This is just a quick, crude start.

It is also a subsidiary page. If you haven't been there already, the main page is the place to start.

November 4: The first "official function" of the trip was a reception in our hotel, the Sofitel on the Nile in Cairo. I had a relatively easy flight in from London. My hat is off to those intrepid travelers who joined the adventure from as far afield as California.

November 5: 8am- The official day began with a talk by the Cornell professor in charge of our academic enrichment, Ross Brann: Egypt: "Mother of the World". In all of out hotels (traditional and floating), there were excellent provisions for breakfast, even on those days when we had to be up early for flights, etc. I won't cite "breakfast" times here.... Some of them are memories I am trying to repress. (All of the early starts were worthwhile, for logistical reasons.) Timings are nominal... this group wasn't as good at being ready at the requested time as some I've known. On one Cornell trip I went on, I found myself "late" a few times, which bugged me... until I realized that in that group we were usually able to set off five minutes before the published time!

9:30- Set off to visit "Coptic Cairo" and Ben Ezra synagogue

Boarded two feluccas for an elegant lunch under (gentle) sail on the Nile.

Started tour of the recently re-opened, after many years of re-development, Islamic Art Museum.

7:00- Trip's "proper" Welcome Dinner. By now we were all awake, in contrast to the state of some at the post- day- of- traveling reception on the first night of the trip. (Of course, some travelers had come in ahead of schedule, in order to be able to enjoy the first day properly.)

November 6: 8am- Departed hotel for pyramids, solar boat museum, special "up close" visit to Sphinx.

12:30- Lunch at the historic Mena House Hotel, near pyramids

4:00- (Left hotel for?...) Egyptian Museum of Antiquities... No photos!!... including Mummies Room and Tutankhamen's treasures.

(get time)left museum/ (get time) arrived hotel. Made own arrangements for dinner. (Accessed my Hobnobs rations... only needed a snack, and tired.)

November 7: Talk at 8am: "Muslims, Christians and Jews in Islamic Egypt".

9:00 (nominal)- Depart for mosque of Ibn Tulun.

(Time): Arrived at the office of the Grand Imam of Al Azhar for privilege of meeting with H.E. Ambassador Sheik Mohamed Refaa Tahtawy, spokesman for the Grand Imam. (Much more to be said about this excellent event.)

1:30: Lunch at al-Azhar Park, overlooking the citadel

Visit to al-Azhar mosque

4:50 (actual)- back at hotel.

Evening: Dinner at the excellent, atmospheric Naguib Mahfouz restaurant in Khan al-Khalili bazaar area, followed by stroll down Shari' al-Muez, which was the main street of mediaeval Cairo, and visit to a mosque- become- museum.

22:45 (actual) "Home" for the night!

November 8: 9:00 requested/ 9:15 actual- Depart by bus for Alexandria. (Routine) serious traffic delays getting out of Cairo, even though we were going west (then north) from western edge of center.

1:10- Arrived gorgeous hotel, east of town center, on corniche. Straight to a good lunch in a sumptuous room overlooking the Mediterranean, in hotel. (Four Seasons at San Stefano).

3pm- Off to visit Roman "amphitheater"... more correctly called "opera".

I broke away from group after visit, and made own way back to hotel. Entirely by coincidence, I nearly re-traced our route into town, but saw some "local" Alexandria and Alexandrians along the way, and more directly than from seat in bus.

Made it back to hotel in time to catch much of Ross's talk on "Modern Egypt, Center of the Arab World"... and dinner!

November 9: Started day at Catacombs.

Wonderful tour of the amazing Cairo Library. "Did it" in just a few hours, when any of the many parts we visited were worth hours in themselves. Excellent programme, excellent guides. More time would have been wonderful, but a good overview achieved.

Lunch at Tikka Fish Grill overlooking harbor.

Quick visit to area of citadel of Kayet Bai/ Quaitbay, built on site of Pharos lighthouse.

14:52- set off for Cairo. 18:30 arrived edge of Cairo traffic... one bridge in particular choking the traffic on the Alexandria road, for traffic in both directions. 19:30- back at hotel. Treated myself to room service snack, led astray by Tarek, who deserved it, unlike me!

November 10: 7:50- Started day with talk by Ross: Contemporary Egypt and its challenges.

(Insert time- morning, anyway): Visit to headquarters of Arab League, where we had an interesting and informative meeting with a senior diplomat of the League. Learned much about the history and mission of the organization, and came away very impressed by the representative we met. (Much more to be said about this excellent event.)

After meeting with Mr Youssef, visited what was until recently the supreme meeting place of the League... a gorgeous room, in the modest, elegant Arab style, but today used less due to the problems of traffic and security arising from central Cairo location.

Noon-ish- Lunch in "floating" restaurant, Le Pasha.

Sadly a late afternoon meeting was lost in a scheduling clash. The person we were to meet was held up by pressures of his work advising the president, and traffic, and we were unable to push the time of the meeting back if we were to make it to Tarek's home for the wonderful evening to which he and his family... not least three lovely golden retrievers.... had invited us.

November 11: 9:00- Talk by Ross, wrapping up.

Morning: Visit to the impressive "American University in Cairo", in New Cairo, on the eastern edge of the town. ("American" in style of education, and from some of the funding. Not the university for Americans in Cairo).

Lunch "a la students" in food court... also in the American style, complete with McDonalds...

2:10 (actual): Left AUC. Back at hotel, and then out with a small group to revisit the Khan al-Khalili bazaar area. Tarek and his team unstinting in arranging "extras" for us, such as our transport to this unscheduled outing... and transport, etc, for others to other destinations, this afternoon and at other times. Mostly tourist stalls, but some local flavor, too.

