One Night in Cairo

After the Pyramids and the Sphink-ess we were taken to our hotel. We stayed at the Europa Hotel in Giza. We were told that it was a 5 star hotel but I think that Cairo 5 star and our version of 5 star vary widely. I think they've got a way to go before they reach the lofty heights that a Four Seasons Hotel reaches.

This is the front of the hotel with its security guard and metal detectors.

We were greeted warmly and given a glass of the lovely hibiscus tea that they're all so fond of. While we were waiting, I watched an insect (you know which insect I'm talking about) walk across the lobby's marble floor. This is what I told myself; It was only for one night. We really are getting a bargain. Ignore the bug. We are having an adventure. What's an adventure without a little adversity?

We were taken to our rooms - adjoining rooms with Vicky and Emily - on the 8th floor. We were more excited about that than the worn out rooms themselves. Hey, the sheets were clean! The speaker for one of the mosques was directly across the road from our windows. I mean a real direct shot. We got all the calls to prayer (exotic!).

The best part was what we could see from our windows: The Pyramids! Woo hoo! I had to lean out of the window a bit to get the picture, but you can see them as plain as plain.

We could see other things from the window that weren't as picturesque.

Here is Emily watching the traffic.
Believe it or not, this place has a pool up on the roof. From the looks of the place, it must have been a very fine hotel at one point.

We could also see that there was not only a building site next door, but an odd water garden situation as well. If anybody knows what this is, could you let me know?

The traffic on the busy street down on the ground kept on with its symphony of horns. Egyptian drivers use their car horn as turn indicators and to let other drivers know that they are there. This means that they honk all the time. To let you know how nuts the traffic is get this; When Vicky, Emily, George and I were going to go to a shop across the road, one of the bell boys at the hotel, horrified at the thought that we'd go unaccompanied, insisted that he help us across and back again. It was an ordeal and one that Vicky stated that she would NOT be repeating again in her lifetime.

That evening we went to a nice restaurant near the area where the pyramids are. It took about 15 minutes by taxi and that was really really scary. I realized that Egyptian taxis have a much smaller sense of space than I do. I ended up closing my eyes as my flinching wasn't helping the situation. After dinner the taxi ride was even longer as the traffic at 10 pm was worse! Go figure.