Cairo Heliopolis

Arriving in Cairo was absolutely overwhelming...everything from our first glimpse of strong sunlight in...months, to the men praying in the airport, the passport man asking me to marry him, the hazy air...everything exuded Egypt.  Our first stop was ...

... by a young Egyptian man. Seems we were the only pick up so we loaded ourselves into the bus and got taken to the Fairmont Heliopolis Hotel. After a guard and canine sniffing the bus for bombs at the hotel driveway, we were taken to the desk to check in. ...

... somewhere in Europe. Anyway.. it's a definite must to do in Egypt when I come back. Our hotel was located in the Heliopolis area, which is the nicest neighborhood. At first we planned to do the dinner/cruise thing, but the trip to Egyptian museum ...

... and commercial centers of Africa.  The central business area is modern with upscale facilities.  Our hotel, the Fairmont Heliopolis, near the airport, would be a five star hotel in any city.  On the other hand, neighborhoods throughout the ...

... ; It reminded me of an Arab New York City with its seemingly endless streets filled with mid-rise apartments.  The taxis of Cairo have a reputation for wild rides and they didn't disappoint.  I never felt that I was in any danger while in the ...

... has been fantastic here, usually in the upper 80's almost no humidity (it's a dry heat). I was expecting the worst in Cairo - 100 degree heat riding a camel across the desert.....but it really has been comfortable. We decided to scrap some of the ...

... ; It was not necessary for me to cover my hair since the mosques we would be visiting were considered tourist sites here in Cairo.  Regardless, I came prepared and wore a scarf around my neck just in case! As I stepped out of the vehicle, the ...

... Mosque of Mohammed Ali.  From the side of the Citadel, we also had a sweeping view of the entire old section of Cairo, with its mosques, minarets, and densely packed bazaars, and we even captured a glimpse of the Great Pyramids off in the ...

... in what is of madness around, you are ready to explore and create magic - let your dreams come true. If you dare. ;) Cairo is packed, cars, people! It's noisy, grey and brown, it's women wearing the burka and it's smoking waterpipe at 250 year ...

... best.  (Although everyone I meet seems pleasantly shocked that a white American is trying to learn Arabic.)  That said, the Cairo airport was a bit intense.  At least six taxi taxi drivers tried to grab my luggage and take me God knows ...

... the Egypt you saw in the Egyptian movies and soap operas that graced television sets all over the Middle East. From Heliopolis, I left Cairo for Greece, leaving Egypt behind, with its superlatives of history and problems and its contrasts of desert and ...