PYRAMIDS – A ROOM WITH A VIEW

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Brigitte Nioche

On my first visit to Cairo we had lunch in a restaurant just in front of the Pyramids. I don’t remember what I ate, I was mesmerized. There,  just in front of me were the Pyramids! The restaurant is in the Mena House, a beautiful hotel built in 1869.
After lunch I went to the reception and asked for their brochure. While tucking it into my bag I told myself  that one day I will come to stay here. I did in February of 2012, for 5 days. It stretched my budget a little, but what is money compared to sleeping in the shadow of the Pyramids?

I arrived at night, 11.30 pm. I had been promised a room with a view of the Pyramids. When I came to my room and stepped onto the balcony, there was just darkness.

“Where are the Pyramids?” I asked the young man who had brought my luggage. Pointing into the dark, he said, “Right there.”

“But I can’t see anything!”

“You will in the morning,” he assured me. I was not convinced.  How can something so big not be visible, even in the dark?

I did not sleep much that night. I got up several times and when finally there was a glimmer of daylight – two enormous shapes emerged from the darkness. This has happened every morning since 2560 B.C. when the biggest, and the first of the three Pyramids of the Giza Plateau was finished.

It was built  for Pharaoh Khufu (also called Cheops).It took 23 years to complete. And NO it was not built by slaves. Modern Egyptologists and historians believe that it took about 20,000 people to build the Great Pyramid. They were farmers and villagers who gathered at Giza to work for their god kings, which they believed would also ensure their own afterlife.

Khufu was one of the most famous pharaohs of Ancient Egypt.  It is surprising, therefore,  that, besides his tomb, the Great Pyramid at Giza, all we have of him is a small statue, 3″ tall. It was found in Abydos. His name, written on the back of it, confirms that it is Khufu. It is now in the Cairo Museum. If you want to see it, you really have to look for it because it is in a dark, obscure case, not prominently displayed – but what else, besides the biggest pyramid ever built, do you need to be remembered?

Giza’s Pyramid Complex is more than just Khufu’s pyramid. There is the pyramid of Khafre, Khufu’s son, as well as his son’s Menkaure, and lots of smaller ones which were built for royal wifes and other family members.

The highlight of my visits to Egypt is spending time at the Giza Plateau. The enormity of  it all and its endurance for more than 5000 years make me feel humble, and I feel like I have come home.

On my last evening  I ordered room service because I did not want to waste the last chance to enjoy my room with a view. — and when I left the next morning I put the two roses I had received when I arrived, on the balcony. It was my way of saying ‘thank you.’

The Egyptian writer Ibn Fadlallah Al-Umari (1301 – 1349) described the Secret of the Pyramids this way     

All things fear Time, but Time fears the Pyramids                                                                                          

More from Egypt soon                                                                                             

Brigitte                                               

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TUTANKHAMUN VISITING PARIS

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Brigitte Nioche

If you can’t make it to Egypt to see Tutankhamun, maybe you can make it to Paris?

 A new exposition, charmingly called “Smiles of Egypt” (Sourires d’Egypt) is showing the treasures and lifestyle of Tutankhamun. You can find it at the Porte de Versailles, and for more information and details go to

www.toutankhamon-expo.fr

P.S. If you wonder about the different spelling  of his name in the link, remember the French do things differently! It is the French way to spell his name.

More from Egypt soon

                                          Brigitte

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FELUCCAS – CRUISING ON THE NILE –

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Brigitte Nioche

A Felucca is a fast, narrow sailing ship which was used  in the Mediterranean and by the Ancient Egyptians. It is made of wood and counts on the wind to move it up and down the Nile.

Today motor boats have replaced many of them, but in the areas of Aswan and Luxor the Feluccas still show the tourists how it used to be. In Cairo too it is still possible to rent a Felucca and look at the city from the Nile

Just before leaving for Egypt I had seen the movie “Cairo Winds” where a handsome Egyptian man took the his leading lady on a Felucca trip while the sun was shining down on their romance. Now I was in Cairo – alone.

It was my last day, a cold, rainy March afternoon  and I could not wait for either the handsome Egyptian man or the sunshine. There was a marina across from the hotel, and I booked an hour ride for $15. I was the only passenger, and the old man in charge of the boat pushed off, after he had made sure I was comfortably seated.

