I’ve spent much of the last week in Upper Egypt which, confusingly, is in the south of Egypt. As it was Eid on Tuesday (or Wednesday, or Thursday, or thereabouts, anyway), we had a week’s holiday, which was nice. We seem to be spending more time not working than working at the moment… but it seems that it’s the same for those lucky chappies doing less exotic languages who are working as assistants in Spain or Germany. In fact, it seems the UK is the only country where we don’t get a week off in October…!
So… I headed off down south on Sunday evening, taking the overnight sleeper to Luxor, where I spent a few days admiring the stunning temples, tombs and monuments and trying to avoid the heat (very, very difficult). I have lots and lots of photos – but if you think of every picture of Ancient Egypt you might have seen (except the pyramids and camels), then you’ll get an idea of what you’ll find in Luxor. Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, The Mummy… they don’t even come close!
Then on Wednesday evening I got the train back up to Cairo (not a sleeper this time, but a ridiculously comfortable night train), and met Yvonne in Cairo, where we spent a couple of days sightseeing: the Egyptian Museum – home to so many antiquities that even the curators aren’t sure quite what’s in there – and various other touristy bits around town, including, bizarrely, the Hard Rock Cafe (‘cos we were bored and hungry). Then yesterday afternoon, the train back up to Alex, ready for classes to start again on Monday.
As I say, I have many many photos – which I will upload as soon as I have a chance.