Melissa’s Egypt

Of course no stop to Cairo is complete without visiting one of the Seven Wonders of the World; the Giza Pyramids. Once you have been inside and wandered/crawled all the way into the hidden tombs within it, see it from another perspective over a delicious modern Egyptian breakfast, or lunch, at Khufu's, the view of Giza as well as the food are astounding. Nearby are the lesser known and less touristy Saqqara Pyramids. The Serapeum is simply mind boggling, a vast alleyway of tombs for the sacred bulls of the Apis cult, each tomb weighs over 50 tons!

This is the social enterprise Margarita Andrade set up in Downtown Cairo to give the many refugees that find themselves in Egypt the possibility to learn new skills so they can earn a sustainable livelihood. I am quite obsessed with the Malaika Cairo bed linens embroidered here by the women. I visited recently and was so inspired that you can create beauty in all senses of the word in this way - keeping traditional crafts alive from embroidery to hand painted glassware and above all helping the women who make them.  A humbling must visit whilst there.

A contemporary art gallery in Cairo focussing on photography whose artists have Egypt as a common inspiration behind their work. I discovered Denis Dailleux in Morocco who often shows here. What I love about Tintera is it is an art gallery with many moods, from the minimalist exhibition space at the front, to the research library of books down the hall and the head office next door which feels as cosy as sitting in your friends living room. Its owners Zein and Hebba have made this a truly special and personal space.

The little known house museum of Colonel Robert Gayer Anderson who resided there in the 1930s and 40s although its build dates back to the 1100s. Its outer wall leans on that of Ibn Tulum next door! 

I ended my Jóurniers on a high thanks to a cruise of Set Nefru, a traditional Egyptian Dahabeya sail boat, which is simply perfect for small groups of family or friends. There was something incredibly magical about slowly sailing down the Nile, watching the biblical scenes on its banks pass by and having a totally different sense of time, among endless games of backgammon. And of course living out your best Agatha Christie cliché fantasies at dinner on desk in an evening gown, G&T in hand.

I got rather obsessed with Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy who planned a village entirely from scratch - New Gourna - a short drive from Al Moudira. He built this in the 1940s and some still of it stands today. It is a bit off the beaten track and definitely more for architecture nerds, but he was visionary in returning to the use of traditional building techniques to creating contemporary solutions to living. The question he answered last Century is just as relevant today, when climate change has us thinking again about using traditional techniques and local materials of the place, that work in harmony with the climate and its surrounds. The mosque with its courtyard of flowers is a magical place.

Best enjoyed from above at sunrise in a hot air balloon before discovering them on foot after. Just our good luck, we were shepherded by Ahmed, Al Moudira's guide, on our trip who was fun and insightful.