Faces of Egypt

I had planned to publish my second post about Cape Scott today, but the recent events in Egypt have changed my mind.

Coptic Christian

You all have heard about what is currently happening in Egypt. This country is close to my heart. I visited it twice in the nineties - the first time I went there from Israel, just to climb Mount Sinai to enjoy the sunset from there (that, by the way, would be a lovely blog post on its own); the second time I stayed again in the Sinai, Cairo, Alexandria and enjoyed a Nile cruise that was kind of out of this world.

Doing laundry - and waving at us rich tourists passing by on a luxurious boat

Egypt is a fascinating country - some of you might remember my post about Aswan. And while I enjoyed seeing all its old temples and getting more knowledgeable about its history, what really fascinated me was the unforgiving landscape of the Nile, and I fell in love with the people.

The people of Egypt - such a colorful crowd. I saw everything, from educated women in western clothes heading to their classes at University to women in beautiful gowns doing the laundry in the waters of the Nile to covered women both in the big cities and in rural areas. Men who work the fields and in tourism - "maids" in hotels, waiters in bars and restaurants, staff on the cruise ships. Educated men in suits who work in Cairo, students who work as tour guides. Men who just hang out in the old temples, sell souvenirs to the tourists, follow you everywhere in the hope of selling you some trinket or other. Children who guard the goats or work in small factories, weaving rugs and beautiful carpets (this made me sick to my stomach). I remember how often I felt guilty to have so much money (compared to what they have) that enabled me to travel the world; often I felt like a voyeur and I wasn't always happy with myself taking all these pictures. People were so incredibly kind and friendly. What they always asked for was a "stylo" - a pen. Good thing I had tons of them as I was also journaling furiously at that time.

Bedouins

This is a poor country. And it doesn't look that this is going to change anytime soon. I remember how safe I felt there - well, that certainly is a thing of the past. Egypt will lose big time in its tourism industry, and that means the country's economy will suffer since tourism has been so important for it. I feel blessed that I could visit this beautiful and somehow magical country and I am tremendously saddened by its development over the past months.

I took these pictures of the people in Egypt 17 years ago. Many of them will still be there, some of them will have passed away. I wonder what has happened to them, what is happening to them right now. How they make ends meet. How they survive.

The Best Place on Earth

A small Inukshuk someone had built at a beach along the Sunshine Coast

A few days ago I came back from the North, from a province that calls itself "the best place on earth"

Right at the border between Washington and British Columbia

Of course I am talking about British Columbia, on the West Coast of Canada, our neighbors to the north.

We love British Columbia. It truly is very close to heaven - but is it the best place on earth?
Yes, I think so - or at least a very close second to Sonoma County.

British Columbia has far more forests - including beautiful rain forests - than we do in Sonoma County - and they have a wine country that makes excellent wines, especially if you like white and rose wines. Their Riesling and Gewürztraminer are fantastic and remind me a lot of the wines in Alsace and Germany.

At Stanley Park in Vancouver

What I love most, though, are the sounds and straits that you find right at Vancouver's doorstep, between Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast and up the entire Canadian West Coast. That truly is a "place of my heart".

But that's not all. There is the humor and wit of the Canadians, the kindness of the people - Canadians are such nice people. British Columbia is refreshingly clean and coming back to the US from there is a bit of a shock. Have you ever noticed how trashed our country is? It's a shame.

Canada Place in Vancouver, right at the waterfront

Canadians are just as proud of their country and fly their flag a lot. However, at least one member in our family isn't less proud and shows her support for Canada freely.

Even the mail boxes here are happy and colorful!

When we did this "test" we scored so high we could actually apply for citizenship! (if it were that easy)

And just so that we don't forget how beautiful it is here, every British Columbian car reminded us of that - as if we needed that!

There will be more posts about our time in British Columbia - I still need to organize my photos and make a selection. I just wanted to let you know that I am back and that there is more to come.

Places of my Heart: Bryce Canyon National Park

There are some places in the world that are so beautiful they take your breath away no matter how often you visit them. Bryce Canyon in Southwestern Utah certainly falls into this category.

Its name is misleading - Bryce Canyon is not a canyon at all, it is not formed by a river. It is a formation of pink/sienna cliffs; or to be more accurate, a series of amphitheaters eroded from the cliffs by the weather. It  is the highlight of the Grand Staircase, a series of step-like uplifted rock layers stretching north from the Grand Canyon.

