One of the best ways to escape the hustle and bustle of Cairo is to enjoy a ride on a felucca on the Nile River. These sailboats have been used for transportation for hundreds of years in the region and are still quite popular today, although mainly for tourists. There are plenty of other tour boats that you can take, but if you want a truly relaxing experience, then a felucca is the best choice. It takes skill to navigate the river using these unique sails, especially since they are at the mercy of the wind.
Feluccas on the NileOur CaptainLooking Up at the SailsMotorized Tour BoatFeluccas at Sunset
One of the most popular times to sail on a felucca is at sunset, both because of the beautiful scenery as well as the winds are usually stronger as the sun goes down. It is also one of the busiest times on the river as the dinner cruise ships join all of the other tour boats. Getting out on the river is also an excellent way to beat the heat of Cairo. We do not always do the touristy things, but sailing on a felucca is something that is worth taking a couple of hours of your time in Cairo to do.
Cairo Tower from the RiverView from the FeluccaLots of Boats on the RiverAnother Felucca Heading Our WayRelaxing View
We wish that we could talk about all of the unique foods that we discovered while we were in Egypt, but the reality is that we didn’t get too many opportunities. Our first four days were spent on a cruise ship going down the Nile river and all of our meals were provided for us. The food was extremely good, but except for one dinner that focused on Egyptian food, it was pretty generic. We did go out to a couple of local restaurants while we were in Cairo, but we actually found the choices to be somewhat limiting. Our hotel had several restaurants, so we did try a variety of foods at the end of the day after our tours completed, but they were somewhat international in nature. We always try to eat local food whenever possible, so we took advantage of the few opportunities that we had.
Street Café with Roasted MeatsBuffet on the Cruise ShipDips and VegetablesFood in the Hotel RestaurantEating on the Ship
We were there just a couple of days before the start of Ramadan, which was fortunate since all of the local restaurants basically close while everyone fasts. One of the things that ate that we really enjoyed was mixed grill, which included beef, chicken, and vegetables. We also enjoyed the wonderful breads along with sesame dips and baba ghanoush, which is made with eggplant and tahini. In general, we didn’t find the food to be as exotic as some of the other places that we have visited. If we had to describe Egyptian food in general it would be that it is mostly based on breads and vegetables.
White BeansIndian CurryMixed GrillBaba Ghanoush and Yogurt Dip with Marinated VegetablesCoffee House in a Market
Although alcohol is not consumed by a majority of people in Egypt, they did have local red and white wine that was actually quite good. We also found a nice lager that was brewed in Egypt that was very refreshing, especially when returning from our tours in the heat of the desert. Of course we also had hibiscus juice and tea as well, which was refreshing as well. There are plenty of coffee houses with really strong, espresso style coffee, and plenty of people smoking shisha (hookah) pipes. One thing that was hard to get used to was the public acceptance of smoking in restaurants. Not only will you find an ashtray on your table, you will likely be surrounded by people smoking cigarettes wherever you go to eat, including the international hotel restaurants.
Egyptian LagerEgyptian WineSimple SoupShisha Pipes for SaleLamb Chops
In this digital age, we actually still are fans of owning physical books that we can open and read. Throughout history, the sharing of stories by writing them down has been an important part of preserving knowledge about the cultures that they represent. To some extent, everyone who has a web site and shares their stories is continuing in this same tradition, but obviously on a grander scale in this world where we are all connected electronically. One of the things that we find fascinating is when we come across an ancient text during our travels. Whether it is the Book of Kells in Ireland, papyrus hieroglyphs in Cairo, or just an ancient bible in a church, seeing the care given to these books and manuscripts is an important reminder of how much respect needs to be given to what has been written by our ancestors.
Ancient Bible in a Church in CairoLibrary at Trinity College in DublinWritings and Books in the Sigmund Freud MuseumWriting on Papyrus in the Cairo MuseumHistoric Books in a ChurchMore Papyrus WritingsPeople Enjoying the Trinity College LibraryAncient BibleMore from Freud
