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Snapshots of Egypt

01/13/20 | Abu Simbel, Africa, Alexandria, Aswan, Cairo, Egypt, Luxor, Travel

Back from Egypt, back to work, and there is nothing like looking for a new apartment to bring you sharply back to reality.  But let’s ignore the woes of a new flat and move on to something more positive – a quick recap of our trip to Egypt before we dive in to a location by location overview!

During our two week family trip in Egypt we went to five different cities along the Nile from Alexandria on the Northern border with the Mediterranean Sea to Abu Simbel in the South near the border with Sudan.  We took four intra-Egypt flights as well as a cruise up and down the Nile to get to all of these locations and here are the highlights from the five main cities from North to South:

Alexandria  |  Located at the end of The Nile (confusing as it flows from South to North) the city of Alexandria is even prettier than I was expecting with it’s crystal blue water and rich history.  We visited the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, Fort Qaitbey, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and the Montazah Gardens on a truly picturesque day.

Snapshots of Egypt - Alexandria - View from the Fort Citadel of Qaitbay Travel Blogger in the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa Alexandria EgyptMontaza Palace Gates in Alexandria Egypt

Cairo   |  A massive city even if you don’t count the adjoining town of Giza. We spent a total of six days in Cairo and saw most of what the city has to offer including  Citadel of Salah al-Din, the Alabaster Mosque, the Egyptian Museum, the Khan el-Khalili bazaar and souq , and of course the Pyramids of Giza (on more than one occasion).

Camels and the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo EgyptKhan el-Khalili Cairo Bazaar

Luxor | After a few days in Cairo flew down to Luxor , located in central Egypt, and spent quite a few nights in the city as the West Bank of the Nile in particular is where the most ancient artefacts have been uncovered (which makes sense as it was the capital in Ancient Egyptian times) We saw many impressive sites including the Temple of Karnak, the Temple of Hathor, the Temple of Luxor, Hatshepsut’s Temple and the Valley of the Kings among others. 

Snapshots of Egypt - Luxor - Karnak TempleSnapshots of Egypt - Luxor - Queen Hatshepsut Temple

Aswan   |  From Luxor we cruised down the Nile River to Aswan, another city rich with history, and not only saw ancient sites but a ton of nature as well.  To get our Egyptian history quota we visited the Kom Ombo Temple, the Unfinished Obelisk, and the Temple of Isis but also visited many newer sites such as the Aswan High Dam and the Old Cataract Hotel as well as a traditional Nubian village.

Snapshots of Egypt - Aswan - Kom Ombo Temple AlterTravel Blogger at Philae TempleSnapshots of Egypt - Aswan - Sunset on the Nile

Abu Simbel  | Of the five cities we visited Abu Simbel was the smallest and the last, but certainly not the least.  Located near the Sudanese border in Southern Egypt it was put on the map by two temples which many of the guide books called “indescribable” and after seeing them in person I have to agree.   The best work I can use to describe the Great Temple at Abu Simbel is massive with its four colossal statues of Ramesses II which are 66 feet tall each.  And then the no less impressive Small Temple of Hathor and Nefertari. 

Snapshots of Egypt - Abu SimbelInside Abu Simbel Temple

Overall we had a fantastic time and I can not wait to show you more!

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Comments

  1. Allie Mackin says

    January 14, 2020 at 5:31 pm

    Wow how exciting to travel to Egypt. I would love to travel here but I must admit I am a bit hesitant. But how awe inspiring to see all this. LOVE your photos, what a great trip!

    Allie of
    http://www.allienyc.com

  2. Setarra says

    January 13, 2020 at 9:42 pm

    Wow! What a trip Kelly. I love how your family goes on trips together on the regular. It’s something I’ve been trying to plan with my parents and siblings for the past two years but we can’t ever get our calendars to line up because everyone keeps having babies lol. Egypt’s on my bucket list – I can only imagine how amazing it was to see the pyramids up close! xo

  3. Linda Hilliard says

    January 13, 2020 at 8:57 pm

    Amazing and a great summary Kelly.

  4. Emma says

    January 13, 2020 at 3:28 pm

    That Bazaar/Market looks like such a find. I would have loved to have purchased a few of those lamps for my new house. I am sure that there were lots of other great finds there too.

    How were the camels? People have told me that they spit and were smelly. Those ones looked kind of cute in a camel like way.

    Such a great trip.

  5. Charlotte says

    January 13, 2020 at 12:30 pm

    You sure did see a lot of different parts of Egypt. I have really only heard of Cairo and Alexandria before and thought that all of the major things to see were there. So interesting that it is so spread out especially for how long ago all of these temples, tombs and pyramids were built.

    They really were amazing engineers and had such great foresight and riches.

  6. Abigail says

    January 13, 2020 at 11:02 am

    What a fantastic trip.

    Were you scared when you were there? I have heard so many mixed things about that area that it has made me a bit hesitant to seriously plan a trip there.

    Your photos are gorgeous.

  7. Mary says

    January 13, 2020 at 10:25 am

    Can’t wait to see more. Egypt has been on my bucket list for years and this post certainly moved it right up the list.

    It is always amazing to me how they built those structures without cranes, bulldozers, really any type of machine and they are still standing. I have watched several shows on theories how they built the pyramids. Did you get any color on that topic?

Hi, I am Kelly and welcome to Sparkles and Shoes, a fashion, travel, and lifestyle blog.  I am a New York City girl at heart but I moved to London in the Spring of 2018!

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