The Citadel, Al Azhar Park and Vegetarian Cuisine

So, you know it's kind of hot here, right? Something to do with this sun thing they have in the sky. For some reason, this unavoidable fact did not prevent the school from scheduling the (mostly shadeless) field trip today in the hottest hours of the day.

I feel like a raisin.

But the trip was interesting for at least 70 percent of the time, which is decent. A bus of 45 or so AUC students (about 6 of us grad students) was delivered first to the Citadel and Muhammad Ali mosque there in, then through some bizarre museums on the compound before having lunch in Al Azhar Park.

The Citadel was built in the early 19th century, I think. It was too hot to fully retain the guide's plethora of information.









I think it was built by Muhammad Ali Pasha, for this would explain why his name-sake mosque is located within it. And since the place is built on a hill, there a fabulous views of all of Cairo, including the pyramids! Look!

Maybe I'll see them in person some time! I hope that time is not so hot an sunny as it is now, however.





We were allowed in the mosque compound (in many mosques, this is not true on account of their religiosity, but this was a "tourist mosque") but some ladies, including Roommate 2 here, had to don modesty capes because of their inelegant skin revealing. In her defense, she was wearing a tee-shirt that I considered perfectly modest and quite fetching. Still, the cape was a nice finishing touch. Too bad she had to give it back.


After a brief lecture inside the mosque (during which time some creepy Egyptian-looking boys took several photograph of us sitting American girls. We should have charged them.), we went through the Police Museum and the Military Museum.

The Police Museum was a tiny building in which the exhibits consisted of some old photographs in cases. There was also this model, in which there are miniature dead men with miniature blood puddles around their prone forms.

Don't you want one for your children?

The military museum was in the former home of Muhammad Ali, and was gigantic and full of various military dioramas and weapons.

I was underwhelmed and zipped through in an even more rapid pace than normal. But I did like this tank:

Now, I may have mentioned that there was sun beating down on this adventure, and it was more than a little hot. It was the exact worst time to be outside - the middle of the afternoon, and by 2 we still hadn't moved to the lunch location! This made me more than a little grumpy and may have colored my enjoyment, or lack thereof.

The lunch didn't make it any better.

Now, Al Azhar park is beautiful, as I already knew, and has gorgeous views of all Cairo. The restaurant looked very nice as well, and was pretty comfortable until the sun moved and I was sitting in its merciless rays.

I had warned the tour guide that I don't eat meat (the fixed meal was a "mixed grill" of red meats, including what turned out to be veal) and so I was promised a vegetarian meal.

First we got Egyptian "salads" like hummus, babaganoush and a mysterious red mixture that was quite delicious. I was fine with that. But then the main course came:
It was exactly as delicious as it looks. I also suspect that the vegetables were sauteed in butter - they tasted slightly unappetizing - but I ate them any for lack of anything more palatable.

And for that I paid 120 pounds. Of course, that included the tour bus, the guide and the admission to the two locations, but admissions couldn't have been more than 30 pounds, and the bus? I don't know, the guide was good but the bus wasn't the leg-roomiest.

I'm a bit bitter. Hopefully tonight's events will make up for it (and not be time wasted in not studying): I'm going to the Cairo Opera House to see a performance of Egyptian Modern Dance. The show isn't scheduled to begin until 11 p.m. and, knowing Egypt, that may mean midnight or even later.

Hey, want to see what my building looks like?


This is a view from across the street; the entrance and my apartment are around the corner but, as previously mentioned, men in suits hiss at anyone who tries to take a picture from that direction.

Men will be wearing suits at the Opera House tonight. I hope they don't hiss too. Unless the performance stinks, in which case I will be hissing along with them. "Enough goofy posturing," I'll yell, "Bring out the break-dancers!"

Or else I'll just fall asleep.