Our flight landed in Cairo early in the morning and a smart Memphis tour manager picked us up and got us out of the airport quickly. We had already applied and printed our e-Visa a week before and hence did not have to wait in line at Cairo airport to get one. We checked into our hotel, had lunch, and relaxed for a few hours. Late in the afternoon, we opted to go on a guided tour of Egypt downtown.
We were picked up from our hotel and taken to the town where we went on a Felucca ride on river Nile. It was a beautiful day and the 1-hour ride was relaxing. One of the buildings that attracted us as we sailed on the river, was the Cairo Tower. Built from 1956-1961, the tower is 614 ft (187 m) in height, and was the tallest tower in the whole of Africa for ten years after it was built, and remains the tallest in North Africa to this day. Its design is intended to evoke a lotus plant.
We then walked on the popular Qasr El Nil bridge which is home to four of the most photographed Lions. There are four giant lion statues made of bronze, two on each ends of the bridge. Opened in 1933, The Qasr El Nil Bridge is 2 km long connecting Tahrir Square to the Cairo opera complex.
The bridge leads on to Tahrir Square. This square was the location of the 2011 Egyptian revolution (Arabian Spring) which led to the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. An obelisk of Ramses II, was installed here in 2020.
We ended the day with dinner in a cafe serving Koshari, an Egyptian specialty food – A hearty mix of lentils, pasta, rice, chickpeas, fried onions and tomato sauce, this fascinating meal is Egypt’s national dish and a tasty one.
