairo.  The museum is so extensive, a person could spend a week in there exploring and discovering hidden mysteries like the bird above.  This trinket is difficult to find in the expansive museum but well worth the hunt because once you find it, like many of the artefacts, you could ponder it for hours.  If you are interested in alternative, puzzling and controversial views of this simple children’s toy check out this link- the Saqqara Bird.

Yes, I took this cheesy shot but it was only because everyone peer pressured me….now I am posting it on my blog :(  In the background is the Red Pyramid of Dahshur. It is considered to be the first ‘proper pyramid’ to be built in Egypt. I love this pyramid specifically because it is off the tourist trail, meaning we were the only four people at the sight.  Entering it requires a steep, narrow, 60m long decent which is no easy feet but the decent itself is half the fun.  Besides, when you conquer it you will be inside a pyramid- a pyramid!  It still blows my mind. 

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Dan, Jen and Ahmed in front of The Step Pyramid in Saqqara.  This is the oldest pyramid in Egypt.  Pretty impressive.

The Bent Pyramid in Dahshur.  This one is neighbours with The Red Pyramid and was the first attempt to build a proper, flat sided pyramid.  Too bad, they made it too steep-sided, but only realized their error half way up, hence the shape.  This one is unlike all the others not only in shape but also that it is the only pyramid left in Egypt that still has most of its original limestone casing.  Unfortunately, many rulers following the Ancient Egyptians used the limestone casing blocks for other building sights, but in their glory, the pyramids of Egypt would have been gleaming white and perfectly smooth on all sides.

A shot of the Great Pyramids on the Giza Plateau.  I could stare at them for days, they are that awe inspiring.  They pose many questions that experts claim they have answered but I would have to disagree.  They are just too perfect.

Dan and I in front of The Sphinx at Giza.

When I took this pictures I was trying to capture a moment as a way to remember how I felt as the three of us sat next to some of the oldest man made structures on the plant.  It is just so difficult to wrap your mind around a reality that is so intense.  I love how Ancient Egypt makes me feel.  It stretches my mind and forces me to wonder and imagine just who made such enormously beautiful monuments.

To be continued...