Egypt and Jordan: it was truly amaazing!
Jun 26th, 2023, 10:13 AM
#281
Original Poster
Coptic Quarter
Ruins of the Babylon Fortress, built on an old Egyptian town of the same name
Entrance to the “Hanging Church”
Line to the “Hanging Church”
“Hanging Church”
Coptic Museum entrance
Fabulous woodwork
Gorgeous painted ceilings
Ancient jigsaw puzzle?
Walking through the Coptic Quarter
The crypt where the Holy family is said to have rested during their journey to Egypt
Ruins of the Babylon Fortress, built on an old Egyptian town of the same name
Entrance to the “Hanging Church”
Line to the “Hanging Church”
“Hanging Church”
Coptic Museum entrance
Fabulous woodwork
Gorgeous painted ceilings
Ancient jigsaw puzzle?
Walking through the Coptic Quarter
The crypt where the Holy family is said to have rested during their journey to Egypt
Jun 26th, 2023, 10:30 AM
#283
Original Poster
And the National Museum of Civilization
(no photos of the mummies allowed!)
The wonderful new museum, National Museum of Egyptian Civilization
Akhenaten, ancient Egyptian pharaoh who abandoned the tradition of worshipping multiple gods and shifted to a monotheistic practice, moving the capital city to Amarna for this new religion. The practice was abandoned after his death.
Hmm, possible relation? King Fouad, grandson of Muhammad Ali Pasha, was the first king of Egypt following its independence from Great Britain.
(no photos of the mummies allowed!)
The wonderful new museum, National Museum of Egyptian Civilization
Akhenaten, ancient Egyptian pharaoh who abandoned the tradition of worshipping multiple gods and shifted to a monotheistic practice, moving the capital city to Amarna for this new religion. The practice was abandoned after his death.
Hmm, possible relation? King Fouad, grandson of Muhammad Ali Pasha, was the first king of Egypt following its independence from Great Britain.
Last edited by progol; Jun 26th, 2023 at 10:32 AM.
Jun 27th, 2023, 10:00 AM
#289
Original Poster
The GEM isn't open yet but it'll be near the pyramids and will be the glitziest display of ancient Egyptian artifacts in a very modern designed building. This is the biggie that's been in the works for who knows how long. I didn't mean to suggest that this museum is open. I was just as glad that it still wasn't open because we wouldn't have enjoyed the experience as we were really exhausted by the end of the trip. It seems to have some very limited tours of a few spaces but not the galleries, which won't be open until the museum is officially open. You can see the Grand Hall, the commercial area and some exterior gardens. They are saying that it "should" be open by the end of 2023. They were saying that it would be open by November 2022 a year ago! At least the building is there!
https://www.visit-gem.com/en/home
Last edited by progol; Jun 27th, 2023 at 10:32 AM.
Jun 27th, 2023, 10:01 AM
#290
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Jun 27th, 2023, 10:11 AM
#291
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Dual moustaches--great idea!
Suggested listening: any CD by the legendary chanteuse (various spellings) 'Um Kalthoum', the pride of Egypt especially for older generations.
Progol, what souvenirs did you folks bring back? Have these been photographed for us to see?
I am done. the sand
Suggested listening: any CD by the legendary chanteuse (various spellings) 'Um Kalthoum', the pride of Egypt especially for older generations.
Progol, what souvenirs did you folks bring back? Have these been photographed for us to see?
I am done. the sand
Jun 27th, 2023, 10:37 AM
#292
Original Poster
Dual moustaches--great idea!
Suggested listening: any CD by the legendary chanteuse (various spellings) 'Um Kalthoum', the pride of Egypt especially for older generations.
Progol, what souvenirs did you folks bring back? Have these been photographed for us to see?
I am done. the sand
Suggested listening: any CD by the legendary chanteuse (various spellings) 'Um Kalthoum', the pride of Egypt especially for older generations.
Progol, what souvenirs did you folks bring back? Have these been photographed for us to see?
I am done. the sand
We aren't big shoppers -- and I mean that in several ways. We don't shop a lot, but when we do, things have to be small to fit into a small NYC apartment! I'll do what I can to create a product shot when I'm done with this, okay?
I will definitely look for and listen to your recommended chanteuse - thank you for the recommendation!
Jun 27th, 2023, 11:23 AM
#293
Original Poster
Tuesday November 15
Our last full day in Egypt - the Egyptian museum.
Once again, we were picked up by the wonderful team, Shereen and Omar. Getting into the downtown area was a challenge! Traffic - zachma! - is awful. Finally, we were dropped off at Tahrir Square, also known as “Martyr Square”, the center for many of the major protests over the years, including the 2011 Egyptian revolution and resignation of Mubarak. We saw nothing of this nature today - just traffic!
