Egypt itinerary!
I have been so busy that I have barely had time to think about my vacation lately. However, it's tomorrow, so in order to get myself in the right frame of mind, I am going to share my itinerary.
It's a good thing we did all our preparation early, since we were so busy. We watched a DVD course from The Teaching Company on The History of Ancient Egypt, which was excellent and I highly recommend it. We also visited a number of museums: the Medelhavs Museet in Stockholm, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, a museum at Yale, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (twice), the King Tut touring exhibit at the Field Museum in Chicago, the Oriental Institute in Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Temples and Tombs touring exhibit of the British Museum at the Cummer Museum in Jacksonville. We enjoyed every minute of this, and it makes the vacation seem like it has lasted all year! I knew very little about ancient Egypt before we started, and I think I'll have a lot more fun because I will have a lot more context to put things in.
As I had thought might be the case, there are alumni from several universities combined on this tour. 10 from Illinois, 6 from LeHigh, 4 from Iowa State, and 2 from Indiana.
Friday, March 9th
EgyptAir #986 is a direct flight to Cairo, which departs at 6:30 PM from JFK. We will spend the morning packing, eat lunch about 11:30, and then drive to JFK, which takes about 3 hours.
Saturday, March 10th
Arrive Cairo at 12:15 PM. Our hotel is the Mena House Oberoi Hotel, originally built as a hunting lodge for the Khedive Ismail. The hotel is being refurbished, so I think the wing they wanted us to stay in is closed. However, it is supposed to have pyramid views throughout the hotel.
Sunday, March 11th
Pyramids, Sphinx, Solar Boat, Sakkara and the Step Pyramid, Alabaster sphinx at Memphis, toppled statue of Ramses II
Monday, March 12th
EgyptAir #131 departs Cairo at 5:00 AM. I wonder what time we will have to get up?? We arrive in Luxor at 6:00 AM.
Colossus of Memnon, Valley of the Kings, Tombs of the Nobles, Temple of Karnak. Our ship is the M/S Ti-Yi.
Tuesday, March 13th
Temple of Karnak, Luxor Temple
Wednesday, March 14th
Temple of Horus in Edfu, Kom Ombo
Thursday, March 15th
Aswan High Dam, Temple at Philae, Mausoleum of Aga Khan
Friday, March 16th
EgyptAir #247 departs Aswan at 9:10 AM and arrives Abu Simbel at 9:55 AM. We then have 3 hours to see Abu Simbel before EgyptAir #250, which departs Abu Simbel at 1:10 PM and arrives Cairo at 4:00 PM. We stay at the Cairo Marriott, a former palace. Dinner is on our own, but Michael's coworker has told us the hotel is very near an area of restaurants that float on the river. He recommends the Blue Nile.
Saturday, March 17th
Citadel of Saladin, Alabaster Mosque, Egyptian Museum
Sunday, March 18th
EgyptAir #985 departs Cairo at 9:00 AM and arrives JFK at 3:15 PM. We then have to clear customs, get our car, drive home, and do laundry. I am supposed to go to work the next day.
It's a good thing we did all our preparation early, since we were so busy. We watched a DVD course from The Teaching Company on The History of Ancient Egypt, which was excellent and I highly recommend it. We also visited a number of museums: the Medelhavs Museet in Stockholm, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, a museum at Yale, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (twice), the King Tut touring exhibit at the Field Museum in Chicago, the Oriental Institute in Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Temples and Tombs touring exhibit of the British Museum at the Cummer Museum in Jacksonville. We enjoyed every minute of this, and it makes the vacation seem like it has lasted all year! I knew very little about ancient Egypt before we started, and I think I'll have a lot more fun because I will have a lot more context to put things in.
As I had thought might be the case, there are alumni from several universities combined on this tour. 10 from Illinois, 6 from LeHigh, 4 from Iowa State, and 2 from Indiana.
Friday, March 9th
EgyptAir #986 is a direct flight to Cairo, which departs at 6:30 PM from JFK. We will spend the morning packing, eat lunch about 11:30, and then drive to JFK, which takes about 3 hours.
Saturday, March 10th
Arrive Cairo at 12:15 PM. Our hotel is the Mena House Oberoi Hotel, originally built as a hunting lodge for the Khedive Ismail. The hotel is being refurbished, so I think the wing they wanted us to stay in is closed. However, it is supposed to have pyramid views throughout the hotel.
Sunday, March 11th
Pyramids, Sphinx, Solar Boat, Sakkara and the Step Pyramid, Alabaster sphinx at Memphis, toppled statue of Ramses II
Monday, March 12th
EgyptAir #131 departs Cairo at 5:00 AM. I wonder what time we will have to get up?? We arrive in Luxor at 6:00 AM.
Colossus of Memnon, Valley of the Kings, Tombs of the Nobles, Temple of Karnak. Our ship is the M/S Ti-Yi.
Tuesday, March 13th
Temple of Karnak, Luxor Temple
Wednesday, March 14th
Temple of Horus in Edfu, Kom Ombo
Thursday, March 15th
Aswan High Dam, Temple at Philae, Mausoleum of Aga Khan
Friday, March 16th
EgyptAir #247 departs Aswan at 9:10 AM and arrives Abu Simbel at 9:55 AM. We then have 3 hours to see Abu Simbel before EgyptAir #250, which departs Abu Simbel at 1:10 PM and arrives Cairo at 4:00 PM. We stay at the Cairo Marriott, a former palace. Dinner is on our own, but Michael's coworker has told us the hotel is very near an area of restaurants that float on the river. He recommends the Blue Nile.
Saturday, March 17th
Citadel of Saladin, Alabaster Mosque, Egyptian Museum
Sunday, March 18th
EgyptAir #985 departs Cairo at 9:00 AM and arrives JFK at 3:15 PM. We then have to clear customs, get our car, drive home, and do laundry. I am supposed to go to work the next day.