Monday, April 1 - Luxor, the East Bank, and back to Cairo

Luxor, built on the ancient city of Thebes, and used as the permanent residence of (almost) all of the New Kingdom pharohs, and translates to the City of Palaces.  The two large temples, Karnak and Luxor Temple, are separated by what they call Sphynx Avenue, pictured above.  Karnak is the oldest and largest monument in Upper Egypt, took 1300 years to build, and was finished in 1200 B.C.  It is mostly built of sandstone, with granite floated in from Aswan for the three obelisks.  (As many obelisks as the Europeans took from Egypt, plenty seem to remain.)

One of said obelisks....



As you can see, they're still working on it....

Luxor Temple is also a large site - 4 acres - (have I said that this trip is not for the halt, the lame or the faint of heart?) - and a mosque built on the site in the 11th century is still in use today.The Greeks, Christians and Romans also used the site, and made changes, as civilizations are wont to do.

Here's the mosque.........the silt and mud was up to the level of the door at the time.....

and the Christians take their turn....



As I think I noted a few temples back, both Trish and I are "templed out", what with the heat, the quantity, and the sheer vastness of them.  However, we were both hugely impressed, if not by the art as art (there is a sameness about it, don't you think?) but with the learning and knowledge and engineering and technical skill of it all, not to mention the sheer longevity!

In any event, after a lunch on the ship (a sister ship, actually, we are triple berthed, and our ship is off for the week for cleaning), we are taken out to the airport, and (after a delay for changing to the summer schedule), we arrive safely back to Cairo, where we are quickly hustled out of the airport by our fixer (I like that term better than facilitator, don't you?) and brought safely back to Ted's place. Yes, this I could definitely get used to.

 Ever the gracious host, he is waiting with the appropriate drink (bourbon for me, for those of you who are keeping track), and a washing machine at the ready.  Trish has never been to Jordan, and she is willing and able to join me on the next leg of the journey, which starts, can you believe it, at 6 A.M. tomorrow.

I need a stretch, and a drink, and besides a new date, a new country, and a new city deserve a new post,  So, more later.