Day 10, 11 and 12 - Bustling Cairo and our trip home

I think the morning of our 10th day might have been the only one we experienced that was not perfect. A heavy haze was hanging over Cairo, however in it's own way, it was pretty.

After breakfast this morning, I found many wonderful surprises at the Four Seasons Hotel. They had a Murano chandelier just like the ones we saw when we traaveled through Europe in 2017. It was just beautiful.

The flowers in the lobby were also just stunning! 

This morning our group explored the Mosque and Madrasa of Sultan Hassan, built in AD 1356 and among the finest examples of early Mamluk architecture.

DW and I are "under the veil" again. LOL

Inside the mosque, there was a rug (carpet) made with the same Tabriz design as ours we purchased in Bahrain.

A Tabriz rug/carpet is a type in the general category of Persian carpets from the city of Tabriz, the capital city of East Azarbaijan Province in north west of Iran totally populated by Azerbaijanis. It is one of the oldest rug weaving centers and makes a huge diversity of types of carpets. I love the design.

After the mosque, we walked from the twin-towered Bab el-Foutouh, a fortified gate in Cairo’s Old City walls, to Khan el-Khalili Bazaar, one of the city’s major souks (open-air marketplaces). There were tightly packed stalls displaying everything from spices and leather goods to jewelry and vegetables, all on a street that has hardly changed for centuries.

Our armed guard never left our side in Cairo.

These awnings were along side a building in the market. When we first arrived they were closed but when we left, they were open.

This colorful cafe was on the edge of the souk.

While in the market place, DW and I went in search of lotus oil. 

For over 3000 years the Blue Lotus (actually a water lily) was used medicinally and spiritually by the priesthoods of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. So important was this flower, the Egyptians dedicated a god, Nefertem, to protect and care for it. Representations of Blue Lotus are carved on every temple and every tomb. Even King Tut  was found covered in the sacred flowers.

Many of the hieroglyphs we saw included the lotus flower.

There is a web site dedicated to this flower, Sacred Blue Lotus and in 2020 this group is taking a pilgrimage to Egypt focusing on saving this flower from extinction.  

The merchants were very helpful and friendly.

After a lovely send off dinner with our fellow travelers, we had the most wonderful sunset looking out over the Nile towards the Great Pyramids. It was a fitting end to a fantastic adventure.

The next morning Hubby D and I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. There was almost 12 hours before we needed to be at the airport. We joined up with PD and JD, a wonderful American couple currently living in San Miguel, Mexico who we had gotten to know on the Nile Cruise.

SIDE NOTE:  A few weeks after our return from Egypt, our new friends PD and JD came to Florida for a short visit. It was a very different experience to have gotten to know them in such a short time. It seems we all have a common passion for travel. Hubby D and I hope to travel with them again.

JD brought me Hibiscus tea. I had looked for it in the stores in Florida but could not find it. What a TREAT! 

On this last day in Cairo, the four of us set out to find Tahir Square where the riots occurred in 2011 and 2013. Unfortunately our GPS let us down – or fortunately -- as we wandered around and enjoyed the vibrant atmosphere of Cairo. On every corner there was a merchant that had a new or remodeled store they wanted to show us.

Finally we were standing in Tahrir Square,  also known as “Martyr Square.”

At the center of Tahrir Square is a large and busy traffic circle. The square borders the Nile River and the area around the square includes the Egyptian Museum, the Folklore Arts House, the Mogamma government building and the Headquarters of the Arab League.

The square was originally called "Ismailia Square" after the 19th-century ruler who commissioned the new downtown district's 'Paris on the Nile’ design. After the Egyptian Revolution of 1919, the square became widely known as Tahrir (Liberation) Square, but the square was not officially renamed until the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, which changed the Constitutional Monarchy into an Autocracy. The square was most recently a focal point for the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 and demonstrations of 2013.

The Egyptian Revolution of 2011  also known as the January 25 Revolution, started on 25 January 2011 and spread across Egypt. The date was set by various youth groups to coincide with the annual Egyptian "Police holiday" as a statement against increasing police brutality during the last few years of Hosni Mubarak's presidency. The revolution led to his resignation.



In June of 2013, while we were living in Bahrain, millions of Egyptians converged on Tahrir Square to demonstrate against the Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, demanding his resignation from office. The demonstration was reported to be the largest in modern-day history with over 33 million people in the Egyptian streets across Cairo.

After experiencing the 5,000 year old history of the Pharaohs, it felt very odd to be standing in Tahrir Square where just a very, very short time ago history was made.

Later that evening, we were back fighting the Cairo traffic heading for the airport and our flight home.

We were on a 6 lane highway and this man just walked across all the traffic.

