Geo: 30.0571, 31.2272Took a bit to get me motivated to leave my room. Finally did at 1.30pm. To save myself from being ripped off by taxi's decided to walk to the Eugptian Musuem. Five minutes of being outside I remembered why I was so reluctant to leave my room- pollution, it is disgusting. According to LP a day in Cairo is like smoking a packet of cigarettes and it is the 2nd most polluted city in the world after Mexico City- great! There are still heaps of men everywhere, I thought they would be working today. This museum is a big mess, stuff everywhere, lots of things in the dark, a few things are labelled, piles of dust on everything.- no smoking signs can be ignored- no touching means you can lean on statues- birds inside ... read more

Geo: 30.0571, 31.2272Left Luton London airport and flew to Athens and landed in Cairo at 3am. Am glad I organised an airport transfer- that way no one hassled me for a taxi. On the way to the hotel I made a few initial observations about Cairo;- headlights on cars are optional- its compulsory to drive in more than one lane at once- you must beep very, very often, even if the road is empty- they are trying hard to keep this city clean, cleaners were out there picking up rubbish- there are a lot of armed security menMy hotel seems okay. I have a queen size bed- I love it and I'll be starfishing each night. Also got a TV which will be great once I learn Arabic!!... read more

Geo: 51.5002, -0.126236Made the journey from my hotel to the airport while carrying my 16.5kg bag and changing metro lines twice without falling backwards while climbing stairs or collapsing. This is an achievement and now I know that I can travel with my backpack. I have come along way from not being able to do a lap of the billiard table!!... read more

Geo: 48.8566, 2.35097Headed to the Louvre today, didn't know what to expect from the most well known museum. Only waited 5 minutes to get in. Got an audio guide so that I could learn more about some of the works. Headed off to the Egyptian area first, which was huge!! The stuff here is so ancient, its hard to comprehend the age. Saw lots of coffins beautifully decorated inside and out. Saw a female mummy who was perfectly preserved. After viewing lots of Italian paintings including some Botochelli that were falling apart. I made it to the Da Vinci's Mona Lisa- where there was a large crowd. Seems to be quite a simple painting- overrated?. There were quite a few of Ruben's works, who I learnt about at uni. There was a whole room of Ruben's ... read more

Geo: 48.8566, 2.35097Had a sleep in this morning and then caught the bus to Sacre Couer. This area seemed a bit dodgy, but I did buy lots of cheap postcards. Sacre Couer sits on a hill, so I took the cable car up which was quite lazy as there weren't many steps at all. There was a great view of the city from here. The inside of the church has a beautiful mosaic ceiling. Mass had just started. There were lots of priests and nuns singing in French. I slowly climbed to the top of the dome, which is the 2nd highest point in Paris after the Eiffel Tower. My knees are sick and tired of stairs.... read more