The Giza Pyramids - A Dream Finally Come True

This is the photo we came to Egypt to take...now we can go home!

When we found out we would be moving to Cairo, Egypt, I asked my little girls what they knew about Egypt.  One of my twins said, "Oh yeah, we know all about the Pyramids since The Little Einsteins have been there."  We watched that Disney cartoon many times in anticipation of our move.  Even though we didn't fly by the Pyramids or inside the Sphinx to reattach his nose with bubble gum (if I remember the episode correctly) it was almost magical.  We had been anticipating our visit for over a year now!  We have been in this country as a family since January and after a couple of failed attempts to tour the oldest wonder of the ancient world...we finally made it.

The Great Pyramid was built in 2550 BC and was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years, unsurpassed until the 160-metre-tall (520 ft) spire of Lincoln Cathedral was completed c. 1300.  It's also interesting to note that in US dollars the total cost of the Great Pyramid would be 5 billion dollars!   



  Info-graphic by Maxwell Systems

"Originally, the Great Pyramid was covered by casing stones that formed a smooth outer surface; what is seen today is the underlying core structure. Some of the casing stones that once covered the structure can still be seen around the base. There have been varying scientific and alternative theories about the Great Pyramid's construction techniques. Most accepted construction hypotheses are based on the idea that it was built by moving huge stones from a quarry and dragging and lifting them into place." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pyramid_of_Giza

My little tomb raiders.  We did not go inside the pyramids during this visit but plan to next time.

I thought they were checking out the Pyramids when actually they said they were "looking at a dog."

It was amazing to witness the Pyramids up close and personal.  We were able to touch them, climb them and see them with our own eyes.  It was truly an amazing experience for our family.  We rode a couple of camels out into the desert to get a better look and some great photos.  Riding a camel takes balance.  It wasn't the easiest ride with our little girls squished into our saddles but it was fun.  We made some great memories and took some amazing photos.

A wanted to know if a camel was soft or scratchy - after the feel test - scratchy it was!

B declared it, "the best day ever right up there with my birthday!"

Selfie with B while riding our camel named "Charlie Brown."

My view looking back at M, A & C on "Casanova" the camel.  A and C were not very comfortable.  M held on to them so tight that he got a blister on the palm of his hand.

Baby Camel around 18 months old.  After the photo, he dropped his food on C's head!

Great view through this doorway leading to the Sphinx.

It's so funny to see all the goofy poses people do with the Sphinx and the pyramids.  Here A is "kissing" the Sphinx.

This photo is one of my favorites from the day because it perfectly shows the chaos of touring with young children.  The woman is the tour guide that we hired.  I was having a difficult time keeping C from climbing over the ledge so she wouldn't get hurt.  Our guide held onto C while she was explaining about the Sphinx.  The man was trying to sell necklaces to us and I kept telling him "no" while trying to pay attention to our guide.  A looks uncomfortable with the man which is not a surprise.  I laugh every time I see this photo!

This is inside the temple just outside the Sphinx.

Stuffed toy camels to remember our first ride!

After our tour and camel rides our girls were wiped out.  There was more to see; the boat museum and inside the pyramids.  The nice thing about living here is that we can go back and see what we missed.  We were hungry.  Conveniently located across the street is a Pizza Hut/KFC combination restaurant.  Can you believe our view?

We decided to take a quick stop at the Papyrus Institute.  It was really neat to see how papyrus is made.  We learned that on the street people will sell paper made from banana leaves but tell you they are from the papyrus plant.  The paintings were incredible.

Ahmed, one of the store's salesmen, insisted that we call him "Ahmed my brother" - and convinced us to buy some beautiful pieces, including some custom ones with our names written in hieroglyphics.