Back down the Nile to Thebes and Cairo

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Woke up in Aswan to a beautiful warm day, perfect for a slow sail down the Nile to Luxor aka Thebes. The Felucca was quite a bit larger than I had imagined, room enough for 13 passengers on the covered deck and a crew of three below. Since it was a cross wind we had to tack back and forth, not making much headway. Not really a problem since we weren't in a rush. That evening we moored on the shore and made ready to spend the night on the Felucca. Interesting to say the least.

The next morning it was a short sail and a bus ride to Luxor. The Luxor museum was the next stop. Containing the best of the best it had statues that could take your breath away. After that it was a trip to the Karnak temple, hundreds of columns that had to be seen to be believedand the photos will back that up.

The main attraction was the Valley of the Kings. Not much to see from the outside but the tombs were spectacular once you entered. The carvings and frescos covered the walls and ceilings, many of which were over 2100 years old and were as fresh as the day they were created. Some of the tombs had taken up to 70 years to construct.

Back to Cairo on the night train.

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Photos

Face of Thebes
One of the huge statues guarding the Karnak temple.

Felucca on the Nile
The boat that we sailed on was deffo "oldschool". Comfy though.

Pillars of Karnak
How they erected these is really a feat of engineering.

Colossus of Memnon
Two gigantic statues near the valley of the Kings.

Engaged?
Lesley, her new husband and the dowery.

Medinet Habu
Big wall, little Lesley.

Interior of the Medinet Habu
I would have loved to have seen this place in it's heyday.

Karnak temple
Probably my favourite temple. The pillars were fantastic and there were so many of them.

Medinet Habu temple
This one was surprise. Huge wall with fantastic carvings and then inside it was even better.

Taking a break
from deciphering the hyroglyphics.

Comments

[Joëlle]

Wonderful !
Thanks for these beautiful pictures ! In September 2011, I also went in Egypt ! Great souvenir for me too... Kisses.