Before dispersing in the early afternoon, nominally the last of the main part of the tour, we had arranged to meet at 7:30. In actual fact, almost everyone was also going on the tour's extension, but Ross and Cathy were not, and so we needed to say goodbye to them. Ross was scheduled to leave for the airport at 8:30, but that... after it was too late to reschedule the goodbye party... was moved up to 8... but we still managed a decent bon voyage, and "thanks", I hope. Cathy, having had to book flights at the last minute due to Carol's health challenges, wasn't leaving until the next day... but we were departing the Cairo area at an early hour. She could have had, and deserved!, a lie in, but she got up to see us off in the "dawn'" early light.

November 12: Rose at 4am. "Box breakfasts" and hot tea awaiting us in lobby. So much food that we gave a heavy almost cubic foot... needed three boxes... to our drive Youssef in hopes he knew people who would want to best of the surplus.

5am- (Times actual until further notice) Set off for airport. Between the hour and the fact that major local holidays had started, drive to airport was easy.

6am- Check-in complete

6:36- Took off for Aswan. Seating was "a la Southwest" (not pre-assigned), but I managed to get a wonderful seat by window on the correct side of the aircraft... but it was heavily frosted by dirt and scratches... just tantalizing blurry sights from air.

8:45- Away from airport after smooth arrival. In comfortable bus again. Visited High Dam by bus. Then via small boat to island of Philae, with its rescued- from- rising- waters temples. (The waters rose as a result of the Aswan "Low" dam, which preceded the "High" dam.) Superb hosting by Tarek... much excellent information, engagingly imparted. Well chosen: Essentials, but never "too much".

Visited the Aswan granite quarry, source for many things seen in Cairo, from ancient times. Also site of the failed biggest- ever obelisk.

Back to approximate or nominal times, except as noted: About 15:10 arrived at our sumptuous cruise ship, the Abercrombie and Kent Nile Adventurer. The ship was excellent in every regard, but in particular all of the staff were friendly, competent, helpful.

Good lunch aboard Nile Adventurer, followed by delightful felucca sail up Nile and back again. A very welcome relaxing interlude following some busy days.

Pleasant cocktail reception to formally meet manager, pilot, staff. Sharing boat with other passengers, but never a problem.

Dinner on board. Slept well after a full, but well paced, day. Boat stayed in Aswan overnight.

November 13: 10am: Komombo Temple on foot.

Cruising north

Lunch while cruising

16:05- Boarded bus to travel to Ptolemite temple of Horus in Edfu.

Much of day was spent cruising north down the Nile. This was the bulk of our "watch the country go by" opportunity. Fascinating.

18:30- Demonstration of Egyptian cooking by chef Moustafa. Including recipes to take away, including the wonderful Om Ali!

20:00- Egyptian Dinner, in "local" attire. Good time had by all!

Boat cruised north for a while after dark. Tied up about the time we were going to bed.

about 2:40 Went through locks

November 14: I awoke a little too late to enjoy last parts of rural Nile in early dawn light, but was up in time for arrival at the small mountains which hold the Valley of the Kings. Hot air balloons overhead. Tied up in Luxor, east side of Nile, across from Valley of Kings. Back to polluted air, sadly.

7:55 (actual) set off in bus from west bank of Nile, having crossed in (private- to- us) small passenger "bus".

Started at mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, who reigned from 1479 - 1458 BC. (I actually got that name almost right... just swapped the first t and the p!)

9:35(actual)- Left Temple of Hatshepsut.

About 10am- Arrived Valley of the Kings. More on this on it's own page( to come)

11:50(actual)- Left Valley of Kings. Visited Colossi of Memnon en route back to river bank, back to passenger ferry back to Nile Adventurer, but, as always, we were able to leave "things" on the bus which had taken us around the Valley of the Kings, etc, and which met us again for the afternoon's travels.

12:30 (actual)- lunch on board.

14:10 (actual)- arrived Temple of Amun, Karnak, after short transfer by bus. The "largest religious site on earth", in Tarek's view... and he wasn't prone to exaggerations. Built across the centuries from 2000 BC to 500 AD. Much more to say about this, will follow on own page in due course. There about two hours.

17:40- Luxor Temple, after nightfall, beautifully lit up.

20:00- Gala farewell dinner, complete with flaming pyramids desert!

November 15: Left boat about 6:30. Easy trip to Luxor airport, easy check in. Assigned seats this time, but I found a swap that suited everyone on the first try... only to find on boarding that it was the one seat with NO window! But the man in the seat behind was content to swap. Whew. Window scratched and hazy again, but not as bad as before. Took off at 9:20. Nice views of Giza pyramids, and before them the others to the south. Landed 10:08.

Tarek and his team excelled themselves!! They set up, well beyond the "letter" of their duties, special excursions for several sub-parties of the group. Some went shopping, etc. The Carters and Mary and I had been really hoping to see the citadel. Tarek (and team) arranged a driver to collect us direct from the airport, wait for us as we toured, and then take us to the hotel. Got there in time for a quick shower, change of clothes before lunch. I was able to enjoy most of lunch, but had to leave before desert to go to airport, escorted and helped by Leithy. No hassle, smooth journey to Heathrow and to home.

A tremendous trip, remarkably incident free. Travel isn't always so smooth!

© TK Boyd 09/10. Click here to contact him.

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Don't forget: This is just a sub-page of my description of the Cornell Adult University trip to Egypt, November 2010.

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