Cairo: Day Three

On our last full day in Cairo we headed to the Kahn el-Khalili bazar. The bazar is massive and has different sections for food, fabric, perfume, clothing, and tourist kitsch. We were meeting two of Ben Egyptian colleagues for lunch at a restaurant called Nagib Mahfouz, which was delicious. We got there a bit early to have a wonder around before lunch. 

Cairo: Day Two

Our second day in Cairo we visited The Great Pyramids of Giza, Memphis, and Saqqara. Our lovely tour guide planned the itinerary and we loved seeing things that we would not have planned on seeing otherwise. We started our day with a visit The Great Pyramids. From pictures it seems that the Pyramids are located deep in the desert, but this is not the case. They are literally right next to the suburb of Cairo. It is a little anti climatic to get to, as you are driving along and you’re like, ‘Oh there are the pyramids.’ But they are still amazingly impressive. I mean they were built in  2560 BC. That is 4570 years old. And you can still go inside the three big pyramids. So not only are they old but they are in very decent condition which is quite astonishing seeing as you can climb all over them and touch whatever you like. There is basically no active preservation beside a few signs that say not to climb in certain places, but these are largely disregarded. When we were there the Great Pyramid was open so we were able to climb into the kings chamber. This pyramid belonged to Cheops. It was the first pyramid built in the complex, but definitely not the first or oldest pyramid in Egypt. The climb into the Kings chamber made for an interesting but not altogether pleasant experience. These ancient tombs have been empty for about 4000 years but the kings chamber still holds the sarcophagus as it was too large to remove from the pyramid. The tunnel that leads to the kings room are very narrow and you have to crouch most of the climb to the chamber. There is only one route in and out so you are also passing people going in the opposite direction the entire climb which makes it interesting in the narrow, low, and dark passage. 

After we climbed the pyramid we took some photos, were mobbed by children, and headed to the solar boat museum. The name is a little misleading, it is really just a boat museum. In the 1950’s archaeologists found a boat buried next to the pyramid where Cheops was buried. It was analyzed and the archaeologist realized that this boat was buried so that the king could have his boat in the afterlife, only unlike all his other possessions that were buried in the pyramid this boat was way too big to fit inside, so it was buried next to it. It was reconstructed and now on display in the Solar Boat Museum. Thankfully the climate in Egypt is dry so the condition of the boat is really excellent. The rope that latched the boat together was still intact (although no usable), and the oars were still there.

Cairo: Day One

Over the Easter weekend Ben and I headed to Cairo for a mini vacation. Ben was working in Jordan so he flew from Amman and we met up at the Cairo airport and took a taxi to our hotel. Just like a lot of our vacations this was a last minute trip so I didn’t have a lot of time to plan, but as we were only there for three whole days I figured we could probably just stick with the main tourist attractions. Our first full day there we explored Coptic Cairo, the Citadel, and The Egyptian Museum. We booked a tour guide to take us around, Doaa, and she was amazing. She has been a tour guide in Cairo for over 15 years and was able to explain not only the ancient history, but the current history and that state of the economy and government.

Salt Lake City

Two weeks ago I booked an unexpected visit to Salt Lake City so that I could attend my grandfathers funeral. My grandfather had been sick for a very long time and my father had been taking care of him for years so it wasn't unexpected. Although there were very emotional parts of the funeral, overall it was a joyful family affair that celebrated the life of my grandpa. The best part was that all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins were there (with the exception of two cousins that are on missions). Many of my cousins, aunts, and uncles I hadn't seen in years and it was wonderful to catch up and spend time with them while they were in town. The photo above is of my brothers and I after the grave side service...we all graduated from the U but by grandfather was a professor at BYU. 

Brussels + Ghent

This is part 2 of our Belgium trip we took in the beginning of December. One of our top priorities in Brussels was visiting Euro Parliament. I am so glad we did, it was so interesting. We really enjoyed touring the buildings and their museum was so fascinating. We spent hours walking though and reading each exhibit. Pictured below is one of the many parliament buildings. As we were there right after the terrorist attacks in Paris security was really tight, but also there were not a lot of tourists. On our tour of the inside of the parliament building there were only two other people in our group. 

Edinburgh

Last week Ben and I took a weekend trip to Edinburgh. I did a lot of research into things to do and see but there was one small factor I didn't take into account. We had no idea that the England v Scotland 6 nations rugby match was also the same weekend. Apparently this rugby tournament is (and I quote a colleague) 'The super bowl of rugby'. So things got a bit crowded, and the weather wasn't cooperating for part of the trip, but we still managed to have a memorable time. 

Oxford

Last Saturday Lisa and I headed to Oxford for the day. Oxford is only an hour and a half away from London by train. We planned out our day so we could see all the things we wanted to see. First stop was the Bodleian Library. Three fun facts about this library; 1. It is one of the oldest libraries in Europe opening in 1602. 2. It is the second biggest library in Britain (after the British Library in London) with a collection of over 12 million items 3. The divinity school was used for several scenes in the harry potter films! Because this library is actively in use you can't just walk around. There are several different tour options, but for £1 you can see the divinity school unguided. 

Brugge

On our latest adventure Ben and I headed to Belgium. We took the Sunday afternoon train from St. Pancras and were eating mussels and fries for dinner. We stayed in an awesome airbnb right in the heart of Brussels. For our first whole day in Belgium we caught a train to Brugge. It is one of the most charming towns we have ever ben to. 

Strawberry Hill House

Strawberry Hill house is splendid example of Georgian Gothic revival architecture (it said so in the brochure). It also inspired the first gothic novel The Castle of Otranto. The house itself if full of wonders and oddities but when we went there was a special exhibit of sculptures by Laura Ford. I think the pictures really speak for themselves...

Jerash

For my birthday Ben and I went to Jerash. An ancient city with a history that goes back to 7000 B.C. It was conquered by the Romans 63 B.C. and inhabited until a strong earthquake destroyed a large portion of the city in the 8th century A.D.  This is one of the best preserved Roman cities in the Near East and the size of the site as well as the preservation of the standing structures was epic. 

Hadrian's Arch. This is the entrance to the ancient site.