Luxor Temple, Magical And Accessible

A colossal statue of Ramesses II.

Court of Amenhotep III

It is only a 5-10 minute ride by a horse drawn carriage from the hotel.  I don’t know if it’s because it was our first temple we visited or because there wasn’t a crowd, it was our favorite (or perhaps because, I later learned, it is considered the prettiest temple).  Our 4 year old had a digital camera of her own and it allowed her to be more involved in sightseeing.  There aren’t words to capture the mystery and sheer force it must have required to build these temples.   More than the pyramids for me, I felt the tug of the past and the magic of Egypt in Luxor, in the midst of the tall sand colored columns and rows of sphinxes lining the way.  The Luxor Temple is also open in the evenings for a light show which we decided to skip.  Our girls were too young to stay up and they also might have been scared of the shadows and the darkness.  If I had been there without the kids, I would have liked to visit the temple in the coolness of the evening.

Avenue of the Sphinxes (reminded me of entry to Angkor Thom in Siem Riep).

We did not hire a guide for the Luxor Temple which meant none of us had any clue about our magnificent surroundings.  I don’t think you need a guide to feel the magic of the place but in retrospect, I wish I learned something about the pharaohs who built the temple. Here is a link to a site which describes the temple in some detail.  (I had no idea that the obelisk standing in the Place de la Concorde came from the Luxor Temple – I knew it was Egyptian but that’s all I knew.  How strange that the obelisk is in the middle of busy Paris, so out of place.)

A Room With A View And History…Winter Palace

The front of the majestic hotel.

Looking down the main staircase leading to the lobby.

I love old hotels, not dumpy ones, but the charming, luxurious, oozing with history kind.  Whenever I can, I try to peek inside one of these hotels or if I am lucky, stay!

The hotel with the most in Luxor is the Winter Palace on the banks of the Nile.  Managed by the Sofitel group, the Winter Palace is gracious and beautifully restored set amidst a lush garden and one gargantuan pool. 

We arrived very late in the evening from Soma Bay and were ushered into the grand lobby.  While we were waiting for our room, we were offered glasses of karkade juice – yum!  We were helped by a man who looked like a wizened magician, evidently in absolute control behind the reception desk.  No wonder, he has been a fixture at the hotel for 40 years or so!! 

The view out our window - Nile Terrace hotel bar in the foreground and the Nile.

Gathering the kids, we walked up a grand staircase to our room facing the Nile.  The room was small but the windows opened onto a full view of the Nile.  Grand!!  Absolutely grand!  When we woke up one morning and opened the windows, we were astounded to see large colorful balloons across the Nile, taking off in the early morning mist and quiet, the noise of traffic from the corniche below, not yet making a meaningful impact.  Absolutely magical!

Our stay came with breakfast at the hotel.  The breakfast, while served in a very nice room, was not that great.  Oh well.

Other than that, we really enjoyed our stay at the Winter Palace.   Our girls loved the pool and so did we.  Coming back hot and dusty after seeing the temples, the pool was a godsend.  The girls made quite a few friends at the pool.  What an oasis in the middle of Luxor.

The backside view of Winter Palace from its garden.

Winter Palace offered massages.  I was hesitant about getting a massage but the young woman who came around the pool offering massage seemed so nice that I gave in.  It wasn’t great and it wasn’t even relaxing, since she was very talkative and wanted to know about my husband, whether he was Muslim or not etc …but it was an interesting experience.

For dinners we decided to eat at the hotel and not venture out into town.  The hotel served an outdoor buffet with entertainment which changed nightly.  One night the dervishes whirled away, another night belly dancers etc.  And the food was excellent!  It was the best food we had on that trip to Egypt.  I highly recommend staying at the Winter Palace.  Make sure you book a room in the ‘old’ Winter Palace and not in the new wing, connected to the original building. 

Another place recommended to us by my husband’s relatives was the Jolie Ville Movenpick King Island resort.  I looked at the website and at that time, 2007, the rooms looked shabby to me.  It seemed like it would be a lot of fun for the kids but we chose history and location over a ‘resort’ setting.

