Melissa Balan
I have left Egypt after living there for 4 years and am now trying life again in Canada - with my husband, of course! Will greatly miss the travel opportunites that living in Egypt gave us - I hope to get back there soon again! Madame Isabel
Travel Blog Posts
March 25th 2009
On March 25, we headed back to Prague Castle. This time we were pros so we didn't need directions from cute little old ladies. By the way, approaching the castle from the side which brings you in closed to St. Vitus Cathedral is best as you don't have to go up as steep of a hill. We went to the Powder Tower - not much to see here except for some old and current military uniforms. After wandering around the huge courtyards, we found our way to Golden Lane. I was most looking forward to this little area as the pictures of the houses that I had seen looked so cute. We showed our ticket and we were in - along with about a 80 other people or so. Despite the crowds, I had fun peeking ... read more
Terezin and Prague Castle
Published: July 8th 2009Europe » Czech Republic » Ústí nad Labem Region » Terezín
March 24th 2009
On March 23, Ahmed and I had our tour of Terezin (the Lesser Fortress, the Museum of Terezin, the Jewish Ghetto and the Crematorium). Terezin's fortress was used by the Nazis as a concentration camp for general Czech prisoners (most of whom were Christians) and for Jews as well (most ones who were part of underground resistance). Prisoners from other places in Europe also ended up here before being taken further East to the Death Camps. This was my first chance to visit a place like this - I have studied the Holocaust extensively as a History student in university but have never been able to visit places associated with it. Terezin was not Auschwitz, but it was terrible. The Jewish Ghetto area was used as propaganda by the Nazis to show the Red Cross and ... read more
March 21st 2009
We arrived at 7:30 am to our hostel (Hostel Rosemary - I highly, really, recommend it). After discarding our luggage, we headed to the nearest popular area in search of breakfast - Wenceslas Square. We found ourselves some breakfast - well, breakfast for Ahmed included a roasted chicken leg with veggies and taters, and about an hour later he had a street sandwich, a fried chicken cutlet. I was so happy to be in Europe! Egypt is great, but Cairo is oppressive...we follwed our crazy Spy Map of Prague (just hilarious) and after running into some amazing monuments/towers/etc. along the way, we found ourselves in Old Town Square. I loved this big, open space. We did what my brother said we had to do - we watched the Astronomical Clock ring in the hour - I ... read more
April 12th 2008
Hello all: I thought I should at least give a brief overview of my parents' trip here to Egypt for the second time as for some reason I didn't do it when they were here 2 years ago!? Here are some of the highlights: - Dinner at Al Azhar Park as the sun was setting. Mom and Dad loved it. - The "little explored" street of Darb el Ahmar - I was only introduced to this street in November, and I love it. There is a lot of history packed into this little street that runs behind the Citadel, on the edge of City of the Dead, behind Al Azhar Park and out to Sayada Zeinab/Attaba area. My parents found this street to be amusing. I think they liked our free guide at the Blue Mosque ... read more
November 11th 2007
Greetings all: Yes, it's been quite some time since I made an entry, but the only places that I go to now are in Egypt, and I hav already highlighted those adventures in this travelblog. But I have a new one with some new stuff...LUXOR! This trip was with Dennis and Iris, and of course, Ahmed. We stayed at the Mercure Accor Hotel which, for anyone looking for a hotel in Luxor, is a great place to stay. I think it is technically only rated 3-stars, but it is great - pool, garden, restaurants, nice breakfast buffet...all the stuff you need. Plus, it is right on the Corniche, between Luxor Museum and Luxor Temple; very convenient. Our first day consisted of flying down to Luxor in the late morning, arriving and eating lunch at a new ... read more
April 9th 2007
Well, well - who would have thought that I would end up back in Cyprus with my Egyptian husband? After the harrowing adventure in Cairo to get Ahmed his first ever visa to a European country, we were off on a shaky EgyptAir flight to the lovely island of Cyprus. There are certain places in the world that I feel are truly just great hangout spots (Alexandria, Venice, that cool restaurant on the Nile in Luxor where I eat at), and Cyprus is certainly in this category, too. Not one particular place - just the whole island itself. We started out staying in Larnaka for a couple of nights (by the way, if you're looking for a nice apartment hotel, stay at Petrou Bros. Apartments - lousy parking, but great location overall). From this city, ... read more
March 4th 2007
Greetings all: This past weekend, Ahmed and I had our "real" honeymoon - a 4-day weekend in Dahab! I have never been to the Sinai Penninsula yet, so this was something new for me, and Ahmed has only been to Dahab once before. The trip started out rocky, thanks to Egypt Air, who messed up our reservation (and about 20 other people). This was Ahmed's first experience in an airport (and, thankfully, later on a plane), so this was not a good first impression. Anyway, after much yelling and such, we were on our way - on a flight with some nasty turbulance! D'oh! Ahmed was like a little kid, though - he wanted the window seat, he laughed as we left the ground, and generally just enjoyed the ride. Arrival in Sharm el Shiekh was ... read more
Souk Gomma and Other Tales from Cairo
Published: February 12th 2007Africa » Egypt » Lower Egypt » Cairo
February 9th 2007
Have you ever wondered where you can buy jeans, spices, cheese, lingerie, thread, toys, fast food and every animal from Noah's ark? Well, I have the answer for you - - - Souk Gomma (Friday Market) in the City of the Dead! Holy cow! Yikes! Ewww! I have been hearing about his insane market for a while, but Ahmed was not willing to take me there until I "threatened" to go it alone. His only condition was that I wear a scarf, and I didn't have a problem with that. So, off we went with my friends Doug and Evelyn (from my Jordan adventures, minus the kids - thank goodness!), and Evelyn's sister, Kathy. After hearing stories about women being groped in this market, we kept Evelyn and Kathy in between the rest of us, ... read more
January 26th 2007
Finally, Ahmed was finished his exams and we could go away (for one night only!) for a long-overdue sort-of honeymoon. We booked ourselves a great room at the Cecil Hotel in Alexandria. Yes, we have been to Alexandria before together on a number of occassions, but only for the day. of course! We arrived in Alex around lunchtime on Friday and checked into the hotel. We remembered to bring my passport and the marriage contract; this is the only way that an Egyptian can stay with a person of the opposite sex in a hotel. After getting everything photocopied and dropping of luggage, we were on our way to Montazzah Garden, the ONLY real park/garden area, I think, I all of Egypt. It's beautiful and huge and GREEN. We had a little picnic lunch here, stayed ... read more
December 14th 2006
Well, it's done...I'm married! And wow, what a process you have to go through here in Egypt to get it done. It all started last Monday, when my then fiance and I went to the Canadian Embassy to fill out an affadavit. Good thing he came with me, because it had to be done in English and Arabic. This seemingly simple form had a couple of misleading parts to it, but we filled it in as best we could. After handing it in to a rather rude Canadian lady at the counter, we went off to have lunch. Today, we decided to pick up the affadavit (which takes about 2 days to process anyway), and see if we could at least get to the stage of getting the marriage contract drawn up. So, we picked ... read more
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