When we checked in for our flight Hubby D saw on his boarding pass that he was singled out for extra security. As it turned out, that extra level of security was only a stop at a table for a more complete search of his carryon bag. Whew!

Flying over the Nile you can clearly see where the water has created a green oasis along the banks. Looking past this area you find only sand and desert.

LW sent me this picture of the Nile from their flight back to Bahrain.

SW and DW left us at Orlando and traveled on to Texas.

Finally a Texas size drink in the airport.

PD and JD sent me this photo as they landed in Chicago where they stopped to visit family. The snow must have been a shock after the Egyptian desert. 

We were escorted home by our Emirates driver and arrived in time for cocktails by the pool. I sent out one final text to our group that everyone had arrived at their destination safe and sound.

Cheers to another great trip!

For PD and JD this was their second trip to Egypt. When JD first told me this, I was surprised. However, now that I have experienced many of the wonders of that part of the world, I completely understand. It is so much more than you can take in and experience in one trip. Egypt was much, much more than we expected.

Adventure is where you look to find it and we definitely enjoy finding that sense of adventure when we travel. Egypt was a great adventure and one we will not soon forget.

As I have said many times --
Remember, life is short so dance often!

Cheers,
Brenda

We had many beautiful sunsets on the Nile. It was just fabulous!

To Space and Beyond

Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11 atop a Saturn V rocket, the mission to walk on the moon. Hubby D and I were fortunate to be able to attend the sold out gala celebration at the Saturn V Rocket exhibit at Kennedy Space Center hosted by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation and the Aldrin Family Foundation.

The event was not held without controversy. Apparently the Aldrin Family Foundation was recently dropped a lawsuit against Buzz Aldrin who they claim has dementia. The dispute puts a spotlight on guardianship issues.

Last night’s gala falls in the middle of a "Celebrating Apollo" weekend on the Space Coast, which included an astronaut parade in Cocoa Beach with all the astronauts riding in legendary corvettes.

Both Hubby D and I are big fans of space travel. Living here on the “Space Coast” we are able to be close to the action. We can watch rocket launches from our front yard. Every once in a while we even go out to the beach to the rockets soar out over the ocean.

Look closely and you can see the reflection of the rocket launch in the water to the right of LW. 

This was a recording of a rocket launch taken from our driveway. If you are reading this in an email, you will need to go to my blog to view the video.  

Grandson LW wanted to be an astronaut for Halloween last year. He told us when he was only 3 years old that he wanted to grow up to be an astronaut. However, he insists that he will fly into outer space in a space ship that is “not broken.” Apparently he thinks when they take off with flames coming out the back, they are broken.

For many months after Halloween, he would wear his astronaut space suite every day. It was just too cute.



Last night started early as we needed to arrive at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) at 5PM to travel to the Saturn V hanger from KSC in a bus.

Notice the new shades? They were a gift from Revo and part of our swag bag for the event.

Space goodies!

As we traveled to the Saturn V hanger, Hubby D and I were visiting with other celebrants on the bus and discovered we were sitting next to the sculptor of the new bronze statue depicting the Apolo 11 astronauts, Mark Lundeen.



Mark joined us for this photo with him in front of his masterpiece.

Rocket Mortgage commissioned the sculpture and while we were admiring the statue, we also met the gentleman who worked to secure that partnership. Steven Barber has made six documentaries since 2009 and has a real passion for Apollo 11.

Behind us on the bus was a couple, Sharon and Marc Hagle who have donated to the Aldrin Family Foundation and also formed a foundation of their own, Spacekids Global. Their mission is to support STEAM education from Pre K- 5th by generating excitement for space exploration and technology.

It was a very exciting evening with plenty of celebrities and talk about space. Great fun!

Stading under the Saturn V rocket engines is one of Hubby D's favorite selfie shots.

This photo was taken as they were getting ready to assemble the rocket for launch in 1969.

Al Roker was the Master of Ceremonies.

A panel of astronauts and others involved with Apollo V talked about their memories of the mission. It was very interesting to see these legends on person. 

The Saturn V hall was all decked out for the event.

The new exhibit of the moon landing module was impressive.

Just a quick note for those who enjoy an update on my family. Grandson BSJ is doing fantastic in his new IT job and granddaughter MVL started her engineering career in Dallas all settled into her new apartment. Grandson MB is on a traveling baseball team and having a terrific summer traveling all over Oregon and competing. Whew! Are we having fun yet?  YOU BET!

MB in action.

LW in action.

Celebrating our 38th wedding anniversary in the pool.

LW and Papa (Hubby D) celebrating the 4th of July in our pool. 

We made a quick visit to our condo in Vero Beach and saw these turtle tracks on the beach.

It has been a busy summer and we are only half way through. Cheers!

Brenda