Egypt is a country everybody learns about in school. It’s one of the roots of Western civilisation. 1996 we booked a trip that included a cruise on the Nile, then a little stay at Cairo and 4 days at the resort of Hurghada.

The Nile-cruise started at Luxor. The boat we got was an older one and far not as comfortable as many others we saw; but on the other hand you’re only on it for sleeping. After arriving on the boat it immedialy parted and the next morning we could admire the temple of Esna. Next stop was the temple Edfoe dedicated to the falcon-god Horus (build ca. 237 B.C.). 

Then the boat went on to Kom Ombo where we stayed for the night. so the next morning a visit to the Kom Ombo temple was scheduled. This temple is dedicated to Horus and the crocodile-god Sobek (in the temple there are some mumified crocodiles). Second stop of the day was a visit at a papyrusmuseum, and then we went on to Assoean where we visited the marvellous Philae temple. On a small island in the middle of this temple there’s a smaller temple on an island dedicated to Isis

The fourth day a visit to the fellouks was planned but we decided to stay on the deck and watch the life go by in Assoean. The next day was spend sailing from Assoean back to Luxor.

So far we had been admiring the heeps of stone but we didn’t know that the best was yet to come. So on the sixth day we had to get out of bed at 4.30 A.M. because we had to visit the temple of Hatsejpsut. She was the only female Pharao of Egypt. This 3500 years old complex has been rebuild for a large part and is impressive.

Next stop was the Valley of Queens: most of the tombs were closed due to restauration but we were able to visit the tomb of Amenherchopshef, one of the most impressive in this valley. After this we went to the Valley of Kings where you can finds the famous tomb of Pharao Tut Ank Amon. Because everything has been transported to various museums around the world this tomb is not worth the visit. Instead we went to see the tombs of Ramses III and Tutmosis. The latter being a must for every visitor, but few are tempted :-). On the way back to the boat we passed by the two Colloses of Memnon.

After this tiring day we had a little rest, but in the afternoon a visit to the Luxor temple was scheduled. This one was build by King Amenhoteb III in honour of the gods Amon, Mut and Chons and finished during the ruling of Ramses II. From this temple there’s 3 km long road with sfinxes to the temple of Karnak. During the evening there’s a light and sound show.

Next day, we visited another temple: this time it was the temple of Karnak which was a temple-city dedicated to the King of gods Amon-Re. Whithin this temple-city there were many templecomplexes. During the afternoon we went to visit the Museum of Luxor, small but very nice.

The next day was spend covering the transfer from Luxor to Cairo

What is the most important thing to visit in Cairo then the piramids  ? So, off we went. First destination was the old king-city of Memphis, one of the most important cities in Egypt, on the border of Upper and Lower Egypt. The town of Memphis was the capital of Egypt in old times (followed by Alexandria and later Cairo). During the ages the town of Memphis has decayed ... but one of the mayor findings was the collos of Ramses II, and a gigantic sfinx statue.

Next stop in this journey of old Egypt is the City of the Dead, Sakkahra (7 km wide). It was the place where the inhabitants of Memphis buried their dead. Most famous tomb here is the tomb of King Djoser.

Finally we leave for Gizeh, where we admire the gigantic piramids. The biggest one being the one of King Cheops, the other ones are the one of his son Cheffren and a smaller one for Mykerinos. We entered the Cheffren piramid and crept on our knees to it’s centre where the tomb of the Pharao has been. Quit an experience !

Last part of this day was a visit to the Sfinx (57 m long, 20 m high).

Some other things worth a visit whilst in Cairo are of course the Museum of Egyptology where you can see a great deal of the gifts that surrounded pharao Tut Ank Amon, together with his deathmask and sarcofagus. The mosk of Muhammed Ali on a hill inside the citadel, overlooking the town is nice and whilst visiting town , be sure to stop and walk around in the Khan Al Khalili-bazar, on of the largest bazars in the Middle-East.

After this brief stay in Cairo, we went to the touristresort of Hurghada. To reach this destination we had to take a busride for over 6 hours along the red sea. After all the impressive splendor of Old Egypt, Hurghada was a disappointment but it’s nice for swimming and relaxing