A Good Choice for a Beach Vacation in Egypt – Soma Bay

The beach with the hotel and pool in the background at Soma Bay.

Sunset at Soma Bay.

If you are not new to my blog, you know that no matter where we go, my husband insists on a beach getaway.  Hence our side trips to Okinawa and Shimoda while in Japan.   Lakeside also counts…thus a side trip to Annecy with our girls and my mom when we were in France for a wedding. 

A beach getaway is a must for him when we are in Egypt.  For one, Cairo, as fascinating as it is, is overwhelming.  Luckily, Egypt boasts lots of coastline – along the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.  For our first trip to Egypt with the girls in October of 2007, we opted for Soma Bay, located on the Red Sea, about 30 miles from Hurghada International Airport. 

To get to Soma Bay, you can fly into Hurghada Airport from Cairo or drive about 5 hours through the desert.  We made the trek through the desert in a rented van with a driver.  We traveled with my in-laws and my husband’s cousins and their families so the drive was not as monotonous or as dreary as I anticipated.

Whereas our stay at Marsa Matrouh provided lots of local flavor, there isn’t any authentic local culture to be had at Soma Bay. 

The Sheraton at Soma Bay is in the middle of nowhere.  As you drive in from the desert through the gates down a long driveway the hotel emerges like a mirage.  And what a mirage it is…Vegas baby! 

Compared to Marsa Matrouh, what a deal!  We stayed in a large suite close to the beach.  The beach was amazing and the water perfect.  The hotel was large and well maintained.  It has a very large pool, water sports, restaurants, gift shops, fitness center, kids disco, kids program and nightly entertainment.  

Lively nightly outdoor entertainment.

Our package included breakfast and dinner and the food was fine.  There were nightly themes for dinner such as International (the worst night), Middle Eastern (the best), Italian etc…The girls loved the nightly entertainment which consisted of lots of dancing showcasing different styles and tribes from Egypt.  It was wonderful to be able to sit outside under the sparkling night sky and enjoy the joyous dancing and music.

The girls also looked forward to the kids program.  Because my younger girl was too little I had to stay with them during the kids activities.  I didn’t mind it too much.  It’s hard to sit out in the desert sun for very long anyway.  The counselors hailed from all over Europe and they were all young and enthusiastic.   The kids’ activities included lots of arts and craft, scavenger hunts, games, swimming etc.  In the evenings they held Kids Disco, a fun dance party with mirror balls, DJ and group dancing.  Despite the language barrier, none of the kids spoke English, many spoke German and French, the girls made friends.  The girls had a lot of fun. 

Pirate games and scavenger hunt - a kids program activity.

My husband had a ball too.  Our package also included wind surfing equipment rental.  He enjoyed many afternoons out on the water. 

The sand was soft and the water clear.  There were small fish right by the shore and the kids spent many hours chasing them.  If you walked along the beach north of the hotel, you could dive into deeper waters off a pier.  No need for special equipment, just your snorkels and you were right in the middle of a first rate aquarium.   In a span of 3 minutes at most, you saw everything – lion fish, puffer fish, various angel fish, rays etc…it was just incredible.

We had a great time at Soma…the rooms were wonderful, the meal generally delicious, the setting gorgeous, the sea amazing, the fish incredible, wind surfing awesome, kids program fun, the nightly entertainment – entertaining!  I would recommend it highly except for the fact that it didn’t seem like we were in Egypt.  Except for a Coptic bishop and his wife, our family was the only Egyptian family, and we aren’t even fully Egyptian.  There were lots of families during our stay, all from Europe, with one or two Japanese couples.

To A Brighter Future

As I write about my family's past travels to Egypt, the country itself is in the midst of a violent transformation.  My memories of our peaceful and mostly leisurely times in Egypt are in stark contrast to all the turmoil. 

Most of us travel to Egypt to relive in the grandeur and wonders of the past.  And what a glorious history it is.  But the people deserve a future.  We are all hoping for the best.

Culture Clash at Marsa Matrouh

View of the public beach from our new room.