Bryce Canyon, at an altitude between 7000 and 9000 feet above sea level (the air IS thinner here), eventually eroded into interesting formations, the oddest and most remarkable among them the so-called hoodoos.

In this picture, taken during the day, they are pink (sort of). But look at them in the morning, right at sunrise and see how they change color.

This changing of the color goes on during the entire day. The hoodoos and other formations (pinnacles, spires, crevices etc.) also have different colors within themselves which can make quite spectacular sights.

I visited Bryce Canyon in late September, but mostly in the winter. The white and pink/sienna colors create a beautiful contrast.

If you don't have much time, you can drive along the road at the rim and admire the "canyon" from above. That alone will be an unforgettable experience. However, there are a few trails leading down into the center of the hoodoos, the most famous ones being the Queens Garden Trail and the more challenging Navajo Trail. Both remain open during winter; however, especially the Navajo Trail is still quite a challenge because there are many parts where the sun doesn't reach and the trail can be very icy. Even with good hiking boots I sometimes got down on all fours in order to proceed. Be prepared for a strenuous hike, especially on the way back up to the rim (carry enough water!!).

However, it is worth it. Navajo Trail is one of the most beautiful hiking experiences.

Right beneath the rim where you can see the trail winding down

It is very steep

The constant changing of the light and colors is fascinating

It's hard to believe that anything would grow here. 

Looking up!

When you have reached the bottom, it is a very comfortable and beautiful hike. From here you get a completely different perspective of Bryce Canyon. You have time to explore the rock formations and trees (with your eyes only, please!).

From here you can stay on the Navajo Loop and return to the rim or you can connect to the Queens Garden Trail and return through some spectacular scenery.

Up on the rim you will see many mule deer as well as lots of chipmunks and ground squirrels. There is an abundance of birds in the park. I will always love the ravens.

Close to the very end of the Rim Road near Rainbow Point you can see this beautiful rock arch.

Here's a view beyond Bryce Canyon - the entire area is simply breath taking. Those mountains in the back you can see for ever when you approach Bryce Canyon via Highway 12, one of the most beautiful scenic drives in Utah - but that would be another blog post.

Bryce Canyon faces East and South, so one thing you shouldn't miss is the sunrise there. Yes, it means getting up early, and in winter it is freaking cold. However, it is something you will never forget. The best view for a sunrise (in my humble opinion) is from Inspiration Point. From here you can see the sun creeping over the mountains and how first a little bit of the amphitheater is illuminated and gradually more and more, until the entire formation is covered with the most beautiful light you can imagine.

Mind The Gap!

This year, the London Underground, lovingly called "the Tube", celebrates its 150th anniversary. Can you imagine? 150 years - which means they started running the tube in 1863! It opened on January 9, 1863, and very soon after that date it already carried over 26,000 passengers a day. The first trains were steam-hauled which meant they needed vents in the tunnels to let the steam out and get fresh air in. I don't even want to imagine what it must have been like - riding on the train and waiting in the underground station. Ugh.

The nickname "the Tube" comes from the circular tube-like tunnels through which the trains travel. Unfortunately in my photo you can't really see it, but imagine the round shape of the station close around the approaching train:

After Seoul, Shanghai and Beijing, the London Underground is the fourth largest metro system in the world in terms of route miles. You can really get almost everywhere via the Tube. The tube map is quite famous - I will show you the one I have, back from 1986 (there are more lines existing today):

You can see how worn the map is - I always had it in my jeans pockets or in a tiny purse or some place where I could grab it quickly whenever I needed. Those little pocket guides were really handy - I wonder whether they still make them.

I rode the London Underground many many times, back in the eighties when London was like my second home, thanks to my then-boyfriend. Whenever possible and money allowed I would fly over - just a mere 75 minutes flight from Stuttgart, my nearest airport, to Heathrow - sometimes just for a weekend, sometimes for longer. London belongs to my happiest memories. While my boyfriend was working during the day, I explored the city, and very soon I was so familiar with the Tube system that I often didn't need the map anymore.

There were modern trains, silver and sleek, and older trains that rumpled and screamed in every little bend of the tunnels. The trains are loud and noisy, and rather rocky. Some stations had big gaps between the trains and the platform, and whenever a train would run into the station that voice came on over the loudspeaker, "Mind the gap! Mind the gap!". Another one of those announcements I remember is "Stand clear of the doors". For me, it belonged to London. I wonder whether they still say this? I sure hope so.

