Details in Stone – The Hanging Church of Cairo
I loved these craved stone pillars at the Hanging Church in Coptic Cairo, Egypt. The details are incredible.
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01, 2017
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01, 2017
Museum Monday: Secrets from the Tombs at DMNS
A year ago to the day that I rode a camel in front of the Great Pyramids, I found myself once again face to face with Ancient Egyptians. This time it was in the familiar confines of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science at their new exhibit Mummies: New Secrets from the Tombs. I was attending a special Member's Only dinner, and I was very excited as they were serving Koshari, my favorite Egyptian dish! After a delicious dinner, I headed up to the new exhibit. Because DMNS is also exhibiting their Extreme Mammals exhibit in the same upstairs area, Mummies
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12, 2016
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
"Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration." - UNESCO There are thousands of world heritage sites. I've been to 30 of them: Salzburg Austria Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg A turtle in Belize Belize Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System Ramses Temple at Abu Simbel Egypt Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis Historic Cairo Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to
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12, 2016
Souvenir Saturday: Christmas Pyramid
I've seen ancient pyramids in Egypt, Guatemala, & Mexico. But while traveling in Germany I frequently saw larger than life Christmas Pyramids at the Christmas Markets. A glowing Pyramid in Munich Christmas Pyramids originated in Erzgebirge aka Ore Mountains of Germany (like the Nutcracker) and is rumored to be a predecessor to the Christmas Tree. It is designed more like a tiered carousel which often depicted Christian scenes like angles or mangers, while others might feature forests or everyday life. The spinning motion at the top was often achieved by candles whose rising heat would help spin the propeller.
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11, 2016
Museum Monday: Crocodile Museum at Kom Ombo
Kom Ombo is an amazing temple. Its unique due to the fact its dedicated to not one but two different gods: The falcon-headed Horus & Sobek the Crocodile-headed God. Included with your admission to the temple is a small but well curated museum dedicated to Sobek. When you first walk in, you'll be greeted by a dozen smiling preserved crocodiles resting on a bed of sand. As you walk around you'll see various statues and stele depicting Sobek. Sobek was associated with fertility (likely due to crocodiles living in the Nile) as well as military prowess. You'll also see numerous crocodile
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11, 2016
Ancient Egyptian Lion Gargoyle
At the Temple of Hathor in Dendera, Egypt you can still see the lion-headed gargoyles that funneled the captured rain off the roof, and into scared wells. Every Friday Lili shares her favorite photography & the stories behind the photos.
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11, 2016
Egyptian Sidekick Review
On my second day in Egypt, I wanted to splurge and have a private tour, so I could see the sights of Dahshur, Memphis, and Saqqara at my own pace. Trying to find a reputable Egyptologist guide online was a bit daunting, so I decided to go in a different direction. This is my review of Egyptian Sidekick. This review is my own and was not solicited by the tour company and I paid full price for the tour. What is it? Egyptian Sidekick is a private tour organizer that provides tailored sightseeing experiences for you or your group. They
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10, 2016
Egyptian Galabeya Party on Nile Cruise
Last year I spent Halloween in Egypt. On the night of the 31st the cruise ship had a Galabeya Party. It is a standard dress that is slowing with sleeves. Some of us ended up buying one from the market to wear at the party. I considered it my "Halloween Costume" last year. Every Friday Lili shares her favorite photography & the stories behind the photos.
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10, 2016
Death on the Nile: The Ghost Ships of Egypt
Ghost Ships at Luxor Temple Preparing for my trip to Egypt, I read many blogs. One of the unique articles I read was "Egypt's Modern Day Ruins: The Nile River Cruises of Yesteryear" from Roaming Around the World. It was fascinating to read about the fact that tourism has dropped so much in Egypt that out of over 350 Nile Cruise Ships that use to be working less than 15 are still in use. I marveled at the photos of the dilapidated Ghost Ships, decaying in the desert heat. Rows of mothballed ships. Source And I wondered
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10, 2016
Museum Monday: Egyptian Antinous
Antinous was a lover of the Roman Emperor Hadrian who drowned in Alexandria in October 130 AD. After his death Hadrian commemorated him with many different statues and elevated Antinous to an almost god-like hero/deity. This version shows Antinous as Osiris, an Egyptian god who came back from death after his body was scattered in the Nile. This is actually a remarkable Roman take of the typical Egyptian statue pose of royalty, with one foot forward. It is on display at the Vatican Museum. Museum Monday is an every other week series about museum news, objects, and reviews.