Cairo

After three and a half years, here I am in Cairo again. This visit is entirely by chance, since I generally never go back to places I have already been. The world is so vast that I can't afford to visit the same place twice when I still have so many countries to see. This time I made an exception: the organised tour I booked to see the Middle East (Sinai, Israel, Jordan and the West Bank) includes an excursion to the Egyptian capital. I'm travelling with a friend and, together with other Italians, we set off from our hotel in Taba (a spot in Sinai on the border with Israel, so I refer you to the "Asian Egypt" itinerary) headed for Cairo. There are only a few of us excursionists, so the organiser provides a minibus, faster than a coach but definitely less comfortable, especially on a road like the one we're driving, full of potholes and bumps.

We pass through the underpass that crosses the Suez Canal, leaving the Asian continent and entering the African one. Egypt is a transcontinental country, even though the African part accounts for the vast majority of its territory, almost all of its population, the capital and all its main cities. For these reasons Egypt is spoken of as an African country. As we approach the capital, the stony desert gives way to vegetation made possible by the Nile delta, the lifeblood of this country. We cross Cairo and reach the suburb of Giza, where the Pyramids of the same name stand, flanked by the Sphinx, one of the best-known monuments in the world and the only survivor of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

They once stood in open desert, but now they have been almost swallowed up by the capital, which has meanwhile grown out of all proportion, competing with Mexico City as the largest city in the world. On one side, the houses are almost up against the archaeological area. We get off the minibus and continue on foot to admire the three great pyramids. The guide, an Egyptologist we met on the spot, advises us not to pay for a ticket to enter one of the main pyramids; instead he takes us to visit one of the smaller pyramids of the queens that flank the main complex. On my previous trip to Cairo I had been inside the Great Pyramid, and indeed there's nothing to see. Had I been the guide, I would have recommended visiting the solar boat that I had seen three and a half years earlier and found interesting.

With the minibus that has rejoined us we go to a small square with a splendid panoramic view of the three pyramids, then continue to the lower part of the archaeological complex, where the Sphinx and the remains of the embalming palace are. It's thrilling to see the Sphinx again, guardian of the pyramids of Giza for centuries. We get back on the minibus and stop at a State Institute for the production of papyrus, where a girl explains the technique of weaving the leaves of this plant to turn them into a kind of paper. Here you can also buy papyri with a State stamp certifying their authenticity. In our vehicle we reach the Hard Rock Cafe in Cairo, on the banks of the Nile, where we have a buffet lunch. We then set off for the largest Egyptian Museum in the world, where we visit the finest pieces, explained in detail by the guide, including of course the famous treasure of Tutankhamun.

Unfortunately we don't visit the royal mummies display, no great loss for me, as I saw them on my previous trip to Egypt. After the museum visit we get back on the minibus, retracing the road eastwards, and, having crossed the Suez Canal through the underpass, we leave the African continent and return to Asia (see the Asian Egypt itinerary). A few notes: the guide won't allow us to visit the solar boat of Giza and the royal mummies room of the Egyptian Museum, on the excuse that you pay in Egyptian pounds and can't change them on site. Indeed, at the Museum you can't change money, whereas at Giza you can change on the black market at an unfavourable rate, but 10 Euros will solve the problem. So it's better to change some pounds in advance when you arrive in Egypt; about twenty Euros is enough, since you can pay for everything else even with our currency.

The papyri of the State Institute are obviously authentic, whereas those offered by street vendors are made of rice paper, but be careful, because you can find the same certified papyrus at a much lower price in licensed shops. The journey from Taba to Cairo lasts about 6 hours, and done in a minibus it's really tiring. A coach is preferable, even if it takes an hour longer. It's a shame the excursion included lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe; a typical Egyptian place or a floating restaurant-boat, of which there are many moored on the Nile, would have been much better. Instead we ended up in a place with typical American graffiti, even though the food was local.