Sunday – Friday, August 15-21, 2009

We were able to switch rooms in the morning.  We were moved to a room in the ‘newer’ building.  Although we had to give up space (there were no family rooms in the ‘newer’ building) we were happy to be rid of the stench.  After the first night, the food got better.  We established a routine of sort and settled into our days starting with breakfast, kids activity – bingo in the lobby, dip in the sea, lunch, nap, another dip and dinner.  For most of our stay, our older girl didn’t feel too well.  We all felt so bad for her but she was a trooper. 

Macarena on the beach, one of many kids program activity.

The girls swam, played bingo (and won a prize), made friends and enjoyed the loukomedes at breakfast daily.

Marsa Matrouh was an interesting place for cultural observation.  When we first arrived, it was not yet Ramadan and the hotel was filled with many Egyptian Muslim families.  To my surprise, many of the women were covered from head to toe.  When I first visited Egypt in 2000, I did not remember seeing so many women wearing hijabs (head scarves) and cloaks/outfits covering head to toe.  At the beach, this sort of very modest attire stood out, especially if they waded into the waters fully clothed.  (Actually we were the ones, in bathing suits, who stood out from a sea of women fully clothed on the beach and in the water.)

My girls were very confused about the choice of dress.  I did my best to explain to them why many Muslim women wear what they wear but I was at a loss when we witnessed one of the women, fully clothed, flailing in the water, looking like she was about to drown.  Thankfully, I assume, her husband came to her rescue. 

The scenery on the beach changed dramatically when Ramadan began.  All the Muslim families left the hotel when Ramadan started.  This makes sense.  During Ramadan, you cannot eat or drink (!) from sunrise to sunset.  There is no way you can be at the beach without drinking all day.  Two changes with the start of Ramadan; Christian families replaced the Muslim families at the hotel and the room rates decreased.  The beach scene was totally different.  Everyone was wearing a bathing suit.

There was one thing that really bothered me while at Beau Site - the trash in the water.  The water and the beach are amazing but they are marred by trash.  Besides one other man during our stay, our family was the only one who threw trash in the garbage cans conveniently places at regular intervals on the beach.  No one else did.  People would eat and throw the plastic bags or peelings right where they sat.  There would be a ring of garbage around the beach chairs.  Even worse, people would eat while in the water (why???) and throw the garbage right in the water. I could not believe it.  I know I must have looked righteous and ridiculous but I would make a point of grabbing the garbage floating in the water and walking all the way up the beach to the garbage cans.  Nope.  Not one person followed suit.  They all just kept playing in the water with the garbage floating by.  I didn’t get that.

The women were, as I mentioned, more than modestly dressed.  The men were not - the double standard.   How about the children?  The children were dressed like any other children but here’s the twist.  One afternoon, for the kids program, there was a parade of costumes.  My girls wanted to watch but not participate.  So we got seats and watched the parade of children dressed up in various costumes like Spiderman.  What struck me were the younger girls who were dressed in provocative belly dancer type of outfits and who were being cheered on loudly by their mothers covered from head to toe.  That was disturbing.

No matter, we all enjoyed the Mediterranean; its beautiful waters and sand.  We came to look forward to mealtimes.  The setting was gorgeous – an open dining hall on the beach, family meals at sunset.  The girls liked the buffet – it worked really well, they could get what they wanted when they wanted.  Loukomedes in the morning were a hit.  The kids program was fun for the girls.  The hotel put on shows on the beach in the afternoons.  One afternoon showcased a strongman, the next a magician.  This vacation definitely provided us with a very local flair.

Marsa Matrouh – On The Road To Libya

Sign over the original hotel building.

The view of the public beach from Beau Site's private beach.

Saturday, August 14, 2009

Why go to Marsa Matrouh while in Egypt? Good question.  If you are in Egypt for only a couple of weeks, no need to put it on your list – it’s a bit far.  There are so many other fantastic and unique places to see in Egypt that skipping a beach town, as beautiful as the beaches are, would be OK.  Naturally, since my husband requires a beach of any sort for a vacation, that advice does not apply to us.

Marsa Matrouh is apparently a popular vacation destination for the locals.  I am a little puzzled by this.  Yes the beaches are beautiful but the choice of accommodations is limited and not inexpensive.

