Starting off with a little anecdote about our 20 minute walk to dinner last night. I say walk, but it was really a 20 minute hair raising and death defying dash.

We set out on foot for a rooftop dinner, thinking a walk be a good way to see the local area we are in. We knew we would have to cross BUSY roads and navigate Cairo traffic which is a living, breathing organism with absolutely no interest in pedestrian crossings, traffic lights, or my continued survival.

Crossing the first road felt like a trust exercise with the universe. Cars streamed past in every direction, horns layering over each other like some kind of urban symphony. Josh knew we just had to walk. Not hesitantly, not timidly — confidently, like you’re part of the traffic. Locals stepped onto the road with the energy of people who know they are blessed and immortal. Josh tried to imitate that but had a very reluctant, risk adverse wife who he had to mostly drag onto the road. I’m also very slow these days, especially after a big day of walking.

Somehow, the cars parted around us, tuk tuks zig-zagged behind us, and we reached the other side alive and in my case, still keen to stay married.

And when we weren’t dodging cars, we were fielding kids darting up to us with fistfuls of tiny pyramids, their sales pitches delivered with the confidence of seasoned merchants. Some were shy, some bold, all utterly determined. They’d fall into step beside us for a moment, trying to catch our eye, offering a handful of “good price, £1” before racing off to the next hopeful tourists.

Anyway, we got to where we were going and apart from the view, it was nothing special. Overpriced and bad food. And I was a very grumpy wife.

Checking out of Kemet Boutique Hotel

We really enjoyed our stay here so close to the Giza Plateau. Very basic room but clean and comfortable with an awesome view. Every morning we had a traditional Egyptian breakfast- each day experiencing a different dish. But always fries and a fried egg.

The Cairo Museum

We visited the old Egyptian Museum, a place where history is not distant, but face-to-face. It’s located in Tahir Squate – the location of many an Egyptian uprising.

The building itself feels like a relic—rose-colored, dusty, a little chaotic—and inside are thousands of artifacts. It has the feel of an old library- things are in dusty cabinets, propped against walls and in some cases, still sitting on wooden pallets.

Most of the crowd pleasers have moved to the GEM but there are still some must sees:

1. Narmer Palette – Probably one of the most historically significant items in the museum. It dates to the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt and is considered one of the earliest “historical documents.” 

2. Statue of Djoser A life-sized limestone statue of Pharaoh Djoser (3rd Dynasty) — very early period, so it’s a rare piece.  Shows Djoser wearing his traditional robe and headcloth.  

3. Colossal Statue of Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye A large monolithic group statue (Amenhotep III, his wife Tiye, and their daughter) in limestone. It’s dramatic and a real centerpiece in the main hall.

4. Yuya and Thuya Mummies High-ranking nobles – they were the parents of Queen Tiye, Pharaoh Amenhetep III’s wife and the grandparents of Pharaoh Akhenaton and great grandparents of Tutankhamen.

5. Psusennes I mummy known as the Silver King due to his silver sarcophagus. A ruler during the 21st Dynasty (c. 1047–1001 BC, his tomb, discovered intact in Tanis in 1940 but due to WW2, it didn’t get the hype that Tutankhamun received.

6. Statues of Akhenaten and Nefertiti from Amarna period. There is also her unfinished bust.

7. Hatshepsut

8. These two lovebirds

9. Lots of random fun pieces :

10. Piles of dusty mummies lying in cabinets – such an undignified ending for their ‘eternity’.

I had forgotten to mention that we walked from the Four Seasons to Tahir Square, stopping at a an arts studio for a tea with mint or a mint tea while watching some boys help their dad lay pavers.

It’s such a lovely spot far from the craziness.

Al-Azhar Patk

Al Azhar Park is a green oasis in the middle of Cairo. It was build atop a mount of city rubble and ruins and was a gift to Cairo from Aga Khan IV, a descendant of the city’s Fatimid caliphs.

We ate a late lunch at Granita which sits on a small lake with cascading fountains and has seating in a mashrabiya-style wooden pavilion or in a shady pergola surrounded by palms.

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It was a lovely oasis after the surreal experience of being mobbed by tweens and teens wanting selfies with us! I kid you not. It was cute at the start but then got very weird and kind of scary.

Checking into the Four Seasons

Today is officially the start of our Uniworld Tour, so we returned to the hotel (we had left our bags there earlier) and meet Michelle, her husband Enrico, and solo traveller Kathy – our Camilla lovers group.

Khan EL-Khalili bazaar

After ‘hellos’ and ‘wow we finally are meeting!’, we headed out on our first optional extra – a walk through the Khan el-Khalili bazaar, where shopkeepers call out with dramatic charm and good humour, where you can buy whatever ‘ancient’ souvenir you want and where the locals don’t want your selfie, just your money.

After a wander with our very knowledgeable guide Mohammed, we sipped mint tea in a 200 year old cafe while listening to drums and being touted by sellers.

Now we are tucked into our luxurious bed at the Four Seasons feeling very spoiled and content. One more day in Cairo before the cruise begins!