Lots of people have told me that the pyramids are a disappointment when you finally get to see them. Having now done so I can only describe such disappointment as the product of an unimaginative mind.
How anyone could fail to be bowled over by these magical monoliths that rise out of both the desert and the grubby extremities of Cairo is beyond me. I can't remember the first time I saw pictures of the pyramids, I know I studdied them in school, but to set eyes on such an iconic image first hand is nothing short of mind-blowing. This is compounded when you consider the age of the civilisation that created them and the technology with which they worked. It is in some ways a shame that the best view of the pyramids is from the top floor of Pizza Hut and I could understand how this could tarnish the experience for some people. Unusually for me, though, I found a certain attractive irony in the way the transient trappings of our modern world lie like rubble at the feet of these serene creations that almost predate history. Catching occasional glimpses of the pyramids whilst travelling by taxi at breakneck speed through the crazed real-life video game that is Cairo, offers you a rare moment of tranquility and a reminder not to lose yourself in the busy noisy smelly city.
Astonishing!
Aside from the pyramids Cairo also offers the Egyptian museum. This is a grand place filled with thousands of artifacts from ancient Egypt, that are at once amazing and a little dry. If nothing else, though, it is worth visiting this place to stand in front of another iconic image: that of the death mask of Tut-Ank-Amon. I have seen this image repeatedly since childhood. It was nothing short of incredible to stand in front of it and see it with my own eyes, and hard to tear myself away.
Cairo was another city I was not sorry to leave. The mosquitos, the smells and the hustle-bustle of a busy African city are simply not to my taste. The images I take with me make the experience well worth while, however.
How anyone could fail to be bowled over by these magical monoliths that rise out of both the desert and the grubby extremities of Cairo is beyond me. I can't remember the first time I saw pictures of the pyramids, I know I studdied them in school, but to set eyes on such an iconic image first hand is nothing short of mind-blowing. This is compounded when you consider the age of the civilisation that created them and the technology with which they worked. It is in some ways a shame that the best view of the pyramids is from the top floor of Pizza Hut and I could understand how this could tarnish the experience for some people. Unusually for me, though, I found a certain attractive irony in the way the transient trappings of our modern world lie like rubble at the feet of these serene creations that almost predate history. Catching occasional glimpses of the pyramids whilst travelling by taxi at breakneck speed through the crazed real-life video game that is Cairo, offers you a rare moment of tranquility and a reminder not to lose yourself in the busy noisy smelly city.
Astonishing!
Aside from the pyramids Cairo also offers the Egyptian museum. This is a grand place filled with thousands of artifacts from ancient Egypt, that are at once amazing and a little dry. If nothing else, though, it is worth visiting this place to stand in front of another iconic image: that of the death mask of Tut-Ank-Amon. I have seen this image repeatedly since childhood. It was nothing short of incredible to stand in front of it and see it with my own eyes, and hard to tear myself away.
Cairo was another city I was not sorry to leave. The mosquitos, the smells and the hustle-bustle of a busy African city are simply not to my taste. The images I take with me make the experience well worth while, however.
posted by Al at 7:53 am
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