Port Said and a quick trip to Cairo.

After a day at sea, we arrived early on the 30th in Port Said, the gateway to Cairo. The cruise ship offered a number of tours for each port of call.  We had been to Cairo before, and chose to take a full day tour that focused on the pyramids at Giza.  It began with a grueling 3 hour bus ride from Port Said to Cairo (and return!), and then into a full day of sight seeing.  There was tight security, especially as our bus motorcade traveled through the country side to Cairo.  Roads we traveled were closed to other traffic when we moved through areas, and each intersection had an armed guard posted.  The ruins of Giza (the pyramids and the sphinx) are awe inspiring, even more so than we had remembered.  We were able to spend some time at other ruins along the way, and a brief time in the Egyptian Museum.  Of course, to do justice to this area, one should stay at least 3-5 days.  But, as should be expected in a cruise port stop, this is the opportunity to get a feel for a place and an impression of its character and significance.  This may be enough in some instances; in others it just wets your appetite to return again!

The pyramids at Giza should be on everyone's "must see" list.