Cairo by day

Today is our full day city tour. We started out our day at the citadel which also contained the mosque-a copy of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. We were allowed to enter the mosque and stayed for some time. The views from the fortress were terrific.

Next we traveled to the old city and the Christian quarter were we visited the hanging church of the Birgin Mary. There was a mass taking place and we were able to sit and watch. This was a Coptic church so it was a different experience.

Then to complete the essence of our cultural tour we visited a synagogue. The Ben-Ezra synagogue was a unique combination of Islamic, Byzantine, and Judaic architecture.

We were a bit ahead of schedule ( first time for this group) so we visited a aroma therapy shop. We sampled a few scents, had a cup of coffee, and it was a nice break in the day. PS: A few purchases were made.

Our lunch break today was at a floating palace on the Nile. Truly a riverboat worthy as any Las Vegas casino! The typical mixed grill selection that we have now seen at every meal so far in Egypt was good.

Our afternoon was spent touring the Egyptian National Museum on Tahir Square (no photos)...yes, the same place were the Egyptian "spring" demonstrations took place and the site of last might's demonstrations as well. Relax! It's cool!

We enjoyed free time in the museum to view additional exhibits that Ramon did not have time to cover. The King Tur collection was overwhelming. Reality dictates several days to see the entire museum.

And...our day is only half over.