From Cairo, Marsa Matrouh is about a 5 hour drive.  Many stop at Marsa Matrouh before continuing onto Siwah, an oasis in the desert.  Once you hit the Mediterranean coast, you see miles and miles of desert with the sea shimmering tantalizingly out of reach beyond the road and unfortunately, many ugly concrete ‘villas’ and ‘resorts’.  It is beyond me how anyone can build some really ugly buildings on the coast for all to see and then someone else comes along builds even uglier buildings.  Well, there it is, a chain of very unattractive villas dotting the coast.  The villas do disappear after awhile and you are left with sand, sun and sea.

We arrived at Beau Site hotel around 5pm.  We had booked two rooms, a family room and a standard room.  When we were finally shown to our rooms, I was appalled.  Our room was behind another building, blocking the view of the beach.  The room was spartan and the bathroom miniscule (with a clogged drain as we later found).  We could have lived with that except for the stench.  The room, especially the bathroom, smelled like a sewer was running through it.  My in-laws’ room was no better and my mother-in-law and I were ready to cut our stay short, really short.  Given that we were paying nearly $200 a night for this (and that was because my husband snagged discounts as an Egyptian and Ramadan special) it was all too much to bear.  On top of all this, my older daughter was running a fever. 

Our stay included breakfast and dinner and we walked to the dining hall located right on the beach attached to the original building of the hotel.  Beau Site is supposed to be known for its food.  However, our dinner that night was not good.  We were striking out left and right.  We went to bed with our mosquito nets up (we brought our own) hoping for a better tomorrow.

My Short List of Where to Sleep and Eat in Alexandria

View from our balcony of the pool, Corniche and beach.

Four Seasons at San Stefano

We stayed at the Four Seasons which is located at the end of the Corniche close to the Stanley Bridge and Montazah Palace.  Since it was Ramadan and the hotel mostly empty, we were offered a great rate.

It is the Four Seasons after all, but some caveats.  The hotel, which only has about 100 rooms, is housed in a monstrously large building.  I believe most are residences.  It is also attached to a shopping mall.  The positive, all you need to do is go through the doors separating the hotel lobby from the mall, and you are in mall paradise, replete with fast food court, trendy stores and most useful, a supermarket. 

The hotel has a beautiful view of the Mediterranean and the beach in front but it is separated from its own beach by the very busy Corniche.  However, you don’t have to worry about being run over by a car while trying to get to the beach.  The hotel built a passageway under the Corniche…clever!  The service was good and friendly (and in one instance, amazing.  My younger daughter spilled karkade juice, hibiscus, all over her outfit at dinner on the beach.  The stuff is red and I am sure super staining.  As soon as the staff saw our plight and saw that I had a change of clothes for our girl, they took her stained and wet clothes from us.  And an hour or so later, the entire outfit was returned to us pressed and cleaned.  Wow!!) 

Dress and shirt which were whisked away and cleaned immediately!

However, I am not giving it excellent for service because of the waitstaff at breakfast.  They were passable.  Having said all this, it was wonderful staying at the Four Seasons.   Our rooms were beautiful with a large balcony overlooking the Corniche and the sea.  The hotel boasts an indoor and outdoor pool and the biggest spa I have ever seen!  And most of the time, I had the amazing locker room and showers all to myself!  It also has a good gym and a squash court.  (There were separate workout rooms for men and women.)

Greek Maritime Club and The Fish Market

The Maritime Club's beach and Alexandria's cityscape.

For dinner on our first day in Alexandria, we chose the Greek Maritime Club, located right next to Fort Quaitbey.  The entrance is nondescript and once you open the doors, you doubt yourself of your choice.  At this point, shake off the bad vibes and proceed upstairs where a grand vista of the harbor and the city skyline greet you.  We chose a table on the balcony and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine, gorgeous view and delicious fish.  Not to say the meal wasn’t without some excitement.   My father-in-law and my husband wanted beer with their meal.  Our server did not want to serve them beer.  Egypt’s population is mostly Muslim and alcohol is a no-no.  We went back and forth to no avail until my mother-in-law produced her US passport and the boys were rewarded with two cold beers.  Exchanges like this make life interesting.

