As a topic I’ve previously covered on my own personal blog, I thought it might prove useful to our customers or readers at Andrew Earle’s to hear my thoughts on a trip I took to Egypt and a summary of what I got up to. I visited Egypt for 2 weeks, and during this spent 2 days in Cairo, 5 days on a River Nile Cruise and 7 in Sharm el Sheikh soaking up the sun. For me, this is my ideal combination for a holiday, a little city, a little culture through the excursions on the cruise and finally a lot of sun.

Cairo:

The trip started in Cairo where I was surprised to discover the real city that never sleeps. The beeping of car horns was constant! I won’t lie, I’d really only planned on visiting Cairo to go to Giza. I’m pretty glad to have made this decision as Cairo was too much for me. As a young female, I can’t say I felt too welcome walking down the streets in denim shorts and a t-shirt. (Note to all female travellers- cover your legs). I actually had to get male members of my party to walk in front of me as so many people kept walking into me. This left me feeling uneasy of what was to become of my first encounter in Egypt.

After spending the night in the hotel, I was awoken with some fresh hope today would be different. Today I’d see the pyramids and today I would feel more comfortable. The pyramids themselves were glorious. Huge, monumental pieces of architectural history just sitting in the middle of this hazy desert. I even got to climb inside one of the smaller ‘queens’ pyramids. If you’re claustrophobic I would not recommend you do this- I’m 5 ft 11” and my shoulders were touching the sides of the walls, my head bent into an awkward position and almost on my knees. That being said it was a very interesting encounter to be able to explore something that felt so historic. It gave me a concept of just how small people used to be and how much we have evolved. Although this pyramid was empty, you could feel the stone and even lay where the sarcophagus was originally placed. This was a haunting experience. I left Giza happy, full of historical wisdom as our tour guide had provided me with a full history of these works. My next point of visit would be the River Nile.

Cruise:

I’m not actually a big fan of cruises- but this was amazing. Truly. It felt like you were being pulled back through time to something from an Agatha Christie novel. The rooms were wonderful, spacious for a small boat. They had little balcony terraces on them which meant you could sit on them at night time and watch the landscapes of Cairo sail past, or watch Cows roam into the water to cool down in a morning. This cruise had so many things right with it. Not only the rooms and decor, but the food and guidance offered by staff. I’d been warned about Egyptian tummy but was told my staff members to keep drinking room temperature water and everything would be fine. They also frequently offered us hibiscus tea which I believe helped! In order to create a relaxed environment they help events most evenings which entertained all on board. These also ensured that everyone mixed together and created social games to introduce everyone to each other. My favourite of which was the Egyptian evening when they told us to dress up in traditional Egyptian costume and took us shopping in order to look the part. This evening involved dancing, traditional games and food!

Notable Excursions:

The days were occupied by excursions to places throughout historical Egypt and these included the Temple at Dendera, The Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut Temple. On our first day trip to Dendera we met our Egyptologist Omar who came to be one of the most interesting and inspiring people I have ever met in my life.

He took us to the Temple at Dendera, believed to have been built in the eighteenth dynasty (ca 1500BC) by Pharoah Pepi I. The temple is dedicated to Hathor- an Egyptian Goddess who personifies Motherhood and fertility. Omar explained to us how she was worshipped by all ancient Egyptians as they believed she welcomed them into the afterlife. This is one of the most beautifully preserved (and recently restored) temples in all of Egypt. Definitely worth a visit.

I couldn’t sum up the Valley of the Kings if I tried so I will just try to give some helpful advice… Yes Tutankhamen is the most famous Pharaoh because of his grave… but his grave to me was the least interesting. You have to pay extra to see it and I don’t actually think it’s worth it.. most of what was in there is now in the Cairo Museum- now moved next to Giza. Go there instead! Enjoy the wonders of the other tombs! They’re all huge and so cleverly built next to each other, overlapping and integrating next to each other.

Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut or ‘hotchickensoup’ as Omar called it!

They say women in power is often fatal, Hatshepsut is the exception. Cleverly dressing as a man most of her life- the first crossdresser in History, she successfully managed the throne of Egypt for 22 years. Unfortunately, unhappy with the way history had depicted her as a successful ruler rather than a doting mother, Thutmose III and his son Amenhotep II attempted to erase historical record of her as a ruler and when exploring this temple you will see many images of her have been chipped off the wall. Nevertheless, her contribution towards architecture and art history throughout history can be found all over the place, from small wall carvings to large fallen obelisks. She really is one of the most fascinating characters in Egyptian History.

If you’re interested in Egyptology, you should be booking a holiday to Egypt right now! Contact me today for a quote!

From,

Violet

The Andrew Earle Team