The Pyramids

Monday, March 16 Egypt
Nothing compares with seeing the pyramids in person. I’ve seen photos and the Field Museum in Chicago has a fantastic re-creation of ancient Egypt, but nothing compares to the real thing.
We’ve just returned from a 14 hour tour. Took a shower and had room service for our dinner. We’ve gone for a swim almost every day of this trip, but are skipping it today. Have been up since 6 this morning, did a lot of walking, and are going to bed early tonight.

We took a bus from Alexandria to Cairo and on the way saw a great deal of how people live. It is a much simpler, slower life style. As each child in a family grows up and marries, the parents build another "apartment" on top of their house for them to live in --- permanently. So all the family lives in one house, as a community helping one another with child care, cooking, and finances. If you don’t get married, you stay living with mama and papa your whole life.

We toured inside a beautiful Masque, learned a bit about Islam and the five pillars of Islam. In the US, we mostly know about extremist and fundamentalist Muslims, It was touching to hear the practices and beliefs from a devout peace-loving Muslim.

Then we floated on a barge down the Nile, and didn’t just SEE the Sphinx and the pyramids --- we were there. We touched them. We were overwhelmed by them.
It was a picture-perfect day with a vivid blue sky and puffy white clouds. People in colorful clothing of Egypt and camels in brightly colored rug-saddles and decorations. A camel spit at me but missed, so I behaved myself and didn’t spit back:)

We’ve taken some fantastic photos. You might wonder why you’re not seeing any. Well, this trip I’ve learned to blog. Last trip I learned how to work a digital camera. Next trip I’ll learn how to SEND photos. For now,you’ll just have to use your imagination – picture me slender & svelte, mid-thirties, standing in front of the Sphinx with my blond hair wafting in the breeze.
Daniel, I can hear you thinking, "Wait a minute. This is a brunette overweight grandmother of nine."

Here’s the thing Danny boy – it’s time to put on your "Let’s imagine hat".
Can you imagine a leprechaun sitting on a mushroom?
Can you imagine a unicorn frollicking among rainbows?
OK Bucko – then it shouldn’t be hard to imagine me looking slender & svelte like "a wood nyphe in yon sylvan glen". And don’t forget the wafting hair. When women want to look beautirul, they waft. It’s a Universal Law.

But I digress. Back to our tour – we’ve been lucky to have terific tour guides. This one gave us a flavor of life in Egypt with stories about daily life, the work place, religious practices, way of dressing, the economy, history, legends and myths of this mysterious place. The traffic is beyond belief. It made rush-hour in Chicago look like slowpokes going for a Sunday drive down a country road. There are few traffic lights and only one traffic law "Just keep going."

Stores have no set hours. They open when they want and close when they decide to, except everyone is open on Friday.

I could go on & on. This has been the trip of a lifetime. I sincerely hope that all of you get to experience this type of dream-come-true cruise one day soon.
And now, beddy-bye time.
Cruising along,
Rita