Egypt Day 18

My plan for today was to visit the Citadel. This is a fortress built by Saladin as defence against the crusaders in the 12 th century. It became the palace of Egyptian kings over the next 400 years. They added palaces, and mosques. I think the Mohammed Ali mosque sets a record for the number of domes it has.
The fortification still looks impressive, and it allows for grand views over Cairo.
Today is Friday, the day of rest for Muslims, so the Citadel is particularly popular with kids and families.
I did my Justin Bieber(or at least his grandfather) impression, because I was continually asked to have selfies taken by numerous kids, and even whole families.
I'm not sure what the fascination, but I'll take when I can.
I have noticed that Egyptians, particularly women are on the plumb side, especially after motherhood. It is not nearly as visible as in Canada, mainly because wearing a huge black tent hides many things. But the weight problem is also seen in kids and teens.
Women do dress much more moderately. I haven't seen a bare arm or leg, except for tourists.
Last year, in Jordan, I became a big fan of the hijab. I find it very attractive, and a great fashion accessory. The options are unlimited. It solves the "hair" problem. Imagine the time women would save not having to do their hair every morning.
The hijab also accentuates the face, and Egyptian women are masters of facial make-up. Many are very striking.
The Citadel also features two very underwhelming museums. One is the Police Museum. The big feature is a room displaying important assassinations. To me that's just a way to demonstrate your biggest mistakes.
The museum of Egyptian Military is as impressive as the Italian War Museum. Even the Swiss have won as many battles, without numerous losses.
It's about 8 km from my hotel, no Metro nearby, so I took taxis there and back, and both were interesting experiences. The cabbie on the way there spoke no English, and thought I wanted to go to the airport. I finally had him pull over, and we, luckily, met a man who spoke English, and I told him where I wanted to go, and he told the driver. So we turned around, and got there.
On the way back the cabbie made a few detours, all the while trying to sell me his services as a guide, in poor English.
I tried to have a meal at an Egyptian restaurant. No menu, and I had no idea what the waiter offered as options, so I had to leave. I went back to my favourite little stall and had two small pizzas and a sweet pastry for 8 pounds (70 cents) and they were good.
I did come across a bakery that sold REAL bread, and I bought a loaf of dark rye, on the spot. I don't think I'm going to come across any ham though. That will have to wait till Monday.

Egypt Day 19

Mohammad, my guide last Monday, told me about a show put on by a group of Sufi dancers. Sufi is a Muslim sect, started in Turkey a few centuries ago. They are also known as the "Dancing Dervishes". It is a religious sect that believes by spinning continuously with upraised arms they will go into a trance, and get nearer to God.
I missed seeing them when I was in Turkey, so I was keen to see them here.
I was adventurous and took a minibus there and back. The show was in a courtyard at the old university. A beautiful setting.
The original dervishes were all in white, and basically just spun around. Not overly exciting to watch. Well this group put on a much more entertaining show. It was actually spectacular. Lots of music, intricate dancing, and, of course a lot of spinning.
I would recommend going on YouTube and search for
Cairo, Egypt: the Sufi Dance (Al Darawich)
Travel with Mike
It's 6 minutes long and well worth the time.
I have seen just about everything on my agenda. I had planned to go to Alexandria, but it would be a long day, and I'm getting lazy in my old age, so I decided just to walk the streets of downtown Cairo today.
I had an excellent Turkish coffee at my favourite hole-in -the -wall cafe. Good coffee, and a great place to people watch.
I finally found a grocery store! Sort of. It's about the size of a small 7-eleven, but it sold more than pop and chips. It's too bad I didn't find some of these things when I first arrived.
Another discovery; I didn't bring my European electric kettle (220 V), so I have to go to the hotel kitchen to get hot water for tea. It's a pain, because everything runs on propane. The first time I took a shower I almost scalded myself, the water was so hot. It's actually hot enough to make tea, so I'm all set. A teabag and scalding hot tap water. Voila!
Make Your Own Sunshine