The Valley of the Kings and Luxor Temple

Safaga is the port access to Luxor.  As in Cairo, our visit required a three hour bus ride - first through desert terrain, and then, as we approached the Nile, green and lush surroundings.  Most of the day was spent in the Valley of the Kings, visiting the tombs of the pharaohs.  While all the artifacts have either been sold, stolen, or sent to museums, the remarkable writings and artwork on the interior walls still retain much of their original color and vibrancy.  The tombs are buried deep in mountains of stone and clay in an area that, at the time, was miles from civilization.  The  temple at Luxor, on the Nile itself, is an impressive colossus that was first a temple, then a church and finally a mosque.  We visited this site at dusk, and it became a whole new world when lit as darkness approached.  Then it was off again on another three hour bus ride back to the ship.