My in-laws recently ate at Fish Market, another popular seafood restaurant on the Corniche.  They declared the Greek Maritime Club a better choice.

Fresca, Four Seasons

Fresca was our choice for casual dining.  It serves pizzas, pasta and other Italian fare.  If it weren’t for our girls and the inconvenience of getting in the car and driving around in the traffic, I would definitely opt for any of the myriad seafood restaurants in town over Fresca.  Fresca is clean, bright and serves decent food.

Keeping within the theme of not venturing too far from the hotel, we had a lovely outdoor buffet on the beach one night.  The hotel has special feasts, iftar, during Ramadan.  During Ramadan, the people fast during the day and break their fasts at sunset, partaking in iftar.

Alexandria – A Gem on the Mediterranean

View of the harbor and of the Bibliotheque Alexandrina in the distance.

I prefer Alexandria to Cairo.  Even with the majestic Nile coursing through the city, Cairo remains dusty, drab and chaotic for me.  I much prefer the blueness of the Mediterranean, the elegant but busy Corniche, the crumbling Roman ruins and the salt air and seafood of Alexandria.  Cairo has the pyramids but Alexandria also boasts one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the great tower, Pharos.  Unfortunately, not much of the tower is left so one is left to imagine its grandeur.  Sometimes I prefer my imagination to the realities of life.

There is a sense of languidness in Alexandria that one does not feel in frenetic Cairo.  You can see all you need to see in Alexandria in about 2 days but it would be so much more enjoyable to spend a couple more days just gazing out at the sea.

Sights of Alexandria

Street scene opposite the entrance to the catacombs.

Catacombs of Kom Ash-Shuqqafa (Tuesday, August 25, 2009)

We left for Alexandria from Balah by car.  The drive takes a little over an hour.  Since our first stop was the Catacombs of Kom Ash-Shuqqafa our driver drove us through a very different part of town than we were used to approaching Alexandria.  The part we drove through was very run down and did not look safe.  My mother-in-law did not like it one bit.  I think that if you were visiting the Catacombs from your hotel, you do not have to go through the parts of the city that we did, so rest assured.  The catacombs are definitely worth a visit.  The Lonely Planet called the catacombs “impressive” and they are!!

The catacombs were built for a wealthy Roman family over 2000 years ago.  Most of it is intact and underground.  I loved the fact that it was underground, cool and dark, a respite from the unrelenting sun and heat.  When we stepped down the circular steps into the burial chambers, all I could think of was “Wow!  We are Indiana Jones!  We’ve discovered a secret chamber full of treasures!”  It’s really the sense you get…the kids will love it and the kid in you will love it!  A little tip to the guard underground gets you a personal tour.

The tombs were supposedly discovered when a donkey fell through into the chamber in 1900.  The guard showed us the remains of the unlucky donkey.  The girls were most fascinated by, you guessed it, the story of the unlucky donkey and its remains. 

The catacombs were our favorite tourist spot.  When I mentioned this to my husband’s cousin who is a judge in Alexandria, he laughed and could not understand why anyone would want to visit a hole in the ground – I tell you, it is a magnificent hole in the ground, not to be missed!!

http://www.touregypt.net/alcataco.htm 

Pompey’s Pillar (Tuesday, August 25, 2009)

It’s a pillar…OK, it’s a very large pillar, nearly 2000 years old, but it’s a pillar.  You will see it on your way to or back from Kom Ash-Shuqqafa.  Our driver wanted to stop the car so we could get out and take a look at the pillar.  I did not think it was worth getting the girls out of their car seats and walking around in the hot sun.  I am sure many will disagree with me.  I decided we could all take a look at it from the car, no one seemed to have the energy to do otherwise.

