Egyptian Museum Cairo to be renovated

After your Nile Cruise if you add a few days up in Cairo to see The Pyramids, as so many people do, then more than likely you will spend a couple of fascinating hours in Cairo’s Egyptian Museum just off the famous “Tahir Square“, scene of the heaviest protests during both revolutions.

Barbara and I have visited the museum on a number of occasions.

The famous pink building is to be renovated to “return the museum to it’s original status” according to it’s director Mahmoud Halwagy.

It was originally built and I would suggest it is probably one of the most visited museums in the world due to the nature of it’s exhibits. Today it is still a honeypot for tourists visiting the City however it’s interior has seen better days and the whole museum needs to move into the 21st century. Continue reading “Egyptian Museum Cairo to be renovated”

December 19, 2012

The Conrad Hotel Cairo

After our visit to the Egyptian Museum we were ready to eat so it was really great that the management of the Conrad Hotel had invited us to have lunch at the hotel and then have a good look around.

We have booked clients into the Conrad Hotel before. Clients who are taking a Nile cruise and Cairo holiday either ask to stay out by the Pyramids at Giza or downtown Cairo. If we place them downtown we often suggest the Conrad however this was our first time at the hotel. It’s always so much better when we can recommend a property or a ship if we’ve stayed there ourselves or visited recently. Continue reading “The Conrad Hotel Cairo”

December 17, 2012

The Egyptian Museum

Our great guide, Emad, purchased our tickets for entry to the Museum and at the same time picked up earphones and what I imagine were receivers that we were to wear around our necks so that when we entered the Museum he could ensure that the only commentary we heard was his.

Normally the museum is completely full of visitors and guides and so I it must be very difficult to hear or concentrate on the commentary from you own guide. Today it was still busy but not as busy perhaps as before the Revolution. However we were amazed at how many visitors there were considering it’s considered “quieter than normal;”

As I mentioned before there were visitors from all over the world. From the USA to Australia and lots of countries in between. I suppose the fact the Egypt has such a wonderful heritage means that no matter what sort of upheaval it experiences there will always be travelers who want to see and experience what this marvelous country has to offer.

(I would imagine many of them had chosen a Nile Cruise and Cairo option when they were booking their travel arrangements).

The other reason to ensure that you have earphones and a receiver is be sure that you dont’ get lost and that is you do get caught up and delayed by another group that you can still find your guide.

Continue reading “The Egyptian Museum”

December 13, 2012December 13, 2012

Visiting Cairo – Day 2 continued

Visiting Cairo

[youtuber vimeo=’https://vimeo.com/55546554′]

As soon as we’d finished our visit to The Pyramids we boarded our mini-bus for the journey to downtown Cairo and Tahir Sqaure and the Egyptian Museum.

We’ve been to Cairo on a number of occasions but hsd never had the opportunity to visit the Egyptian Museum even though we’ve sent countless Nile cruise clients so we were really looking forward to it. Of course, Tahir Square is now famous throughout the world as the main centre of activity as the Egyptian Revolution unfolded.

If you’ve never driven through Cairo then you are in for a treat when you finally do so. Emad, our guide, told us the the only traffic regulation you need to know in Cairo is that there are no regulations. It’s every man and woman, donkey, camel, motorcycle, moped, bicycle and pedestrian for themselves. Believe me that’s’ so true.

Traffic was bumper to bumper all the way with vehicles, cyclists, cart drivers, animals and pedestrians changing lands, crossing backwards and forwards and essentially “doing their own thing” all the way. How people actually ever get to their destinations on time is beyond me.

One minute your next to a family saloon completely packed to the gills with passengers, the next minute your being overtaken by a moped carrying father mother and up to three small children. Crazy but very entertaining. Continue reading “Visiting Cairo – Day 2 continued”

December 10, 2012December 10, 2012

Visiting Cairo

Day five of our November 2012 trip to Egypt and we are flying from Aswan to Cairo to spend two nights in the Egyptian capital.

We’ve stayed in Cairo when we took our first Nile cruise and Cairo holiday but this time we are going to visit the Egyptian Museum just off Tahir Square as well as visiting hotels in the city centre and near the Pyramids in Giza.

We had an early flight so we took the water-taxi from the Movenpick Aswan Hotel and then a short transfer out to Aswan Airport.

We have flown from Aswan Airport before and this time, just like the first time, we commented on how calm and relaxed the atmosphere at Aswan Airport is. Apart from the normal security hassles the rest of our time at Aswan Airport was calm and slow-paced. Very different from Manchester or Gatwick airports where everything seems much more hectic and stressful.

Our flight with Egyptair was pretty full with travelers like ourselves and Egyptian businessmen travelling up to the capital. The flight only lasts 65 minutes so the friendly cabin staff have just enough time to serve you a cold drink or coffee and then your starting your descent into Cairo.

I knew from earlier flights that the plane comes into Cairo by flying over the Pyramids. Unfortunately on this occasion we were sitting on the wrong side of the plane but the passengers on the left hand side of the cabin could all see the Pyramids and the Sphinx as we descended towards Cairo.

A little tip: make sure you sit on the left-hand side of the plane if you want to see the Pyramids.

In fact on our first flight into Cairo from Luxor I shot a short video of our approach and landing. Here’s the video just to wet your appetite.

On landing we were quickly through to the luggage pick-up were we collected our bags and then we were met by our driver for the next few days. Continue reading “Visiting Cairo”