And finally, the Egyptian Museum. A few words about the anticipated opening of the GEM (Grand Egyptian Museum), the new, ultra-modern and apparently very glitzy museum that has yet to officially open in Giza…I had planned our trip with the intention of visiting the GEM as it was supposed to open in November 2022. Honestly, by the end of the trip, I was relieved that it hadn’t opened. I couldn’t see traveling back to Giza (a bit of a schlep from Cairo) and I wasn’t up for seeing a HUGE NEW MUSEUM which will undoubtedly be very popular for a long time to come. It looks like it will be a remarkable experience, but honestly, we loved the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and were very happy with what we saw.
The Egyptian Museum in Cairo is dated, but well laid out, with so many important artifacts, beginning with the beautiful Narmer Palette. There was so much, and my understanding is still so limited, but we were both completely overwhelmed (in a good way) and felt the museum really tied up our trip beautifully. We both appreciated the artifacts and felt a connection to them having seen so much on our journey. I was glad we saw both this and the NMEC at the end of the trip.
The standouts for me were:
-The Narmer Palette
-Artwork from Ahkehnhaten and many of his statues
-King Tut’s artifacts (the gold!)
-A Ramses II statue
-A large painted head of Hapshetsut from her funerary temple
-and so much more!
After the Egyptian Museum, I had hoped to return to the souks and do some souvenir shopping, but the traffic, once again, foiled my plans. Really, we could’ve done it, but it was too much of a headache and I just suggested that we forget it. M then suggested that Omar drop me at the Fair Trade Egypt shop in Zamalek that I’d wanted to visit - a perfect solution! Fair Trade Egypt is a non-profit group of mostly female artisans from around Egypt and the shop sells their handmade goods. Since M wasn’t at all interested in shopping, we were both happy. Shereen accompanied me and we both had fun shopping. It’s not a fancy place, but a nice selection of things to bring home as gifts.
Zamalek is a wonderful area to stay. Part of it is very upscale with wealthy homes and many embassies. There is also a large student population and the streets are busy, with art galleries and lots of restaurants. We had dinner at a highly recommended restaurant called O’s Pasta — which was okay, though not great, but it was a welcome change after more than 3 weeks of Egyptian and Jordanian food.
And then…back to the hotel to pack up and get ready to leave tomorrow— we’re getting picked up at noon for our 4pm flight to Vienna (a not bad way to make the transition home!).
Our last full day in Egypt - the Egyptian museum.
Once again, we were picked up by the wonderful team, Shereen and Omar. Getting into the downtown area was a challenge! Traffic - zachma! - is awful. Finally, we were dropped off at Tahrir Square, also known as “Martyr Square”, the center for many of the major protests over the years, including the 2011 Egyptian revolution and resignation of Mubarak. We saw nothing of this nature today - just traffic!
And finally, the Egyptian Museum. A few words about the anticipated opening of the GEM (Grand Egyptian Museum), the new, ultra-modern and apparently very glitzy museum that has yet to officially open in Giza…I had planned our trip with the intention of visiting the GEM as it was supposed to open in November 2022. Honestly, by the end of the trip, I was relieved that it hadn’t opened. I couldn’t see traveling back to Giza (a bit of a schlep from Cairo) and I wasn’t up for seeing a HUGE NEW MUSEUM which will undoubtedly be very popular for a long time to come. It looks like it will be a remarkable experience, but honestly, we loved the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and were very happy with what we saw.
The Egyptian Museum in Cairo is dated, but well laid out, with so many important artifacts, beginning with the beautiful Narmer Palette. There was so much, and my understanding is still so limited, but we were both completely overwhelmed (in a good way) and felt the museum really tied up our trip beautifully. We both appreciated the artifacts and felt a connection to them having seen so much on our journey. I was glad we saw both this and the NMEC at the end of the trip.
The standouts for me were:
-The Narmer Palette
-Artwork from Ahkehnhaten and many of his statues
-King Tut’s artifacts (the gold!)
-A Ramses II statue
-A large painted head of Hapshetsut from her funerary temple
-and so much more!
After the Egyptian Museum, I had hoped to return to the souks and do some souvenir shopping, but the traffic, once again, foiled my plans. Really, we could’ve done it, but it was too much of a headache and I just suggested that we forget it. M then suggested that Omar drop me at the Fair Trade Egypt shop in Zamalek that I’d wanted to visit - a perfect solution! Fair Trade Egypt is a non-profit group of mostly female artisans from around Egypt and the shop sells their handmade goods. Since M wasn’t at all interested in shopping, we were both happy. Shereen accompanied me and we both had fun shopping. It’s not a fancy place, but a nice selection of things to bring home as gifts.
