Mummies and Churches and Light Shows, OH MY!

A long rumbly ride in the sleeper train delivered us from 75 degree, clear skyed Aswan to a chilly and rainy Cairo in 14 hours overnight.  Elevation makes a big difference!  Undeterred, we hit the ground running and headed straight for the Egyptian museum.  Our guide Mahmood expertly explained several pieces from the Old, Middle, and New kingdoms, Greek era, Roman era, and Islamic period (there was a lot to keep track of).  It was nice to hear an in depth history of important pieces b/c there are over 120,000 items on display.  Spending 2 seconds on each one would take 60 hours!  Best parts:
11kg solid gold mask of Tutankhamun,
seated scribe sculpture,
itty bitty statue of cheops (of great pyramid fame),
12 royal mummies including Ramses II and Hatshepsut,
Complete contents of Tutankhamun's tomb (EVERYTHING guilded in gold) including the first foldable travel bed, the lion throne, and walking sticks with handles sculpted to represent the bodies of his enemies... so when he walked he was always squeezing them!

We proceeded to Old Cairo to visit the Hanging Church built in the 4th century literally on top of an old fort and the Ben Ezra synagogue.
Our guide taught us about the 5 pillars of the Muslim faith in the most beautiful mosque in Cairo:
1.  Believe in one true God, Allah
2.  Give charity to the less fortunate
3.  Fast for the month of Ramadan
4.  Pray 5 times a day
5.  Pilgrimage to Mecca once in your life
Located in a citadel at the top of a large hill, from the promenade outside the mosque you could look at the entire city of Cairo and even see the pyramids of Giza and Sakkara. 

Spend an hour in Khan El Kalili Bazaar and your head will spin from all the vendors vying for your attention (and money).  "Hallo...have a look...you see something you like...you want to spend more of his money...i have your size...just 5 pounds...come look in my shop...this way!"  You feel bad, but you get very good at ignoring people.  We knew what we wanted and successfully haggled down to a price we liked.

A quick trip to check into the hotel, shower, dinner, and it was on to another main event of the day: the sound and light show at the pyramids.  Absolutely spectacular.  I wish the pictures did it justice, but they dont even come close.  Flood lights lit up all 3 pyramids and the sphinx.  Laser lights, music, and narration wove a stunning tapestry of the history of egypt and the pyramids. We still have one more day in Alexandria tomorrow, but since we started this trip with the pyramids, it was a fitting goodbye and a moment that will be remembered.  Amy definitely did not cry.  :)