He was barefoot and poorly dressed. In his broken English he told me that he came from Aswan and that he was in Cairo to make some money for his family still living there.

“I sleep on boat” he explained “man owns boat is afraid for boat, so I look.”

Suddenly it started to rain.  He rolled out the roof and said, “No good day for boat. ” He was right, but I did not let it spoil my trip with the felucca. I listened  carefully to the old man’s explanations as we went along.

When I gave him some money at the end of our trip, he asked, “Do you have less big money?” I understood why when he said, “Because boss will take it, when little I can give half only.”

Well, life is not like the movies and when at the end I shook his hand and looked at his kind face – I had forgotten about the handsome Egyptian man or the sunshine.

More from Egypt soon

                                  Brigitte

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CAIRO’S ROOF TOPS

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Brigitte Nioche

On my first visit to Cairo, I arrived around 5 pm, the drive from the airport through snail paced traffic gave me plenty of time to look around. Looking up at the buildings around us, there were many mushroom looking shapes peeking over each roof.

When I asked our driver what it was, he explained  “They are Satellite Dishes, and every family living in the building has their own.” This explained why the roofs were overloaded with them.

When I came to my hotel, the Hilton downtown,  and I stepped out onto the balcony, which was higher than many of the buildings around us –  this is what I saw.

Not only were there Satellite Dishes, but the roofs were covered with garbage, including old furniture, and anything which must have been difficult to dispose of otherwise. But what is there to do when you live in a city where regular garbage collection is not part of daily life?

More from Egypt soon

                                      Brigitte

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CAMELS – A PLACE TO SLEEP

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Brigitte Nioche

Yes, this man is sleeping on the job? He is one of the policemen stationed near the Pyramids to protect them – well, lucky for the Pyramids the camel is very alert!

Sitting on a camel is not very comfortable. I did it years ago. The ride  was bumpy and rough, and I was not sure the camel would not lose me. It didn’t. We made it back to its owner, but since then I only look at them. Most of the time they are docile, but when they are not, they spit, or try to bite. And they don’t smell too good when you get close – but having said all these unkind things about the camel, the truth is, it is hard to imagine life in the Middle East without the help of the camel. They provide their owners with five important necessities;

TRANSPORT- carrying their belongings or the owners themselves through the  desert for many days without needing food or water.

MEAT  – their meat is very low in cholesterol and can be eaten by Muslims

MILK – for the Desert Nomad Tribes it was whole food and they needed nothing else for up to six months

SKIN – the skin of the animal was used to make tents

WOOL – the high quality fiber of their hair was woven and made into rugs and clothing.

A camel can live up to 50 years. It eats just about anything; meat or vegetables, sweet or salty; drinks fresh or salty water, and it can absorb 30 gallons of water in 10 minutes.

When you go to a super market today, there is camel milk on the shelves.  I was curious to know what it was like and bought some. It is sold in cartons just like cow milk, but the taste is not quite the same. I did not dislike it, and to the surprise of my friends I drank the whole quart.

Visiting the Middle East today, it is not easy to see camels.  In the United Arab Emirates we went to visit a farm where they are raised. In Morocco I saw none.

And in Egypt I only saw them around the Pyramids where – besides helping the police – they are all dressed up waiting for the tourists.

If you ever have the chance to take a ride on a camel’s hump, don’t let me deter you, everyone should try it once.

More from Egypt soon

                                    Brigitte

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BREAD – THE STAPLE OF EGYPTIAN LIFE

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Brigitte Nioche

The most potent symbol of Egyptian Life is Bread. They call it Aish Baladi, pocket bread, and it looks like the Pita Bread we can buy here. But it is a little bigger and the texture is lighter, and very fluffy.

I had the chance to taste it, coming right out of the oven, when we stopped in front of a bakery in a small village. And don’t let the look of the bakery fool you – it was delicious and needed nothing on it or with it.

Before it goes into the oven to be backed it has to rise and what better way is there than putting it into the sun until it is ready to go into the oven.

There have been revolutions in many countries because of the price of bread, or the shortage of bread, and Egypt would be no exception. Therefore, the Egyptian government  subsidizes it – so at the moment 10 loaves cost about 8 cents.  

