Part Three of Three of my recent adventure to Giza and Cairo with Rami’s Insight Tours
Subjects Covered in this Blog
*Egyptian Museum in Cairo
*Learning How Egyptian Papyrus is made
*Boat Ride along the River Nile
*Accomodation and next tour trip planned in October Malta
Hello everyone! Trust you are all well and enjoying life day by day and dreaming of your next holiday destination. I’m starting to plan the next summer vacation as I write this blog and that fills me with some excitement! This is the 3rd blog from my recent trip to Egypt. If you missed the first two and need to catch up on my previous ones, the first two were “Egypt – Atrip of a lifetime” and “Egypt – the land of pharaohs and beautiful locals”.
Let us relax and transport ourselves to the country that mesmerizes so many travelers year after year. Though the country has weathered its share of hardships in recent years, there are still dozens of reasons to visit Egypt in your lifetime. You might think of miles of sand and rock, but Egypt is home to much more than just pyramids (even though the pyramids are truly sensational). The country is also home to dozens of art galleries, museums, fantastic shopping opportunities, and so much more.
Cairo’s Egyptian Museum
I have visited the best and most famous museums in the world, London, Rome and a hundred smaller storehouses of knowledge, but nothing could ever beat Cairo’s spectacular Egyptian Museum we visited last month.
One of the world’s most important collections of ancient artefacts, with over 120,000 items on display. .the Egyptian Museum takes pride of place in Downtown Cairo. Inside the great domed building you will see with your very own eyes some of the most beautiful pieces from history you have ever seen, including the glittering treasures of Tutankhamun and other great pharaohs lying alongside the grave goods, mummies, jewellery, eating bowls and toys of an Egyptian civilisationwho lived thousands of years ago.
To walk around the museum is to embark on an adventure through time. Allocate a minimum of two to three hours if you wish to enjoy these treasures that are not done any justice in pictures. I think that this museum is the one I have most enjoyed in my entire life, perhaps because of my love and interest in Egyptian history and culture and the feeling you get when walking around these artefacts, almost brings shivers all over from their power and mystery.
The big attraction here, of course, are the items from the tomb of Tut Ankh Amoun. The boy king died age just 19 and was buried with incomprehensible amounts of treasure, most of which are on display. Think for a minute what items must have been lost to robbers from the other, greater Egyptian rulers like Ramses the Great who was 91 when he died, what must have been in his tomb then?
You will see his solid gold mask, decorated with turquoise, lapis and coral, also his gold mummy belt, cases and jewellery. These priceless items are in a separate room of the museum and no photography is allowed. You’ll just have to trust me that they take your breath away! When visiting Egypt, make sure to take a trip with your tour guide to this wonderful Museum and the one that is planned to be open in 2020!
How the Egyptians Papyrus is Made
After one of our sightseeing tours to see the Giza Pyramids, Rami our tour guide took us to this famous local store that makes and sells papyrus paintings and the experience was very interesting – We learnt step by step how it is made. Papyrus began as the world’s first type of paper, derived from the Cyperus papyrus plant. Even though it was developed in Egypt, it spread across the ancient world and was used throughout West Asia. A variety of documents written on papyrus remain preserved to this day. The various documents contain a range of subjects, from biographies, to maps, religious texts and scientific or medical documents. Today you can find good quality papyrus in stores like this one where you can see how they still make it themselves.
How it is made
We learnt that after harvesting the Cyperus papyrus plant, the outer fibers are peeled away and the core of the stalk and sliced into very thin strips that are as broad as possible. The best of these strips, from the perspective of quality, comes from the center. Progressively, the quality of the papyrus strips decline as the strips are taken further from the centre of the yellowish-white pith.
These papyrus strips are next soaked in water for around three days, removing the sugar content and making the fibres become flexible and transparent.
When the papyrus is removed from the water it is very soft and quite spongy. It is rolled flat and left to dry a little before the strips are cut to the desired length.Next, the papyrus strips are pounded and the excess water drained away, after which they are placed side by side, overlapping slightly. A second set of papyrus strips are placed at right angles to the first, again overlapping slightly.
Next, this raw papyrus sheet is pounded once again, and left under a heavy weight to dry for approximately six days. The remaining sugar within the papyrus seals the strips together. Finally, after drying, the surface of the papyrus sheet is polished to a smooth finish by rubbing it with, for example, a shell or a piece of smooth ivory.
The finished papyrus paper is then ready for use! So much work for a papyrus paper!! We bought an art piece from our home and this will be one of our little treasures for the memories it will hold for years to come.
Boat Ride on the River Nile
When in Egpyt, you cannot not try one of the little boat rides along the river nile. I was lucky enough to have had a birthday surprise party organised by Rami and all his family including a birthday cake and a little ride to watch the sun set. Next time we visit, we will probably go on a longer trip to see some sights from afar.
Our accommodation – Lotus House, Giza
I would like to conclude this blog by highly recommending the family run air b & b Lotus House we stayed at. Located a few minutes L from the 3 Giza pyramids and as you can see from my roof top photos, for Instagram fanatics and bloggers, this alone could be just one reason to stay here but of course there are many more reasons why it is recommended.
The rooms are clean and quite spacious and they have a small wardrobe, basic shower facilities, free Wi-Fi, some rooms come with a washing machine and fridge, others have a large dining table. It depends which one you find available for the time you are travelling to Lotus Guest House. We chose the one that was on the same level as the roof top as it was available. We were given many large water bottles to use for drinking, for cleaning our teeth and for making coffees and teas. This way we were sure to have clean water at all times. All we had to do is ask if we needed more.
Every morning, Rami would be up on the terrace before we stepped out, full of enthusiasm for the day ahead. Gooood Morning wake up call with that infectious smile! We had a very bountiful Egyptian breakfast prepared by his lovely uncle Halem, the chef and caretaker of the guest house who comes with many years of experience working in the tourism industry for over 10 years. Breakfast always included freshly cooked omelettes, fresh cheeses, jams, delicious squeezed strawberry, mango or gava juices, bread and fruit plus coffee or tea. During breakfast, we would get a brief about the day, take some photos and a million selfies and on some days Dance yes! If you were following on Instagram stories, you saw what a buzzing atmosphere we felt with this team from Day 1 and we even created a Dance Competition with the hashtag #dancewithme which was a huge success on socials throughout Easter! This family guest house has all the amenities you need and the team makes you feel like family and a VIP no matter who you are and where you are from. They are totally dedicated to make you have a Great Experience to take home with you forever.
If you are planning a trip to Egypt, Rami is a local you can truly trust for his expertise and fantastic charismatic approach. Good news is that the next planned tour is in September/ October including one Malta – Egypt – Malta that I am planning to do so if there is someone who wishes to travel with me on those dates, feel free to either contact Rami on www.ramisinsighttours.com or contact me and I will make the introductions!
I send you much love and good vibes today and always.
Xxx
Grazielle
Rami’s Insight Tours / WhatsApp: +41768016810 / ramielshaer2@gmail.com
Rami’s Insight Tours is an adventure travel company formed in 2014 and based in Giza. Specializing in budget travel to destinations throughout Egypt.
They are a reliable travel operator with unparalleled service, experience, a fun way of doing things, and most importantly, excellent relations within the country; this makes them the best choice for your visit to Egypt. I cannot praise this team enough.
Use the code #GrazielleDanceWithMe to receive discounts on any tour bookings.
