Cairo

 I still find it hard to believe that I was in Tahrir Square exactly 1 year before the culmination of the Arab Spring in Egypt... The city of Cairo holds a special place in my heart as the first big trip I took with my current {travel} partner. Since then, we've been to 7 countries, 4 of the 7 continents, and seen 4 world wonders together. And it marks the beginning of my decision to travel light without compromising on my sense of style.

It was  a pretty short trip overall, with the flight and transit in Rome taking up almost half the week, but it was well worth it!

As usual, things don't always go according to plan...

DAY ONE, we decided to make the most of the day by walking around Cairo, then getting information about the Pyramids and planning that for the next day.

We wandered off to Cairo Tower which we could clearly see from our hotel balcony, and I cannot begin to tell you the excitement I felt when we reached the top and I could make out the Pyramids of Giza in the distance...

From there we decided to go to the Egyptian Museum which, we would later find out, holds ALL of the Pyramid's remaining treasures and more. Obviously the gold and jewels were fascinating, but perhaps the most impressive were the rows and rows of mummies (well, sarcophagi) that were displayed there.

From there we made our way through Tahrir Square and the streets of Cairo. The architectural details were amazing, and we were constantly surprised by beautiful buildings - seemingly imposing, but we had no idea what they were.

We were trying to find the Coptic area to visit the Hanging Church, but we somehow managed to get lost walking along the river (yes, the Nile... only one of the longest rivers in the world), we could have followed it down all the way to the Valley of the Kings! So we looped back and some very friendly kids helped us out by guiding us through the back alleys to St. George's Church and the Hanging Church.

From there, we slowly made our way back to the hotel to plan the following day.

Expect day two next week!

EXTRA INFORMATION
CAIRO TOWER
open Mon - Sun 8:00-00:00 (winter), 9:00-1:00 (summer)
fee L.E. 70

EGYPTIAN MUSEUM 
open Mon - Sun 9:00-17:00.
fee L.E. 60, mummies L.E. 100
notes: no cameras allowed inside, lockers at the gate.  

HANGING CHURCH
open Mon - Sun 9:00-17:00
free

ST. GEORGE CHURCH
open Mon - Sun 8:30-16:00
free