Wonders of the World Part 2
We got up, had breakfast, got packed up, and checked out of the cruise. The girls will miss having crepes every morning with melted chocolate and powdered sugar! We met our tour guide at 8:30 am and went straight to The Colossi of Memnon. They were SO tall! It was cool to see the ones they've uncovered and think about those yet to be uncovered.
Next we went to the Valley of the Kings. Talk about incredible! We went inside 4 tombs: King Merenptah, King Ramses the 9th, King Tutankahmen, & King Ramses the 3rd. After the National Geographics we have watched about the Valley of the Kings and the discovery of some of the tombs, it was awe-inspiring to be there! Right there!! The details in the tombs, the colors, the meanings- wow!! Just walking along and thinking that more tombs could be anywhere under the sand. So fascinating!
We stopped for lunch at a buffet. They had some really good soup (rice or noodle with broth).
Then we went to an Alabaster Factory & Shop. The handmade vases were so light and the factory-made ones so heavy! The girls thought it was cool it showed light all the way through it. They liked taking a turn at shaping some. They were told they could take some of the leftover alabaster chunks if they wanted to- they loved that!
Just across the way was the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut ("hot-sheep-suit"). Unfortunately Ramses the 2nd damaged the Temple and all of the carvings of Queen Hatshepsut were destroyed. The statues (replicas) represented her as a man with a fake beard. She wanted to show power and strength, especially as a female. The steps leading up to the Temple are small and wide because she was a shorter woman. The Valley of the Kings is on the other side of the cliffs behind her Temple. She was trying to build a tunnel to her tomb on the other side, but it was never finished.
One thing not included on the tour that I had read about was taking a Felucca (fell-oo-cah) ride. We asked Ahmed about taking one and he arranged it for us! He said because of his friend (Emma) he asked for a special price for our family. So kind! They are a type of sailboat that the ancient Egyptians used and that are still used today! It was so fun!!! We sailed to Banana Island where we got to hold a baby crocodile and a monkey, and stand in a big banana tree field! Ahmed bought some bananas for us and so we broke our "eat only cooked foods" rule. The bananas are so sweet!! Yum! On the way back, the girls got to take turns helping steer the felucca, which they loved! It was beautiful with all the little boats on the Nile!
Next we went to the Temple of Karnak. It's the largest Temple in all of Egypt. It has over a hundred columns and they are huge and beautifully carved. It has 3 obelisks, and a Scarab Beetle monument (legend says if you need luck with something to walk around it 7 times). We had fun walking around it! :) There is also a Sacred Lake there. The goat head with lion body statues lining the walk up to the Temple were especially cool.
We ate dinner nearby. Several girls had spaghetti or shish kabob. I had lentil soup. Peter got creative and had the pigeon.
Almost next door was the Papyrus Factory. We saw how papyrus is made. Talk about a lengthy process! How the ancient Egyptians figured that out in the first place must have been quite the miracle! It was fun to touch a papyrus plant and see the different stages.
Then we said goodbye at the airport to catch our flight to Cairo. Ahmed was yelling "Bye Emmie! Yella bina!" as they drove away. So fun they formed a little friendship!
Unfortunately our flight was delayed. Too late of a night again. We made it to the hotel by 1 am. Poor girls. Poor parents.
Things we learned:
Emma: I learned to listen to your parents while we were on the boat.
Clara: I learned that pills are disgusting (we tried to give her a pill for her tummy, but it was too hard for her to swallow).
Leesie: I learned that the Karnak Temple is the biggest in Egypt.
Addy: I learned how they made vases out of alabaster.
Kathy: I learned that the feluccas are made out of mostly steel in today's age (instead of wood), but it was a really fun way to explore the Nile!
Peter: I learned the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut was opposite the Valley of the Kings and they were trying to bore a hole through.
Pictured Next:
The Colossi of Memnon
The Valley of the Kings
King Merenptah's Tomb
Kathy Davis
14 chapters
14 Dec 2022
Luxor & Banana Island
January 09, 2023
We got up, had breakfast, got packed up, and checked out of the cruise. The girls will miss having crepes every morning with melted chocolate and powdered sugar! We met our tour guide at 8:30 am and went straight to The Colossi of Memnon. They were SO tall! It was cool to see the ones they've uncovered and think about those yet to be uncovered.
