Egypt: Onward to Cairo by Train

From Luxor we took a day train to Cairo. A 9-hour ride turned out to be 11. What a way to spend my birthday! Because it was Ramadan, we were eating and drinking surreptitiously every now and then. Finally at sundown, when the whole car had their iftar, we too ate openly.

We spent the whole first day at the Egyptian Museum. We were rounded up and out at 4pm when the museum closed an hour earlier for Ramadan. What a museum! It has so much substance, I quickly forgot about the unairconditioned building, dusty antique display cases, handwritten labels... who cares about style!

Lots to see out the train window on the 11-hour ride from Luxor to Cairo. Below: our coach. We sat on the left, SL in front of me.


Wheat and alfalfa; a palm tree and power lines.


The first 2 hours we were often cruising along with the Nile right outside.


A flock of water birds.


More fields of wheat and alfalfa along the tracks, almost entirely cultivated by human and horse power.


Small Banana Plantation near the town of Qena.




Loading Sugarcane onto a trailer.


Clouds, Canal, Palm Trees, Wheat, and more...


Mosque with Minaret.


Canal with Fisherman/Boatman.


Passing a Passenger Train.


Minivan and Bus Station


Bringing the Cows Home as the Village Lights Come On.


As the sky grew darker, the mosques began to shine/glow in the distance. The journey to Cairo was almost complete.


The Egyptian Museum of Cairo was more than amazing...




... The highlight being the exhibit commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the discovery of King Tutenkhamen's tomb.  No photos (strictly enforced) were allowed in the rooms in which his coffins were displayed. Those coffins must have been the finest pieces of art I've ever seen, both in design and execution. Some of the almost as  brilliant tomb contents were displayed in rooms with free photography. See below.












Here are some favs from the rest of the museum. All of these artifacts/pieces are more than 2000 years old.