Old Cairo

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Quite a strange word to describe this ancient city but there is a section of the city called, "Old Cairo". While 90% of the country is predominantly Muslim, 10% of the population is Coptic Christian. There is a beautiful and peaceful (!) section of the city filled with lovely narrow winding streets and churches. The Coptic church is basically a derivative of the Greek Orthodox Church and prides itself historically on its tapestries, woodwork, mosaics and decorative artwork in the Bible. The Coptic Museum was a welcome respite from the madness of the Egyptian Museum and all of the displays were artistically done with stunning lighting and fascinating descriptions.

The churches were quite lovely...of particular significance is the vaulted roof in the Hanging Church and the Church of St. Sergius, all wood and created to resemble the ark itself of "Noah's Ark". When I arrived at the first church, I saw a crowd of tourists standing outside and could not figure out why they did not go inside. When the funeral procession suddenly opened the doors and dozens of women veiled in black from head to toe came outside and started these piercing cries, I suddenly knew why we were held back.

Egypt, as the madness of the city suggests, is teeming with life...this was just a reminder of its companion. The amazing tidbit of history surrounding the Church of St. Sergius is that beneath the church is a stone vault. This area beneath the church is very famous because it is one of the resting spots of the Holy Family after Jesus was born. If you remember your Biblical history, Joseph was told by God in a dream to flee Israel immediately with his newborn son Jesus and wife Mary before King Herod discovered them. This church vault location marked the spot where they stayed after the flight from Israel.

At one point in the sanctuary, a tour group, seemingly Christian and religious in nature, broke out into song and held hands. A woman in the group, overcome with emotion, broke down crying while the group continued singing. When they were done, they said the "Lord's Prayer". For me, this was a foreshadowing of the religious pilgrimage I will undertake when I arrive in Israel.

Getting back to the apartment I was staying was an ordeal in itself. Taxi's demanded outrageous amounts of money and I repeatedly refused them. I finally got into one cab having negotiated a fare when suddenly the driver, while driving raised the price by ten Egyptian pounds (2 dollars!) once he hit the gas. I yelled out, "NO!" and proceeded to open the door of the moving vehicle and jumped out of the cab. We both exchanged pleasantries in our respective languages but my pride got the best of me. Suddenly I found myself in an unfamiliar area surrounded by sheer madness...goats, people, cars veering in every direction, donkey carts, flatbreads as far as the eye could see...and not one taxi to be found.

When I finally flagged down one, and showed my address....he refused. This happened a number of times...suddenly I felt as I normally do when I am trying to find a date...always a bridesmaid! As destiny would have it, one taxi driver agreed to take me but unbeknownst to me, had no clue where he was going. I only clued in to this new fact when he kept stopping the cab and asking every imaginable person where the street was located. We did numerous U-turns, weaves, honks, abrupt halts, and at one point I had a lovely view of freshly slaughtered sheep in the flatbed truck in front of the car. An hour and a half later, I was at my beloved Hardee's. Sigh...I really don't know how they manage with this traffic.

Today, I will meet up with my tour group and tomorrow at sunrise we are going to see the Pyramids. I am glad now to meet up with them, independent tourism at the moment has lost some of its appeal! Unfortunately, I am not sure how often I can "blog" as the tour also includes camping by the Red Sea, hiking and climbing Mount Sinai and sleeping in feluccas up the Nile. The computer technology in this particular cafe is quite archaic so I am unable to upload photos from my camera. Learning to be patient will obviously be my mantra in the next few weeks but I know it will be worth the numerous treasures I am about to encounter.

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Comments

[toni]

living vicariously through Keontor
A big thank you! I feel like I am there with you....keep up this descriptive blog. I will be patient too. I am wait patiently for pics!!! Enjoy Keontor and be safe. Love ya, toni