a website for curious travelers
Personal stories, travel guides and tips, photographs, and resources to help you get the most from your travels as you explore Egypt, from Alexandria and Cairo to Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, and even the Sinai Peninsula.
Egypt really is awesome. That became clear almost immediately on my 2007 tour that included Cairo and outlying monasteries, Luxor, the Red Sea resorts, and Mount Sinai. Two weeks in Egypt A month wouldn’t be Read More …
Romani has been cagey about what he has planned for us today, saying only that he is taking us to the “other side of the world.” We leave downtown Cairo, our mini-bus working its way Read More …
The Monastery of St. Bishoy (or Bishoi) is literally next door to the Monastery of the Syrians, we could walk there, but we don’t. The two monasteries have more than location in common, as they Read More …
The Monastery of the Holy Virgin Mary is also known as the Monastery of the Syrians because it was used by Syrian monks beginning in the 8th century. The monastery’s founding actually goes back to Read More …
Wadi Naturn is a depression in the desert that lies below sea level, so there is water is at or close to the surface in many places. Although never settled by them, this area was Read More …
We start the day driving through Cairo. . . Today’s itinerary will take us to Wadi Natrun, which is located at the near edge of the Western Desert. However, before we reach the desert, we Read More …
This post probably should be titled “the sacred and the profane.” Friday is a day off in Egypt, so the streets are crowded with shoppers. We too are going to a market – the Khan Read More …
To explore this area further, we turn back past the Coptic Museum toward the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George. Built in 1909 after the original church burned, the church towers above the remaining bits Read More …
It is only a very short walk from the Coptic museum through this old Christian area to the Hanging Church. I think it should feel familiar, but it is as foreign and exotic as the Read More …
We pass vibrant markets and quiet back streets as we enter the heart of Coptic Cairo. Our first stop here is the recently reopened Coptic museum, which sits in an open courtyard behind the huge Read More …