Once Egypt was the breadbasket of the Eastern Mediterranean, but today it has to import wheat, and the United States is its biggest supplier.

Whenever you see long lines of people waiting, it is in front of a bakery. They wait for the bread to be baked. The reason they are there early is because whatever the baker can produce with his allotment  of 25 pound bags of flour per day, might not serve everybody.

On the Islamic Walk in Cairo we saw a man on a bicycle delivering a lot of bread to somebody who did not have to stay in line.

More from Egypt soon

                                     Brigitte

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GIZA AND THE PERFUME PALACE

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Brigitte Nioche

Giza brings up images of the Pyramids –  and yes, that is why the world goes to Giza. But there is a treasure,  especially for women, which  after the visit to the Pyramids, no one should miss. It is the Al Amir’s Perfume Palace.

Before leaving for Egypt two of my friends asked me to bring back some Perfume Oil. One wanted Queen of the Nile and the other loves Aattar of Roses. They told me that I can find it in the Bazaar, but when I showed my shopping list to my friend Abdul he shook his head and said: “What you find in the bazaar comes from China and is artificial. Let me take you to a place where they have the real thing.”

So after the visit to the Sphinx we went to the Al Amir Perfume Palace. A large, two-story building decorated with tiles, and the windows were filled with beautiful Perfume bottles, from very large to very small. These bottles are hand blown by artisans who greet you on the ground floor, before you walk up to the first floor, where the perfume is.

Mr. Fayed, a good-looking older gentlemen. met us. He is the owner and runs his Palace with his sons, since many, many years. When we were seated in red velvet armchairs, tea was served and Mr Fayed told us, “We have our own flower fields outside of Cairo, and our natural oils are made from the pedals of the flowers we grow there including. of course roses.” And to emphasize the quality of his products, he went on, “We also send a lot of our essence to Grasse in France” (the Mecca of Perfume).

On the wall hang a photo of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell taken during their visit of the PerfumePalace. Mr. Fayed told us that they had visited a few years ago and had bought many different oils for their many friends in the United States. I had only two friend to buy for and after he had filled the bottles and put them in pretty little boxes it was time to pick out my scent.

It was a pleasure and a challenge, because the choices were 16 Essences of Flower Perfumes,  with names like Jasmin, Papyrus, Nile Flower, and 22 Blends,  called Queen Hatshipsut, Christmas Night, Arabian Night, Five Secret, Nefertiti, and of course Queen Cleopatra was there. The  9 Spice Scents had names like Antique Amber, Musk, Sandelwood, and Ambar Kashmir. On the back of the list of products, it mentioned the different effects and benefits these oils can have –  I thought the following advice might be useful, ‘Musk Oil is good for fertility and has a positive role in sex.’

No. I did not choose ‘Musk!’ I picked ‘Lotus Flower’ – but whatever your preference might be, visiting  Mr Fayed in his Perfume Palace is a moment you won’t forget.

More from Egypt soon

                                            Brigitte

Prices were calculated by the size of the bottle, not the scent. A bottle of about 2 oz.  cost $60.

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CAIRO – EATING A PIGEON

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Brigitte Nioche

                                  

                        157 –  26 July Street, Cairo 1111 – tel. +-20227359640

If you don’t know what Abou El Sid is and you can’t read the  signs written in Arabic, it is hard to know that the two huge doors, which could have been the entrance to a monastery, were hiding  a restaurant that made me think of Thousand and One Night when I walked in.

There was no day light, just a soft glow from the oriental lamps hanging over the bar, and a woman was singing a melancholic song. My friend, Abdul explained that she had been a very famous singer in the 1950s, and that her songs were still being played today.

When he  ordered our lunch,  “Hamam Mahsky” I had no idea what he had asked for; but soon two pigeons arrived.

Just when I was picking up my knife and fork, my friend said, “No, no put that down, and pick the pigeon up with your hands.” I did and watched him dug his teeth into the little stuffed bird, saying, “You see this way the stuffing won’t fall out.” The stuffing was rice, deliciously seasoned with different herbs. Not being an expert like my friend, I did lose some of the stuffing, but he reassured me, “For a beginner you did well.” He also told me that this was the meal his mother prepared on Sundays, or for speceial occasions, “She had to make about 15 – 20 because we are a big family.”