Fort Qaitbey (Tuesday, August 25, 2009)

The thing about Alexandria is its spectacular setting on the Mediterranean.   The fort anchors the eastern end of the Corniche.  You can climb all around the fort and enjoy the incredible views of the sea, the harbor and the city.  The fort is purportedly built on the ruins of the lighthouse, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, which stood for 17 centuries.

http://www.touregypt.net/alqaitbe.htm

Kom Al-Dikka, Roman Amphitheatre (Friday, August 28, 2009)

Kom Al-Dikka translates to Mound of Rubble.  That term could apply to so many places.  If one had to choose between Kom Ash-Shuqqafa and Kom Al-Dikka, absolutely no contest, pick Kom Ash-Shuqqafa.  However, this is your only chance to see a Roman Amphitheatre in Egypt.  Obviously there are better places to see more impressive amphitheatres but you are here in Alexandria so why not.  Just don’t go when it is blazing hot.  There is barely any shade at Kom Al-Dikka and the girls did not enjoy their visit one bit.  The Villa of the Birds inside Kom Al-Dikka is touted as a must see for its mosaics, requiring extra admission.  The mosaics are indeed intricate but I did not feel the magic.  I think one can skip it without guilt.  We opted to see it.  The guard at the villa was gone so my husband had to go in search of the guard first.  It definitely wasn’t worth him running around in the hot sun to find the guard.  As with the catacombs, my husband’s cousin, the judge, laughed and told us Kom Al-Dikka was a definite waste of time (but I think he thinks anything old is a waste of time).  Instead he urged us to visit the new library at Alexandria and hooked us up with his contact for a tour.

http://www.touregypt.net/alromthe.htm

Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Friday, August 28, 2009)

Inside the library.

What a tragedy and a horrific loss to the world that the ancient library of Alexandria was destroyed.  In its place is a modern glass, stone and steel building evoking a sun rising.  (I read that in a guide book.  I wouldn’t have guessed otherwise.)

We were set for the tour thanks to the judge but we still had to buy tickets to gain entry.  I am not proud of this, but we had to fudge our younger daughter’s age.  Apparently 4 was too young to gain admission into the library which I thought was strange. 

Once inside, we were met by our contact who was a very informative and friendly guide.  She walked us through the Antiquities Museum located in the basement of the library.  If you are interested in seeing a mosaic, then skip the Villa of the Birds and visit the Antiquities Museum.  It displays beautifully a mosaic of a dog uncovered when the library was built.  Perhaps because of our excellent guide, we all thoroughly enjoyed the museum.

We then joined a general tour group for the rest of the library tour.  The library is large, modern and airy.  It is an impressive library.  I don’t think I would feel the  need to see it but I highly recommend the Antiquities Museum inside it.

http://www.bibalex.org/Home/Default_EN.aspx

Montazah Palace (Friday, August 28, 2009)

The palace sits amidst a large garden situated along the water at one end of the Corniche.  The Palace was once the summer palace of King Farouk.  The grounds are open to the public but the palace itself is off limits; apparently in use by President Mubarak when he is in town. 

There are beautiful views to be had all around you at Montazah Palace.  This would make for a nice afternoon and you could have lunch as well.  There are a couple of hotels on the grounds.  One is the Salamlek Palace Hotel…I am a sucker for historic hotels so this one gets my vote.

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Africa/Egypt/Muhafazat_al_Iskandariyah/Alexandria-2009064/Things_To_Do-Alexandria-Montazah_palace_and_gardens-BR-1.html 

Midan Saad Zaghloul (Friday, August 28, 2009)

This is a beautiful little square bounded by the Corniche and the Cecil Hotel, a historic hotel run by the Sofitel group.  (As a side note, I like the Sofitel chain for its historic hotels.  If I can swing it I like staying in these old hotels.  We didn’t stay at the Cecil but we did stay at the Winter Palace in Luxor, another Sofitel hotel.  Gorgeous, highly recommended.)  I ran inside the Cecil Hotel to gawk at its old elevator and lobby. 

We hired a horse drawn carriage at the square and rode around town.  Fun!  If you have kids you must hire a carriage.

Graeco-Roman Museum

We didn’t visit this museum on this trip.  I did tour it before kids many years ago.  I remember it to be a nice manageable museum with lots of artifacts and an inviting courtyard.  It did close temporarily for renovation.

 http://www.touregypt.net/algraec.htm