Cairo
Egypt was a huge bucket list item for us. However, Egypt has a very strict government and is not super safe, so we only visited Cairo for two nights. Our hotel was very nice; we had a view of the pyramids from our room, and there was a rooftop restaurant where we ate multiple times, enjoying the pyramids while dining. We hired a guide to visit the pyramids and the Sphinx, making it easier to learn about their true history. When we arrived at the pyramids, I was in awe of how huge they were. The blocks of stone they used were enormous! We actually got to go inside to the tomb, which I didn’t know consisted of just a small hallway leading to a room. It was still super cool nonetheless. It was also very humid inside, causing us to sweat like crazy. We then headed to the Sphinx, which was smaller than we had expected. It was still very beautiful, and I am so thankful to have seen these magnificent wonders. After that, we headed home, but not before our guide stopped at his favorite falafel spot and got us sandwiches. WOW! We had no idea what falafel was before this, but it ended up being so good! We wanted more immediately!
Luxor
Another short stay we had in Egypt was in a great city right on the Nile River. We stayed in a super nice hotel that upgraded us to a room facing the Nile and the hotel pool. We ate dinner there on our first night and headed out on another guided tour the following day. On this tour, it was extremely hot, but we got to see some of the most amazing structures dating back thousands of years. Starting at Karnak Temple, we saw engravings from ancient times on huge pillars built for their kings. It felt surreal. Even some of the original paint was still there and super bright. We also visited some tombs in the Valley of the Kings that were dug into the ground. They were so well preserved, it was mind-blowing! We drove around and saw a few more incredible historical sights before heading to Luxor Temple, where we saw more large, well-preserved artifacts that my mind still cannot comprehend. Check out the pics to see what I mean!