Next we went to the Valley of the Kings. Talk about incredible! We went inside 4 tombs: King Merenptah, King Ramses the 9th, King Tutankahmen, & King Ramses the 3rd. After the National Geographics we have watched about the Valley of the Kings and the discovery of some of the tombs, it was awe-inspiring to be there! Right there!! The details in the tombs, the colors, the meanings- wow!! Just walking along and thinking that more tombs could be anywhere under the sand. So fascinating!
We stopped for lunch at a buffet. They had some really good soup (rice or noodle with broth).
Then we went to an Alabaster Factory & Shop. The handmade vases were so light and the factory-made ones so heavy! The girls thought it was cool it showed light all the way through it. They liked taking a turn at shaping some. They were told they could take some of the leftover alabaster chunks if they wanted to- they loved that!
Just across the way was the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut ("hot-sheep-suit"). Unfortunately Ramses the 2nd damaged the Temple and all of the carvings of Queen Hatshepsut were destroyed. The statues (replicas) represented her as a man with a fake beard. She wanted to show power and strength, especially as a female. The steps leading up to the Temple are small and wide because she was a shorter woman. The Valley of the Kings is on the other side of the cliffs behind her Temple. She was trying to build a tunnel to her tomb on the other side, but it was never finished.
One thing not included on the tour that I had read about was taking a Felucca (fell-oo-cah) ride. We asked Ahmed about taking one and he arranged it for us! He said because of his friend (Emma) he asked for a special price for our family. So kind! They are a type of sailboat that the ancient Egyptians used and that are still used today! It was so fun!!! We sailed to Banana Island where we got to hold a baby crocodile and a monkey, and stand in a big banana tree field! Ahmed bought some bananas for us and so we broke our "eat only cooked foods" rule. The bananas are so sweet!! Yum! On the way back, the girls got to take turns helping steer the felucca, which they loved! It was beautiful with all the little boats on the Nile!
Next we went to the Temple of Karnak. It's the largest Temple in all of Egypt. It has over a hundred columns and they are huge and beautifully carved. It has 3 obelisks, and a Scarab Beetle monument (legend says if you need luck with something to walk around it 7 times). We had fun walking around it! :) There is also a Sacred Lake there. The goat head with lion body statues lining the walk up to the Temple were especially cool.
We ate dinner nearby. Several girls had spaghetti or shish kabob. I had lentil soup. Peter got creative and had the pigeon.
Almost next door was the Papyrus Factory. We saw how papyrus is made. Talk about a lengthy process! How the ancient Egyptians figured that out in the first place must have been quite the miracle! It was fun to touch a papyrus plant and see the different stages.
Then we said goodbye at the airport to catch our flight to Cairo. Ahmed was yelling "Bye Emmie! Yella bina!" as they drove away. So fun they formed a little friendship!
Unfortunately our flight was delayed. Too late of a night again. We made it to the hotel by 1 am. Poor girls. Poor parents.
Things we learned:
Emma: I learned to listen to your parents while we were on the boat.
Clara: I learned that pills are disgusting (we tried to give her a pill for her tummy, but it was too hard for her to swallow).
Leesie: I learned that the Karnak Temple is the biggest in Egypt.
Addy: I learned how they made vases out of alabaster.
Kathy: I learned that the feluccas are made out of mostly steel in today's age (instead of wood), but it was a really fun way to explore the Nile!
Peter: I learned the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut was opposite the Valley of the Kings and they were trying to bore a hole through.
Pictured Next:
The Colossi of Memnon
The Valley of the Kings
King Merenptah's Tomb
Pictured Next:
King Rameses the IX's Tomb
Pictured Next:
King Tutankahmen's Tomb
Pictured Next:
King Rameses the III's Tomb
Share your travel adventures like this!
Create your own travel blog in one step
Share with friends and family to follow your journey
Easy set up, no technical knowledge needed and unlimited storage!
