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| The Great Pyramids of Giza |
Naturally you must visit the pyramids. We’ve been to Egypt twice with the girls and we visit them each time. They are magnificent and mysterious. However, the first time I saw the pyramids, I was disappointed – no, not with the actual pyramids, but the approach to them. I had no idea that Cairo had grown right to the footsteps of the pyramids. It was heartbreaking to me that the awe inspiring and elegant pyramids did not have the silent desert to themselves anymore. Depending on where you view the pyramids, you can block out Cairo and pretend you are far away from modern civilization. Imagine very hard.
The girls are still too young to really appreciate the mystery and the mind boggling feat required to erect these wonders of the ancient world. Though the girls were interested in going inside the pyramids, I think hoping for a burial chamber full of treasures. Of course there isn’t one. You can go inside the pyramids but we opted out. I understand it is very hot and cramped inside, and no treasures to behold.
Once the girls knew we wouldn’t go inside, they were done with the pyramids. Of course there is no shade and it is very hot. The girls were melting and uncomfortable. (Make sure to wear hats and bring lots of water.)
After viewing the pyramids up close and clambering up some way up the pyramids, you should get back in the car and drive around to get a better view of the pyramids from afar. But before you do that, a visit to the Solar Boat Museum is worthwhile. To make things interesting for the girls and for us, we hired camels to take us from the front of the pyramids to the Solar Boat Museum and amble around a bit. Personally, it was just about long enough for me. The camels are really tall. The scariest part for me was when the camel, after you get on while on its knees, gets up unsteadily. It pitches back and forth wildly. As a tourist and a mom looking for a Christmas photo, the camel ride was a must. The first time we were in Egypt with the girls who were then 4 and almost 3, we did not ride the camels. My mother-in-law took so long picking a good looking clean camel (impossible) that by the time she found an acceptable camel, the girls were too scared to ride them. (By the way, be very clear when you negotiate the price with the camel drivers. And even then, you might be in for a rough back and forth. We thought we had a price but when my husband paid the drivers, they asked for more. This happens a lot in Egypt.)
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| The Solar Boat! |
The Solar Boat Museum is tucked behind the pyramids and there is an admission fee, and not a small amount. However, I highly recommend visiting it. The boat is impressive for its size and its impeccable state of preservation. It is astounding that a full size boat was taken apart with all pieces intact, buried and untouched until discovered. The boat is beautiful and unlike the pieces in the Egyptian Museum, someone had vision and taste when it came to displaying the boat. My girls were not suitably impressed. It is remarkably hard to impress 6 and 4 year olds. They were most concerned with the shoe cover slippers we had to wear in the museum. There weren’t covers small enough for the girls, especially for my 4 year old, and she spent what concentration she had making sure the covers did not come off her shoes.
Back in the car, we made our way to higher ground to view the pyramids from afar. You can get really good shots of the pyramids without Cairo in the background. With the sand in the foreground, you could imagine a time when all there was in the desert was the cluster of the majestic pyramids. Now there are hordes of tourists, hawkers, cars and buses. On top of that add all the camels and their drivers and horses and horse carriages. You have one busy scene.
We always try to get shots of the girls in front of the pyramids from this vantage point. It’s always the same. We coax the girls out of the car, they whine, they refuse to stand where we ask them to, and finally when they do stand, they won’t open their eyes. Once they do open their eyes, they hold their hands over them while their hair is blowing wildly around their head. We ask them to smile just once, okay twice, our pleas getting insistent and the girls complaining about the sand and sun in their eyes, try feebly. And that’s our best shot with the pyramids in the background…I figure, everyone will be looking at the pyramids, not the girls, so good enough!
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| Horse Drawn Carriage Ride at the Pyramids |
There are camels and horses all around. On our first visit, we hired a horse drawn carriage. It’s very tame compared to riding a camel or a horse into the desert, but the girls at 4 and 3 enjoyed it immensely. Like in Japan, and in most places, for the girls, the main attraction of most places is the transportation. So the camels and the horses win over the pyramids and Sphinx.
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| The Noseless Sphinx |
You can ride a camel or horse to the Sphinx. You can pretend you are an adventurer in an ancient time…it’s fun; or you can take the car. The Sphinx is magnificent. You can’t help but marvel at the skill, patience and sheer force it took to erect these colossal monuments. The girls – well the girls, just couldn’t get over the lack of nose (and beard) of the Sphinx. We told them the theory of Napoleon’s men using the Sphinx for target practice and the questions did not end. You all know what I am talking about.
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| Can you believe the view from Pizza Hut?? |
The Sphinx is your last stop. You can contemplate lunch at this point. There are options such as The Mena House Oberoi, which was my choice. It sounded lovely…lunch by the pool of a historic hotel with the view of the pyramids. I was outvoted, however, and we ended up at Pizza Hut, also with a view of the pyramids and the Sphinx to boot.
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