Best of Egypt

The largest concentration of people and important cities in the country is along the Nile River. This river has been the most important epicenter of life and development of many civilizations in Egypt. We really enjoyed the contrast of green scenery and fresh breeze versus the dessert and heat that is experience around the great Nile. Our days in Egypt were enhanced by their culture, history, and cuisine. The friendly spirit of the locals was a persistent source of joy, especially away from tourist attractions. As we were traveling through the Nile on a ferry coming from Sudan, we engaged in conversations with many passengers and crew members. One of them, after finding out that we are a married couple, joked with Sal about giving him five camels, one donkey, and one crocodile in exchange for Gisela. Egyptian food was a pleasure to eat. We love their fresh salads, bread, tahina, falafel, meats, and tea that the locals commonly drink at any time of day regardless of the heat. We visited excellent museums and learned a lot about the different empires that controlled this country since the very beginning of human kind: the Nubians, Egyptians, Romans, Coptics (Orthodox Christians), and Muslims. A trip through Egypt is a canvas through history, because this land has been painted by different civilizations, languages, and religions. The walls and structures of their multiple historic sites and temples tell the story of 31 Pharaonic dynasties and empires that subsequently conquer the country. We were intrigued by hieroglyphic writing and their beautiful symbolism. We visited fascinating places dating from the times of the pharaohs until most recent Islamic period, including Mt Sinai and the church of St Sergius & Bacchues where it is believed that the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus found refuge to escape the persecution of King Herod of Judea. When most people think about Egypt the first image that comes to mind are the Pyramids of Giza or the Sphinx, but if you take the time to further explore the country you will quickly realize that in terms of historic and religious sites, Egypt has a lot of other sites to see! Egypt also has wilderness and natural beauty to explore, such as scuba diving in the Red Sea which was magical.