Honeymoon Series: Cairo

Egypt has so many beautiful cities that we have yet to explore, but these blogs will highlight the four destinations we visited along our honeymoon in July. We first landed in Cairo directly from Greece. The flight was about 3 hours, with the required stop in Athens. It cost about 200 USD per person. We only stayed in Cairo for about two days and then took a flight to Aswan. One of the best things about Egypt is that it is extremely cheap to visit in comparison to other countries. Some other popular and destinations to visit in Egypt include Siwa, Marsah Matruh, Alexandria, and Sharm el Sheikh. Hopefully these will be added to the blog in the near future :)

CAIRO:

Cairo is the capital and largest city in Egypt. I've personally traveled there many times since early childhood, and it has gone through some drastic changes over the years. This is mainly due to the political shifts (for better and worse). One of the biggest changes that I noticed during our recent honeymoon was that it felt even more overpopulated in comparison to previous visits. The culture has also loosened up a bit as they are not as conservative and strict in certain parts of Cairo as they used to be. Something that we did not take advantage of, but have heard from other friends and family members is that security can be offered to you as a tourist throughout your entire visit, free of charge. We didn't feel it was necessary for a couple of reasons- 1) We were already staying at the Four Seasons, which was located in a safe area and had it's own security. 2) We only stayed for about two days. 3) We had a tour guide and a private driver for an all-day excursion during one of our two days.

FULL DAY EXCURSION:

Our full day in Cairo was spent through one simple, cost-efficient excursion on Viator: Cairo Tour.

It included visiting the Giza Pyramids, The Sphinx, an ATV ride in the desert, a camel-ride, shopping (jewelry, papyrus, plaster, essential oils), as well as a belly dancing dinner show on the Nile. This entire day only costed us about 70 USD per person. It included a knowledgeable tour guide as well as a private driver. Pick up and drop off at your hotel is included. I would highly recommend budgeting properly for the shopping experience. It can be a bit of a tourist trap, however, it all depends on how you perceive it. We made a purchase at every shop we were taken to because these are not items that you can find anywhere else in the world, and it was worth the price we were paying in comparison to US prices.

OTHER SITE SEEING ACTIVITIES IN CAIRO:

1. Visit the new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM). - We arrived prior to the new museum opening. It's expected opening date is November 2022. "When it is completed, the Grand Egyptian Museum just outside of Cairo on the Giza Plateau (and next door to the Pyramids) will not only be the new crown jewel of Egypt, but it will also be one of the largest, most modern, and most renowned museums in the entire world."

2. Coptic Cairo- See the oldest Christian church in Egypt, The Hanging Church. Visit Abu Serga, one of the places the Holy family rested when fleeing Israel. Visit Ben Ezra Synagogue, one of the oldest synagogues in Egypt. You can also find a tour through Viator.com to include all of these stops.

3. Khan el-Khalili in "Old Cairo"- Go shopping here with several workshops and artisans. It's the picture perfect place to capture a mixture of beautiful colors in your background. Be sure to visit a cafe at some point and order coffee. The cafe is a common "hang out" spot for the locals throughout the day.

4. Mosque and Madrasa of Sultan Hassan- The Mosque and Madrasa of Sultan Hasan is one of the largest and architecturally exquisite mosques in all of Egypt.

5. Mosque of Ibn Tulun- It is one of the oldest mosques in Egypt as well as the whole of Africa surviving in its full original form.

6. Cairo Citadel- Until 1983, the Citadel was used as a military garrison by occupying British forces and later by the Egyptian army. It first opened to the public following UNESCO’s designation of it as part of the World Heritage Site, Historic Cairo. Today the site contains multiple Ottoman-era mosques and museums dedicated to the military, police, and historical carriages. The structure also offers amazing views of Cairo and the desert beyond.

General Tips/ Knowledge when visiting Cairo:

• Eat like an Egyptian. Please do not come to Egypt and eat at McDonald's or KFC. Plus, it is not as good there anyways so you would really be wasting your time. Some of our favorite traditional Egyptian dishes include the following: Koshary (a blend of macaroni, spaghetti, fried onions, lentils and, if you like, spicy red sauce), Molokhia (Leafy green soup with rice and chicken), Feteer (similar to a Moroccan pancake), Hawashi (a popular street food in Egypt, It’s pita bread filled with minced meat and usually prepared with peppers, onions and sometimes pine nuts).

• Taxi's are generally cheap and commonly used in Egypt. However, they also have an app similar to Uber called Careem.

• Egypt is not a dangerous place to travel. At least not anymore. This is typically the biggest concern I hear from people. I honestly would advise against women traveling alone, however. I say this because of the annoying catcalling you may experience from some of the locals. Catcalling is very common in Cairo, and if you don't speak Arabic or are not from there then it will be difficult for you to kindly tell them off :)

• DRESS APPROPRIATELY. Not only for the respect of their culture, but also so that women can at least minimize the unfortunate catcalling experiences. This means wearing pants that are fully covering, as well as shirts with sleeves (short sleeves should be okay.) Men can generally wear whatever, but I would still advise against shorts so that you can try to avoid tourist traps. Trust me when I tell you that Egyptians can easily spot a tourist. We found that purchasing linen clothing was really useful to help withstand Egypt's heat. Also, keep in mind that you only need to dress like this in Cairo and other major cities. We were able to wear whatever we wanted in other parts of Egypt.

• Always keep cash on you. One thing about Egyptians is they will not be shy to ask you for tips. In fact, and I hate to say, some of them might even come off as being rude about it. You can generally tip them in any currency so you don't necessarily need to exchange your money for tipping. However, it is best to exchange your money when making purchases so that you are not scammed/ ripped off. If you do not want to tip for every little thing, then be mindful not to accept what might seem like "small favors" or hospitality. For example, do not let them assist you with carrying or transporting any luggage at the airport, and do not let them assist in taking photos of you or your group. They will expect to be tipped, and it might lead to you become agitated. We have both witnessed and experienced these situations. Just try to keep in mind that many of these people are living in poverty and that is why they are very persistent when trying to sell you products or asking for money. Stay firm to saying "no, thank you."

• Always use a tour guide for any activity. It honestly helps a lot with getting around as well as feeling safe. Tour guides usually offer transportation throughout the duration of your tour, which is one less thing to worry about. They will always use Whatsapp to contact you, so make sure you have that app downloaded prior to travelling.

For photos and videos of our experience, follow our Instagram page @thephilemons !

Stay tuned for the blog on our next stop on the Nile Cruise: Aswan to Luxor.