It is not a dish that you can find in many restaurant, but if you are in Cairo and would like to taste this Egyptian Speciality go to Abou El Sid, you won’t be disappointed, neither by the Hamam Mahsky – nor by the truly Egyptian ambiance.

More from Egypt soon

                                   Brigitte

Posted in Cairo, Egypt, Restaurants. Dining, Tourism, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

CAIRO – DINING WITH A PACHA

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Brigitte Nioche

No, it is not just a name. It all started a long time ago with a real Pacha from Upper Egypt. who dreamed of having a floating palace on the Nile to live out his remaining years. Determined to fulfill his dream, the Pacha ordered plans from the best naval architects and he began collecting treasures and masterpieces to adorn his Palace. Contruction started in 1887.

In 1901 the Pacha passed away without having fulfilled his dream. He left his estate to his two daughters who chose to live in their Cairo mansion. They abandoned the unfinished boat in Upper Egypt.

Nearly a  century later, an explorer discovered the partially sunken boat along the bangs of the Nile. He fell in love with the majesty and luxury of the ship which he could still envision through the layers of mud and dust. Finally after 10 years of searching for the owners of the wreck, he bought and refurbished it. Added two more decks and named the reborn boat Le Pacha 1901. 

Anchored on the banks of the Nile, in walking distance from the Cairo Tower , it has over the last 20 years hosted guests and dignitaries from all over the world. It has 10 restaurants and 3 banquet ballrooms, catering to different tastes – Italian, Far East, French, Indian, English and of course there is the Egyptian Restaurant, where I had lunch.The meal was delicious, and looking out over the Nile adds to the taste of the food.

So when you are in  Cairo don’t forget to dine with the Pacha.

More about restaurants in Cairo soon

                                                                Brigitte

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CAIRO – THERE IS MORE THAN TAHRIR SQAURE

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Brigitte Nioche

Since the revolution in January of 2011 the pictures of Tahrir Square have become the image of Cairo for the world.  But during my recent visit I found a different Cairo. A peaceful Cairo where people go about their daily life, and don’t think of Tahrir Square. 

I visited a supermarket, which was as modern and as well stocked as here. I took the subway – the first few cars are only for women, but nobody stopped me when I went into the one for men. People were as anxious to get to where they want to go, as in any subway in the world.(Until November 2011, when Algiers Metro began service, Egypt had been the only country on the African continent to have a subway).

I went shopping – yes, I am a good tourist I alway buy lots of things – to the famous Khan El-Khalili, called the Khan. No, it is not only for tourists, locals shop here too.

What did I buy? A beautiful antique silver and turquoise bracelet and ring, three leather puffs, for which I have trouble finding enough newspaper to stuff them with; lots of little camels made from camel skin and fur for souvenirs and of course scarabs to bring me luck and protect me!

Mui’z street which is part of this quarter, is also called Islamic walk. It once was Cairo’s main street, but today it is known for its Islamic and Medieval monuments, surrounded by small stalls and stores.

The tower at the end is a Sabil or Fountain. They were built by wealthy citizens to provide water for the poor

Some street are very narrow, but still people have stores there. live there and even dry their laundry, as you can see on the picture below

Cairo has several nicknames: Mother of the World, Capital of the Arab World and the city of a Thousand Minarets. One of these minarets belongs to the Mosque of AL RIFA’I, where the Shah of Iran found his last resting place, close to the tomb of King Farouk. You might not know,  but they were once brother-in-laws. The Shah of Iran had married King Farouk’s sister Fawzia. She was his first wife.

The Mosque on the right is the Al Rifa’i mosque and the one on the left is the Mosque Madrassa of Sultan Hassan – their magnitude and closeness increases the overwhelming feeling of power and authority

From the Cairo Tower, a landmark built in 1961 (187 meter high) you look down on the streets and buildings of this fascinating city and you can see how the Nile winds its way through and around this city and how much it is part of it.

I know that during my visit to Cairo, I just saw a small part of it, but it was enough to show me that there is so much more to Cairo than Tahrir Square.

More from Egypt soon

                                         Brigitte

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