Taba on the Red Sea, Cairo, Jerusalem and Petra

One of the wishes I'd cherished since childhood has always been to see the ancient remains of Egyptian culture, as well as to find myself in the middle of the holy city of Jerusalem. Lately, because of various documentaries seen on TV, the city of Petra (ancient capital of the Nabataean people) in Jordan had also begun to tempt me. Luck was on my side: while I was travelling the internet to plan a little spring trip, an offer came up that I couldn't miss; the Red Sea at Taba (in the Gulf of Aqaba, on the border with Israel) with the added possibility of taking 3 excursions to these beautiful cities mentioned above. I didn't waste a second and booked immediately, departing from Bergamo on 14 April at 12:00.

After an uneventful journey I arrive in Taba in the afternoon and transfer by bus to the Hotel booked as a base; I immediately realise that Taba is not Sharm, it's a town with "four" houses, where only a few large tourist resorts reign along with total tranquillity; it's ideal for those who want to rest and dive; nightlife too is all within the hotels. In the evening at dinner I also realise that tourism is almost predominantly Russian and Ukrainian; we were only 6 Italians, ideal for those who, like me, want to speak as few foreign languages as possible on holiday. The second and third days I spend entirely at the hotel, taking beautiful swims in the Red Sea, among seabeds rich in corals and fish already visible with snorkelling from the shore, without the need to take boat excursions to see them. The hotel's beautiful pool is also filled with sea water, which is changed every evening.

In the evening, after dinner in the international restaurant, you can go and watch various Middle Eastern shows and then to the disco or to smoke a hookah by the sea. On the fourth day at one in the morning we set off from Taba bound for Cairo and the Giza plain. There were 9 of us in a 12-seat minibus; after about 400 km, at 7:30 we enter the full chaos of Cairo's traffic; at 8:00 we enter the Giza plain and begin the visit outside and inside the pyramids of Khafre, Khufu and Menkaure. Wonderful above all because with the first light of morning a stupendous scene presents itself. Having seen the pyramids, we go to see the Sphinx, another very great marvel (I recall that all this is the last of the 7 wonders of the ancient world still visible).

Towards 12:30 the guide takes us to the centre of Cairo, where we have lunch on a beautiful riverboat on the Nile; here too plenty of photos because of the beauty of the landscape. After lunch we go to see the last stop of the day, the Egyptian Museum, where we stay until 16:00, seeing the most important statues and above all the room where all the objects (sarcophagi and mask) found in Tutankhamun's tomb are kept... a true marvel.

At 16:00 we set off again, making a final stop at a shop where papyrus is still made as in ancient Egypt, and we're given a demonstration; we set off again, facing Cairo's traffic, and at 22:00 we're back at the hotel in Taba: tiring but wonderful! The fifth day: total rest at sea with the friends met at the hotel; in this regard I wanted to thank for the company and the fun Teresa, Anna, Pino, Giovanni and Francesco, as well as the boys and girls of the hotel. The sixth day at 4:30 in the night we set off for Jerusalem, the holy city; after an hour we finally manage to get through customs (there are 12 of us), and by minibus we set off first towards the Dead Sea (the lowest place in the world, 400 m below sea level) where we arrive at 8:00.

Here Ron, our Israeli guide, is waiting for us, and he will accompany us to Jerusalem; we take a swim in the very salty water of the sea, where it's impossible to sink, and then we set off again. At 10 we're in Jerusalem; here a wonderful panorama immediately presents itself, a breathtaking view from above of the whole city. We begin the visit of the city, seeing various churches, then head for the Western Wall, where, because it's Saturday (a feast day for Jews), a magical atmosphere reigns.

After the visit we go to the Arab quarter and the bazaar streets, where we're overwhelmed by colours, scents, smells and sounds; we enter a restaurant for lunch; once finished we resume the visit, following the 14 Stations of the Cross as far as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Golgotha, where, when we go in, we're struck by a great religiosity; indeed it seems that every order celebrates its own rite: the Russian Orthodox, the Armenians, the Franciscans, the Egyptian Copts, the Abyssinians of Ethiopia, the Protestants, a truly mystical atmosphere. We end the tour visiting the Jewish quarter and the Cenacle, where the Last Supper was held and where below there seems to have been the tomb of King David, therefore a holy place also for Jews. At 17:00 we take the minibus again bound for Taba, where we return at 10 in the evening.

There's not even time to rest, because at 5:30 in the morning we set off on a new and final excursion, the one to Petra, the pink city, ancient capital of the populous Nabataean people. By ferry from Taba we go to Aqaba in Jordan (which lies right opposite); here a minibus is waiting for us (there are 24 of us) and takes us to Petra, where we arrive at 12:30; we have lunch and at 14:00 we're finally in front of the entrance. After 800 metres of gravel road between mountains, the Siq begins, which is nothing other than a split in the rock about 1-1.5 km long with walls 150 high, culminating in the appearance (never was a word more apt) of the Nabataeans' "Treasury", that is the palace built into the pink/red rock...

its beauty is incredible! The tour continues with the visit of some royal tombs also carved into the rock, an amphitheatre and other votive sculptures; at 17:00 we return to the minibus, from where we set off, returning to Taba by 22:00. A very tiring but wonderful trip! The last day I spend on the beach until 12:00, then a shower in the room and, after saying goodbye to all the friends met at the hotel, I head to Taba airport, where at 17:00 we set off bound for Bergamo. What more can I say? A wonderful holiday, splendid places that some people don't even have the luck to see one of in a whole lifetime; I, on the other hand, had the luck to see them all in one week! For anyone who'd like to see the photos, just ask. Greetings to everyone. Aldo