The Sphinx! There are lots of Sphinxes in Egypt, but this is, obviously, the most famous. Odd story: while we were sitting and contemplating the Sphinx, we saw a horse and rider tumble over the drop-off you see in the background, which is a good 20-25 feet. The horse landed on top of the man. Both of them walked away, the man with some help from friends...but it was pretty scary.
The Great Pyramid and the Pyramid of Khafre (sidenote: everywhere we went, especially when we got away from Khafre and Khufu and looked at some of the smaller pyramids where there were more Egyptians and fewer tourists, there were people asking to take pictures with us. Grown men, women in niqabs, children, families...they all wanted pictures. We must have taken 50 pictures with people we didn't know. It was a fun way to meet people).
The Pyramid of Khafre is smaller than the Pyramid of Khufu, but it's prettier because it has some of the limestone casing at the top; originally the whole pyramid was covered with the casing, but some of it crumbled during earthquakes and some of it was taken by later rulers of Egypt to build other things. Apparently many of the buildings in Cairo are made of pyramid stone. There might also have been a gold top, but obviously that was taken a long time ago. I'm not sure what the thing in the foreground is...there really aren't many signs. I think it's a temple, but it might be a smaller tomb.
On Friday we saw the pyramids of Giza! There are pyramids and tombs all over Egypt, but these are the pyramids you usually think of when someone says "The Pyramids". This is the Great Pyramid, or the Pyramid of Khufu, and it's about 4,500 years old. We took a half-hour taxi ride to get to Giza, which is just outside the city of Cairo. The drive took us through fields that were astonishingly green, even compared to Zamalek; we shared the road with donkey carts and shepherds with sheep. And then the driver pointed and in the distance were three pyramids rising above apartment buildings and farms.
The tip of Zamalek (a fancy restaurant and an unfinished high-rise, a typical combination in Cairo). My friend Janis and I have Tuesdays off, so this Tuesday we decided to take the ferry across the Nile. With our combined knowledge of Arabic (about 10 words), we managed to purchase two tickets (2 LE, or about 36 cents) from a man who knew just about as much English as we knew Arabic. We were the only two non-Egyptians on the ferry, so we got quite a few looks, probably because the other side turned out to be a poor neighborhood with nothing to do except buy car parts. We did see some brown sheep and lots of interesting-looking people, and all of them saw us, because just about everyone stared at us as we walked by. Next time we take the ferry we'll know more Arabic and dress in drab colors instead of blue hoodies.
A sidewalk on Zamalek. Zamalek is covered with huge trees that arch above the streets, so it seems very peaceful during the daytime, even though there's always noise and people and cars. It's been sunny just about everyday so far.
Another shot of the AUC campus. This is a 3rd floor rooftop/balcony/giant ballroom-like area I stumbled across one afternoon. AUC New Campus would make a wonderful tourist destination/palace, but it's not very practical for a university. It's fun to stumble across random courtyards and fountains, but not when you're late for class or looking for a bathroom. Suzanne Mubarak, the wife of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, is an alumna of AUC, and she's visiting the new campus this weekend; unfortunately, it's invitation-only. And I wasn't invited.
On Friday we saw the pyramids of Giza! There are pyramids and tombs all over Egypt, but these are the pyramids you usually think of when someone says "The Pyramids". This is the Great Pyramid, or the Pyramid of Khufu, and it's about 4,500 years old. We took a half-hour taxi ride to get to Giza, which is just outside the city of Cairo. The drive took us through fields that were astonishingly green, even compared to Zamalek; we shared the road with donkey carts and shepherds with sheep. And then the driver pointed and in the distance were three pyramids rising above apartment buildings and farms.Only a certain number of people are allowed to go inside the Great Pyramid each day, but we got there early enough to get tickets. It's a hard climb up a stuffy, cramped ramp, and you end up in a dim, echo-y, stuffy chamber that holds only the unfinished sarcophagus. It was definitely a tomb, and it's definitely not for anyone who's claustrophobic...but it was well worth it. When Napoleon came to Egypt, he sat in the same space alone and came out terrified; he never said what happened to him inside. We weren't allowed to bring cameras (we smuggled ours in but didn't take pictures. It seemed like that would break the mystery of the place).
The tip of Zamalek (a fancy restaurant and an unfinished high-rise, a typical combination in Cairo). My friend Janis and I have Tuesdays off, so this Tuesday we decided to take the ferry across the Nile. With our combined knowledge of Arabic (about 10 words), we managed to purchase two tickets (2 LE, or about 36 cents) from a man who knew just about as much English as we knew Arabic. We were the only two non-Egyptians on the ferry, so we got quite a few looks, probably because the other side turned out to be a poor neighborhood with nothing to do except buy car parts. We did see some brown sheep and lots of interesting-looking people, and all of them saw us, because just about everyone stared at us as we walked by. Next time we take the ferry we'll know more Arabic and dress in drab colors instead of blue hoodies. 
A sidewalk on Zamalek. Zamalek is covered with huge trees that arch above the streets, so it seems very peaceful during the daytime, even though there's always noise and people and cars. It's been sunny just about everyday so far.
Another shot of the AUC campus. This is a 3rd floor rooftop/balcony/giant ballroom-like area I stumbled across one afternoon. AUC New Campus would make a wonderful tourist destination/palace, but it's not very practical for a university. It's fun to stumble across random courtyards and fountains, but not when you're late for class or looking for a bathroom. Suzanne Mubarak, the wife of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, is an alumna of AUC, and she's visiting the new campus this weekend; unfortunately, it's invitation-only. And I wasn't invited.
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