A visit to Egypt via Crete and Corfu

A visit to Egypt via Crete and Corfu

March-April 1984

Crete

25^th March. Flew BA to Athens then Olympic to Heraklion, Crete.

	Hired a car and drove from Heraklion east to the Venetian port at Rethymnon.
	Drove south to Plakias and west to Malia, where we saw some windmills.
	Then across the Lasithi plateau to Agios Nikolaos....
	... with its nice harbour and boats.
	Visited Gournia Minoan ruins and the famous Minoan ruins at Knossos. This is the throne room at Knossos.

Egypt

30^th March. Flew Olympic via Athens to Cairo. Stayed at the Grand Hotel, 26^th July Street.

31^st March. Cairo.

Visited the Egyptian museum.....

... and Nile bridge and checked out the Railway station. Had tea at the historic Shepheards Hotel on the Nile Corniche.

Went to the market in the evening and had Shawarmas.

1^st April. Visited Islamic Cairo; Khan el Khalili bazaar, Bab el Futuh, Bab el Nasr and Ezbekiya Garden.

	Bab el Futuh, Islamic Cairo.
	Bab el Futuh.
	Piles of garlic inside Bab el Futuh.

Had tea at Groppi's on Talaat Harb square, once the most famous café, tearoom and patisserie in Egypt.

Had dinner in the Cairo tower (£12 each plus drinks at £6).

Got a horse and carriage back to the Grand Hotel for £3 - Jamie drove!

2^nd April.

	Visited Ibn Tulun mosque ....

	... Rifai mosque ...

... the Citadel (£E2) and the nearby Anderson House (£E1).

Met Mohammed Kamal who invited us back for tea to his flat in Gizeh!

Saw the son et lumiere at the Pyramids (£E4).

Visited Mina House hotel and got the bus back to Cairo.

3^rd April. Visited the Hilton hotel and got a taxi to Old Cairo, the Coptic Christian area.
Visited the Coptic museum, Babylon fortress, El Moollaya church and St George's church.

Amr Ibn Al Aas mosque in Fustat.

Walked to the Nilometer and got a train back to Cairo. Had tea at Groppi's. Had dinner at Ali Hassan Al Hathi restaurant.

4^th April.

	Went to the Hilton hotel again and went for a Felucca ride on the Nile.
	Visited Cairo tower to see the view .....

... and got a horse and carriage to the station to get the overnight train to Aswan.

5^th April. Aswan. Had tea and a swim at the Old Cataract hotel. Went on a tour to the unfinished obelisk, the Philae temple and the Old dam (but the new dam was closed). Had dinner at a riverside restaurant.

6^th April.

	Flew to Abu Simbel to see the temples, and back on Egypt Air.

	Went for a Felucca ride on the Nile.
	Got the train to Luxor where we had chicken at the 'Salt and Bread' café by the station.

7^th April. Luxor. Stayed at the Grand Hotel.

	Visited the Valley of the Kings and some tombs - Tutenkhamun, Ramses VI, Horemheb and the 'safe tomb'.
	Visited the Winter Palace hotel, Luxor temple ...
	... and the souks.

8^th April.

	Visited Karnak temple.
	Sunbathed and swam at the Winter Palace hotel.

Got the overnight train back to Cairo.

9^th April. Got the train to Alexandria.

	View from the train on the way to Alexandria.
	Stayed at Hotel New Capri, 23 Port Street, with a view of the square below.

Had lunch at a pizzeria. Got a tram and a walk to Fort Kait Bey. Had a carriage ride to the Amphitheatre.

10^th April.

Visited Fort Kait Bey.

Visited Ras Al Tin, Pompey's pillar, the Catacombs and the Amphitheatre. Ate at 'The Diplomat' Italian restaurant.

11^th to 13^th April. Visited the Montazza palace. Had sunbathes on the beach and went for tram rides. Had a game of Tavola (backgammon) with people in a café. Had dinner at an Egyptian restaurant near the hotel.

14^th April. Got the train back to Cairo. Had a Chinese meal.

14^th - 18^th April. Stayed at the Grand Hotel again.

Visited Fort Schulkowski, the Babs (Islamic city gates) ....

	... and the Tombs of the Khalifs.
	Inside one of the tombs of the Khalifs, Cairo.
	Found the Bookbinder's house (Beit Gamal-ad-Din at 6 Hosh Kadam off Sharia Liddin Illah), from directions in a hundred-year old Baedekker guidebook!
Visited Memphis and Sakkara for more pyramids and Ramses statues ......
	Ramses II at Memphis.
	Lord Ti jouneys through the papyrus thickets, Tomb of Ti, Sakkara, 2500BC.
	A timeless scene near Sakkara.

Corfu

19^th April. Flew to Athens on Egypt Air and on to Corfu on Olympic.

	Sat 21^st April. Saw the Easter pot-breaking festival in Kerkyra, where people smash pots by throwing them out of the windows....
	... and looked around Kerkyra town.
	Went to Nissaki at the north end of the island and had a meal opposite Albania.

Went to Paleokastritsa and Kouloura in the north, then down to Marathias, Lefkimi and Kavos in the south.

And back to Vlahema Monastery at Kanoni near the airport.

24^th April. Flew back to Athens on Olympic and on to London on BA.

Shady Motors on the Nile Corniche in Cairo - would you buy a used car from them?!

If you would like to read about our other travels, please click here .....