On two consecutive afternoons, I was able to enjoy the scenery of the Nile from the top deck of my Egyptian riverboat.
On the way back to Aswan from Abu Simbel, we made a quick stop at the Aswan Dam. The dam, which was completed in 1970, controls the flow of the Nile, prevents the annual floods, and provides electricity to millions of Egyptians.
On no sleep, I left the Egyptian riverboat and entered the minibus at 4am. It was a bumpy three hour ride from Aswan to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Abu Simbel and I barely got a chance to sleep on the way.
My favorite temple in Egypt by far is the Philae Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site along with Abu Simbel. For me, it had everything – a picture-perfect peaceful setting on a small island, the sun was hitting it at just the right angle, and (luckily) there were no other tourists but our group. The fact you have to take a pleasant boat ride to it made it even more appealing. I wish I had more time to enjoy the scenery, but my hour and a half spent there was perfect.
My short stay in Aswan was only experienced from the Egyptian riverboat. The tour group was taken to many places near the city, including the Philae Temple and Abu Simbel, but we didn’t really get to see the city itself.
Our group had just seen the Pyramids of Giza, but where did the idea for the pyramids come from? Saqqara, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The tour bus left our hotel in the morning. It was just a 15 minute ride to the Pyramids of Giza. I was still sleepy since I had just checked out of my room and piled all of my things into one of the “community rooms” reserved for people on the tour.
Alexandria. I like saying it. Probably because it’s a mysterious city I’ve heard so much about in history class, reading history books, and because I’m Greek. It’s a great city near and dear to the hearts of Greeks, with several songs and poems written about it. A city founded by Alexander the Great and from where Cleopatra seduced the Rome. And just like Constantinople (now Istanbul) and Smyrna (now Izmir), many lament having to leave it behind. For these reasons, I had to pay a visit.
On my 2nd day in Egypt, I visited Dahshur and Memphis. I woke up, had a quick breakfast, and headed for the lobby of the hotel. Bishoy, my guide for the day, introduced himself and escorted me to a decrepit old van. The driver was great, but the fumes from the van were making me a little sick.