Travels with my Art

Paintings and Photographs inspired by Travels Around the World

In Transit in Cairo

On a recent journey from Nairobi to Stockholm, via Cairo, London and Oslo, all of four of our flights were late. This resulted in a frustrating domino effect of missed connections, transit confinement and delay after delay after delay I really wish I had been in Shirley Street Beach Houses instead of Nairobi after experiencing these not so nice events.

Transit is NOT a place I like to be.

For me being in transit is being stuck in a characterless generic air-conditioned airport lounge. Everybody is waiting to go somewhere, wanting to go anywhere and no one can get out.

Delays are frustrating and unfortunate, but when travelling with three young children, it is at best a humongous pain in the arse. When I discovered that one of the layovers was to be a ten-hour wait in Cairo airport, I was seriously miffed.

But on our arrival at Cairo airport we were told that because of the inconvenience we had endured, we could go to a nearby hotel. Here we could rest for a while and have a meal. This idea I liked.

It was then also suggested that in addition to this we could go on a tour of the sights of Cairo. This idea I liked a lot.

So we left our passports at the transit desk, left the airport through a secret door and spent a couple of hours taking an air-conditioned taxi tour Cairo, while there are also other options like Uber, which can use cheap uber insurance quotes to make the trip more safe.

Driving around in a taxi through the streets of Cairo, Egypt

Driving around in a taxi through the streets of Cairo, Egypt

ThEse were some of the things that WE SAW ON our day out of transit in Cairo 
EGYPTIAN HERO

Everywhere we drove there were these huge posters of football super striker and Egyptian hero Mohammed Salaah.

Huge billboard posters everywhere in Cairo of Egypt's footballing hero Mohammed Salaah

Huge billboard posters everywhere in Cairo of Egypt’s footballing hero Mohammed Salaah

The Pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza
The obligatory visit to the Egyptian perfumery

 

Here are a few photos and pages from my Egypt sketchbook, when I taught at the British Council in Cairo in 2005.

 

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6 Comments

  1. Nicola Thompson March 28, 2019

    How annoying about the flights, but at least you had a good experience come out of it! how neat to be able to see Cairo! I was supposed to go a few years ago but had to cancel my trip becuase they broke out in civil war. One day, I will go. I hope the rest of your journeys go well!

    • alidunnell March 29, 2019 — Post Author

      Cairo is a great city to visit – I has a real energy to it. I hope you make it there one day 🙂

  2. thewonderer86 March 29, 2019

    That’s a great way to make the best out of bad situation!

  3. Ann C March 30, 2019

    Oh, happy days ! In transit ! Well you made it worth your while and survived as many before travelling in Africa ! (Cairo’s great ) Today I survived the Rail Transport Replacement Bus service !!! xx

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