Moo-Hot-Uht Muslee (Station of Egypt)

Egyptian Museum / Cairo Museum / Museum of Antiquities in Cairo

all one in the same, depends on your origin, your language and your age, I think too
;)

What a GREAT family field trip! Rob and I were **pleasantly** surprised at how clean, organized and great the facilities are there! The guide book I read before we go anywhere and take along too - was right on when it said there are minimal signs and even at that, it's sketchy...so we were happy to hire a trained guide (not a blood thirsty thug this time) from the museum itself, to walk us thru King Tut-Anhk-Amon's stuff and a Ramses II

VERY "awe" - just "whoa!!"

I mean we stood near, ate lunch with, pieces of the first recorded history!!

There is also a Greco-Roman area that was neat to read about their unification of "gods" / religion as well. No photos are allowed inside, so sorry ;) But you did see the replica's from the Pharaonic Village, but we even saw the REAL stuff!! Joshua at age 8 is larger than the "real size" sculpture of King Tut at age 12!! King Tut's smallest inner case at age 18 is SMALLER THAN ME! and that's the outside of it!

We also learned today, we've caught wind of this, but learned today that Egyptians are NOT considered (by themselves) to be African's. To them, everyone else on this continent is an African and is "under their feet" but they are Egyptians, set alone within the world ;) This is something that started eon's ago....we saw it on the Pharoah's foot rests are all "black people" (tho that's the nice way of how the guide put it and how we've heard around here). This is truly surprising to us!!! Quite unexpected!

There are Egyptians here that we'd call "black" or African American in every sense of the word - skin, hair, nose bridge, etc.....but they are infact Egyptians....Nubians. But Egyptians nonetheless.

Just a bit of "history" and "culture" for you today! :-)

Here's a few fun photos!!! Ieman drove us again, and came back for us, he really is a smooth driver - I cannot begint to tell you how that goes here! Today we were actually on a road with LINES and it was 4 lanes in one direction...and we were six cars wide bumper to bumper ;) I told Rob that my mom's gonna have to ride in the front and be reminded not to squeal or to hit the driver - ha ha! Sorry, mom, it's one of the drawbacks of your visit ;) The driving....more likely...the riding!! Can't wait for YOU guys to see all this!!

We had the guide for 1 hr and finished the museum in 3 more hours, then relaxed outside wandering the grounds, eating lunch, etc. I took some pics of European families / friends together in front of different places, it was kinda fun! :-) They are tourists, we are not, so they crack up at me talking to the Egyptians ;)

We did a bit of shopping - Rob got himself a set of alabaster pyramids - the Giza 3 and a 10" tall rosetta stone (THE ORIGINAL WAS SO COOL!!) Jasmine got a small touristy-spoon w/ Queen Nefirtiti, Joshua got himself a Tut magnet (the mask). I am waiting to go to Khan El Khalili again ;)

Me...I got pics, memories and lots of information! oodles of smiles and fun!! Here's the shots we got..

I think one thing that's incredible, is that this stuff here is OUTSIDE!! there's nothing to hurt it except tourists..and the army guards with compact sub-machine guns every 10' deter anyone from even picking their nose and flicking it.

The last 2 days and next 3 will be low 70's - really great weather! Wish Rob was home this week to go to Saqqara while it's cool - but it won't happen until April now. His trip to Syria went well. Anas is half Syrian, so they visited his extended family. Rob brought us back some Baklava - which Rob can't get enough of, I like it alright...but it ain't no krispy cream pastry! ;) Syrians and Egyptians both speak Arabic, the forms are VERY close. Syrians I believe speak classic, I believe. Just the other day, I had a Sudanese man translate English to Arabic - a cat got into the garbage locked stairwell somehow.....and wouldn't come to me and it was breaking my heart ;) Sudanese language is close to Arabic apparently, but if I understand the man correctly, it's NOT called Arabic. Keeping up w/ that? ;)

also - thanks for humoring me and looking at that bird a couple times - I just **love** these birds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was stoked when Rob told me to sit still and I'd be **in** a pic with one! :-) We actually saw them on oblisques (spell?) and cartooshes today (spelling is off, but you get the idea and a chuckle!).

Well off to the club to play - beef stew is simmering. This gives us 1.5 hrs to play in the comfortable weather! Rob's off to Geneva tomorrow then Pisa nex then back home Sat night late. Right now he's home Sun - Th :-) Oh and he and Wyel got the mattress up here......Rob doesn't like it :-( Friday he goes to Turkey for just 2 days/1 night. Oh surprisingly, it was hard for an American to get into Syria....but...after some political clarifications, I "got the picture"