I still remember those old wooden escalators in the stations that would transport you into the deep world of the tunnel system. They made a lot of noise and were rather slow. I think they are all replaced now since that terrible fire in King's Cross Station on November 18th, 1987. Some of the tube stations are so far below the surface that you can only reach them by elevator, which I hated - I usually used the stairs, no matter how many steps I had to climb (I was so fit back then!). At some stations, you can't see the other end of the escalator which is quite thrilling. It's easy to imagine that the tube served as bomb shelters for the London population through the blitz. As you can see, even the escalators are in "tubes"!

I get a bit nostalgic about the London Tube. It's stinky and noisy and dirty - but still, it's so London. It's the fastest way to get you from A to B. If you can avoid the rush hour, it's actually quite fun - you can do a lot of people watching, listen to musicians who play in the stations - their music carries a long way through all those tubes!

If I would go there again today - I would take way more pictures!

Places of my Heart: Aswan

I am currently reading "Down the Nile - Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff" by Rosemary Mahoney. The first 100 pages deal with her time in Aswan in Upper Egypt, when she is trying to buy a rowboat.  When I read those chapters, all my memories of Egypt came back to me.

For a long time I had thought about starting a new series on my blog, telling about my favorite places in this world. Since Egypt definitely belongs to those places, I can start the "Places of my Heart" right here and now, with Aswan.

Aswan is smaller than Cairo and Luxor, but certainly not less exciting. Its population is very different from Lower Egypt, consisting mainly of Nubian people, most of whom are displaced people after the Aswan dam was built and their villages had to give way to huge Lake Nasser.

Aswan Dam

One of the thousands of stray dogs you find all over Egypt - Lake Nasser in the background

I visited Egypt in May 1996. I went into the Sinai (which I love), spent a few days in Cairo, took the plane to Luxor and traveled up the Nile to Aswan on a cruise ship, the MS Orchid. Those cruise ships are a wonderful relaxing way to go up the Nile. The trips on land are often exhausting since it is so hot, but just sitting on deck sipping a karkade (cold punch made from dried hibiscus leaves and sugar) and watching life at the banks of the river was something I truly enjoyed. Of course this way you are kept away from the "real" life in Egypt which is harsh and unforgiving.

But let's go back to Aswan. Situated in Upper Egypt, the banks of the Nile are the edges of the desert - the Arabian Desert to the East, the Libyan Desert to the West and the Nubian Desert to the South. It is incredibly hot, the Nile is difficult to maneuver here due to the cataracts. The most popular "vehicle" on the river are the many feluccas, that run up and down the river. 

You can see the cruise ships in the background, often anchoring six boats deep.

Of course I went up the Nile in a felucca as well. It's the best way to see the extraordinary landscape and landmarks of Aswan.

Ruins on Elephantine Island,

the famous Old Cataract Hotel (Agatha Christie loved to stay here),

Nubian families,

the Tomb of the Nobles on the West bank

and the Mausoleum of the Aga Khan III who died in 1957. 

His wife, the Begum Inaara, gave orders to build this mausoleum. She lived in the white villa on the right until her death in 2000.

About a quarter mile or so up river you can leave the felucca and walk up to St Simeon's Monastery, an old Coptic monastery of which only ruins remain. It's right up the hill in the desert - and yes, we walked up there.  It was later in the day, so not too hot anymore, but still rather uncomfortable. However, the monastery was pretty interesting and the view of Aswan and the desert was fantastic (picture on top of this post).

There were foreigners who paid good money to ride up into the desert on camels (or dromedaries).

This picture shows clearly the difference between the new and the old, traditional Egypt. The young, modern, college educated man and the old man in his traditional galabiya, hanging out in the touristy spots, living on some pittance. You see this everywhere, and it often is heartbreaking. I often felt uncomfortable, because compared to them I was tremendously rich.

Back down at the river, our next destination was Kitchener Island, an tropical island with the most beautiful gardens. Lots of shade, I could have spent hours here.

Of course you haven't been in Aswan if you didn't visit one of the souqs. This is a world of its own. It comes to life in the evening when temperatures cool down. It was a whirlwind of impressions: cars trundling over the old cobblestone, their drivers pressing the horns constantly; donkey carts; people who ride a bicycle, holding a toddler at the same time; young mothers pushing their strollers; yelling dealers, bread sellers, and tourists, of course. The scent of unknown spices, fresh fruit, meat and incense hang all over it. It was fascinating (and I didn't take any photos because I didn't dare to bring my camera).

The most beautiful time was dusk, when the setting sun painted everything in a slightly pink shade, the river became calmer and the sun set behind the enormous desert dunes.