Zamalek is a wonderful area to stay. Part of it is very upscale with wealthy homes and many embassies. There is also a large student population and the streets are busy, with art galleries and lots of restaurants. We had dinner at a highly recommended restaurant called O’s Pasta — which was okay, though not great, but it was a welcome change after more than 3 weeks of Egyptian and Jordanian food.
And then…back to the hotel to pack up and get ready to leave tomorrow— we’re getting picked up at noon for our 4pm flight to Vienna (a not bad way to make the transition home!).
Last edited by progol; Jun 27th, 2023 at 11:41 AM.
. It truly was amAAzing! Thanks for sharing progol. What’s up next for you guys?
Jun 28th, 2023, 11:06 AM
#295
Original Poster
Next big trip is to Japan in the late fall…should be good, but I’ll say my heart is in Egypt still, even now, 7 months after we returned.
Jun 29th, 2023, 09:41 AM
#296
My next trip combines Egypt AND Japan. I know that sounds like and odd combination, but ...
We will fly west from Hawai and will have overnight stopovers in Tokyo in both directions. On the way back we will stay overnight in Narita then have a full day before our evening flight. We've done this before (en route to Europe) and fell in love with the temples and gardens in Narita.
I'm sure your trip will be wonderful, but a very different experience than Egypt!
We will fly west from Hawai and will have overnight stopovers in Tokyo in both directions. On the way back we will stay overnight in Narita then have a full day before our evening flight. We've done this before (en route to Europe) and fell in love with the temples and gardens in Narita.
I'm sure your trip will be wonderful, but a very different experience than Egypt!
Jun 29th, 2023, 10:13 AM
#297
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Progol,
Dunno whether a homestay might interest you two or not. But there have been a couple different Homestay organizations in Japan. That'd add a new and very different dimension to any visit there.
I am done. the sushi
Dunno whether a homestay might interest you two or not. But there have been a couple different Homestay organizations in Japan. That'd add a new and very different dimension to any visit there.
I am done. the sushi
Jun 30th, 2023, 05:53 AM
#298
Original Poster
Songdoc- Egypt AND Japan?! Wow, what a contrast in combos! We stopped in Vienna for a few days on our way home, a perfect place before we returned, but you’ve beat me in stopping in a polar opposite for a travel transition!
zebec, I’ve got our trip to Japan planned but, I’ll admit, the homestay does sound intriguing. We’re staying in a couple of lowkeyed ryokans, which will hopefully give us the traditional flavor. Arigato!
zebec, I’ve got our trip to Japan planned but, I’ll admit, the homestay does sound intriguing. We’re staying in a couple of lowkeyed ryokans, which will hopefully give us the traditional flavor. Arigato!
Jul 1st, 2023, 09:02 AM
#299
Original Poster
Our last full day in Cairo - Egyptian Museum
Narmer palette
Shereen showing details on Queen Hatshepsut’s sarcophagus
Narmer Palette (see earlier post)
King Djoser, oldest known life-size statue from ancient Egypt I’m front of blue tiles which were found in the sub-chambers of his pyramid.
King Khafre statue , about 2450BC
Khafre and Horus
Khafre closeup
Statue showing daily life in ancient Egypt
Scribe, an important role in ancient Egypt
seated statues of Rahotep and Nofret, Sneferu’s son and consort
Statue of dwarf. in the old kingdom, people with dwarfism often held high social status
Statue of Seneb and his family. Seneb was an Egyptian with dwarfism who was a priest during the 4th dynasty and held a high position in the royal court. His wife was a priestess, and she is displayed here showing affection toward her husband in the statues
Head of Hatshepsut from statue at her temple, Deir el-Bahari
(more to come soon!)
Narmer palette
Shereen showing details on Queen Hatshepsut’s sarcophagus
Narmer Palette (see earlier post)
King Djoser, oldest known life-size statue from ancient Egypt I’m front of blue tiles which were found in the sub-chambers of his pyramid.
King Khafre statue , about 2450BC
Khafre and Horus
Khafre closeup
Statue showing daily life in ancient Egypt
Scribe, an important role in ancient Egypt
seated statues of Rahotep and Nofret, Sneferu’s son and consort
Statue of dwarf. in the old kingdom, people with dwarfism often held high social status
Statue of Seneb and his family. Seneb was an Egyptian with dwarfism who was a priest during the 4th dynasty and held a high position in the royal court. His wife was a priestess, and she is displayed here showing affection toward her husband in the statues
Head of Hatshepsut from statue at her temple, Deir el-Bahari
(more to come soon!)
