Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

We've now been in the UK for a few very peaceful, hassle-free days and are now on a train en route to Edinburgh, Scotland (hooray for Wi-Fi on trains!), but I realize we have some catching up to do! Our last week has been pretty busy, with us moving ourselves and our bags around to several different spots in order to see everyone we wanted to see (thanks for the couches, Rebecca, Andy and Helen!), so this is a good opportunity for me to catch my breath.

Back in Egypt, we spent our last full day in Luxor in a very Western style restaurant called "Snak Time," which offered air conditioning and free Wi-Fi, not to mention overpriced ice cream and coffee drinks that were delicious, so since we couldn't easily return to our hostel and the site of the argument, we embarassingly spent a few hours there despite the wealth of archaeological treasures around us. We really had seen all we wanted to in Luxor, and it was nice to catch up on a few things and stay out of the oppressive heat for a while. Once we decided to venture out, we grabbed a few falafel pockets for dinner and walked with our bags up to the train station to catch the 9pm to Cairo.

This being Egypt, of course the train arrived closer to 11pm, but we were grateful that it came at all, and as described. We had booked First Class, which is only available to tourists, so it turned out we had an entire carriage to ourselves and the 3 other travellers that we had befriended on the platform. We didn't see anyone else for the entire 10 hour ride, which while being quiet and relaxing, was a little bit strange given how crowded the rest of the train was. Much of the country operates this way. In our conversations with the Egyptians we met, we learned that if an Egyptian is seen walking around with tourists (interpreted as white people), he can be questioned and fined if he doesn't have a tour guide permit, even if all parties insist they are all friends. There is a specially dedicated Tourist Police force, and they are everywhere and very visible in white uniforms, enforcing this and other laws. Certain areas, like popular markets and dining areas, require Egyptians to pass through metal detectors and have their bags searched, while Ben and I waltzed in without a word every time. It felt strange to be separated by law from the people that walked around us. Despite the harrassment, we always felt physically very safe in Egypt, and while I'm sure this is due to the heavy police presence, I did feel more than a little guilty about having more rights than the Egyptian citizens.

Our train arrived as promised in Cairo in the early morning, and we walked directly to the hostel where we'd stayed before, dropped off our bags, and took off to see the Citadel, which had been closed the last time we tried to see it. It's really an enormous compound composed mostly of 12th century fortifications and the extremely impressive 19th century Mohammed Ali Mosque.

We wandered around a bit and poked into the Police Museum, which contains a very interesting collection of old weapons, counterfeit money, and evidence from past political assassinations.

After stopping for a quick tea at the historic Feshawi's coffee house, we headed back to the hostel to nap and get our things together for the next day's flight to London. Once dinner time rolled around, we decided to forgo our guide book and intuition, and followed the Egyptians instead. The most crowded restaurant in our neighborhood was a pizza place, completely packed with families, so we tucked into a very good pizza, followed by an incredible dessert of Egyptian pancakes - very thin baked dough covered in honey, sugar, nuts, and cream. It was our best meal in Egypt and a lesson learned: Follow the locals.

Once back in the UK, we settled into a pattern of drinks with friends, outdoor strolls, and crashing on couches. It has been a wonderful break from the Egyptian culture shock. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous, so we've spent most of our time outside: playing softball with Rebecca and her friends in Regent Park, running along the canals in Camden, and exploring all the colleges in Oxford.

One highlight has been visiting Ben's grandma in Chard, Somerset, as I hadn't met her before and was also eager to see some English countryside. She was completely charming and sweet, an impressively active and vibrant octogenarian who cooked us delicious meals and drove us around the county. Her local church, in which she's a very active member, still uses a chalice from 1574, which she showed me, along with family photos and old birth certificates. Her memory is amazing, and I loved meeting her. In Chard, the best known local site is the Forde Abbey, a gracious estate still in use as the owners' home and doubling as a museum of tapestries and antique furniture. The gardens there are spectacular, and it turns out the tallest powered fountain in England is in their pond. Fun and very British.

The day trip to Oxford was also really interesting and a lot of fun. The town itself is quite old (although I should be more careful throwing that word around now, having been to Egypt) and very medieval looking, with church spires and university halls lining every street. The gardens of Christ Church College are gorgeous, and our climb up Carfax Tower rewarded us with impressive views. We wandered around the old walls and green fields, enjoying looking at gargoyles and rowboats, before entertaining ourselves at a couple markets and heading back to London.


We are still happy and rested despite all our running around, and we wish we could intersperse England between all our future stops on the trip in order to do laundry and eat a variety of familiar foods. However, once we've left the UK next week we'll be officially in foreign territory for the next 5 months, so we remain excited if a little nervous at the prospect. At the moment, rolling along to Scotland, things couldn't be better.