During our first vacation to Cyprus we took advantage of its closeness to Egypt and went on a 3-day trip to see the pyramids. Our holiday rep arranged the cruise for us.
On the first day we were picked up from our hotel and we travelled to Limassol and made our way onto our ship. Soon the ship left port and we were sailing to Egypt. By now it was mid afternoon, so we had a look around, had something to eat and had a game of Bingo! In the evening we went for our meal, which was of a very high standard. It was very romantic sitting next to window watching the sun set into the sea. There was an entertaining cabaret show. On board there were several other bars and café-bar areas, as well as a casino. We retired to our cabin to get a good night's sleep ready for the day ahead in Egypt.
We awoke just as the ship was about to dock in Port Said. After breakfast, we went through the Egyptian passport control, and boarded our coaches for our trip. It was very entertaining when people were desperately trying to sell you things through the coach windows. Barter for everything. Each coach had an armed police officer, and a guide. The convoy of coaches then set off with an armed guard of soldiers. The Egyptian government is very concerned about the damage done by previous terrorist attacks on tourists. At the time we went we did not feel unsafe, but recent world events could effect your decision.
The drive to Cairo took about 3 hours, but the Guide spent much of the time telling us about Egyptian culture and history. There was also much to see, including villages in the Sahara, and glimpses of the Suez Canal. There is a surprising amount of agricultural land and millions of date palms. The views of poverty were an eye opener for the children. We reached Cairo and were surprised to catch a glimpse of the Pyramids on the horizon. Their immense size was obvious even from afar. No words can describe this immense size, and no photograph can show it. Soon we were on the Giza Plateau and there they were, massive! We departed the coaches and were hit by the heat. Be warned that you need your wits about you as everybody hassles you to buy things or to pose for photos. Remember every offer of any thing is at a cost! We then travelled down to the Sphinx, before boarding the coaches again for a visit to a small bazaar and a demonstration of the making of papyrus, with the opportunity to buy. While we were buying beautiful gold jewellery and papyrus paintings, outside poverty-stricken children queued to fill dirty empty containers with water from a standpipe.
Then followed a visit to the Cairo Museum, with views of Cairo and the Nile on the way. The visit to the museum was much too short really, but then it would take days to see it all. The Tutankhamun exhibit was fantastic, so much gold!
Finally we made the long drive back to Port Said to rejoin the ship. After another lovely evening meal we were soon fast asleep. The next morning we had breakfast and soon we were approaching Limassol. Altogether a very interesting trip, but it left us wanting to go to Egypt again to see it all properly. This was a very crammed whirlwind visit, but well worth the experience.