Egypt and Jordan Trip: Day 1, 2, and 3

Day 1
We departed Garmisch via bus due to the construction to the train tracks then caught the train in Murnau and then the bahn to the airport. Our flight was uneventful and we arrived in Cairo after our direct flight from Munich. We were picked up by a guy named Farag who drove us through Cairo to the Museum View Hostel where we would stay for the night. Farag had learned some English from working with tourists, and somethings are lost in translation. One of his favorite quotes is "Life is Delicious!" which he yelled out several times during our ride. We found that traffic laws are alot more loose than we are used to in the US or Germany. For example, there were 3 lanes on most roads we were on and there were usually about 5 cars wide. Also honking is acceptable and flashing headlights. These practices are usually used to warn the car in front of you to get out of the way or for the car straddling the lines to move over so you can pass. When we asked "Why does everyone honk their horns?" Farag responded that it's how they power the cars. If you don't honk the car can't drive! We also experienced people just walking out into the road and holding up a hand to get people to stop so they can cross. As well whole families would ride a moped together... Dad, Mom, kids together. And yes I said kids, plural!
We arrived at the Museum View hostel and got our rooms with 2 beds in each. We got ready for bed and fell asleep(or tried) to the sound of the honking horns outside.
Day 2
We woke up and got our things together and had a breakfast of long skinny white bread rolls with some butter and some sort of cheese and tea. The first of many cups of tea during the trip.
Hanna was our tour guide for the day. We found out later that Farag and Hanna are married and have a 10 month old baby boy. Hanna showed us around old Cairo. We saw some burial grounds and some very old buildings and mosques and tried to visit a floating church but due to the 4 day feast after Ramadan there were prayers going on and things were closed for holiday.
We then went and got camels to take us around the 9 Pyramids in Giza. We each had our own camel and our guide was on a horse and we had a guy leading our camels which were all tied together in a line. We stopped to take pictures of us with the pyramids in the distance and our guide took some pictures but his timing wasn't the greatest. Some how the other 3 girls got individual photos but I didn't. We kept going and Kelly's camel had a freak out moment and tore the rope off it's nose and bucked up on his hind legs. It was quite the sight to see. We regrouped and continued on to the Sphinx and then back to the base camp. From there we stopped at a perfume shop for a lesson on how Egyptian perfume is made and of course made some purchases. We also stopped at a papyrus shop for another lesson but didn't buy anything. Hanna got us lunch of rice and noodles with some beans along the way. We were to then go to the Egyptian Museum but of course it closed early due to the feast. So we were back to the hostel until Farag picked us up for a Nile River Cruise that Mohammed arranged because our day had been so messed up. The cruise included a belly dancer(who turned out to be 52 years old) and 2 male spin dancers(one midget and one average sized man) and a buffet dinner. We ordered Egyptian beer and then found out that it was non-alcoholic... fail!
Next was a typical cab ride by Farag back to the hostel to wait for our driver for our overnight transfer. Typical for our trip... we waited for the driver to show up. He came around 11:30 and we were on our way. Horn honking and all. The ride was very bumpy and we didn't sleep much. We were awoken at about 2:30 in the morning when we picked up Mohammed's brother and sister-in-law who were just married. We were then dropped off in Taba at the ferry port to Aqaba, Jordan where we begin Day 3...
We found our tour guide for the day and went to our tour bus which was waiting a 5 minute walk away. Jordan is a beautiful country and much cleaner than what we experienced in Egypt. We drove about 2 hours to Petra where we had a guided tour through the gorge and carvings. The route of the tour was in and out the same way so we got commentary on the way in and at our leisure on the way out. I was in awe of the natural beauty of the stone and the abilities of the craftsmen of years and years ago to create such beauty. We took lots of pictures and tried to stay cool on the walk back out and to the bus. We then had lunch at the Marriott nearby and drove back to the port only to find out that the wind caused waves that the Ferry couldn't travel in so we waited not knowing when we would be able to leave. The tour guide gave us some time to walk around the city of Aqaba and stop for some sunset photos before boarding the ferry. On the ride back all coffee, soda, water and juice were free due to the delay in the ferry and it was a sight to see the people racing to get in line for their free drink(s). After arriving back in Egypt and going through security again we waited for our driver to pick us up and take us to Dahab. After about 2 hours we arrived in Dahab and met Mohammed, had some tea at the seaside restaurant at the Penguin Village, and then went to our rooms. Our names were spelled out with toilet paper and flowers on our beds which was a nice surprise... but really we just wanted to sleep!

To be continued.

Egypt Trip: Introduction

I'm back!! I think it is safe to say this was one of the best trips I've taken in my life. I went with my roommate, Lisa, and two friends, Kelly and Haley. We left on Saturday September 11th and returned Friday September 17th via Munich. We booked our week with a guy named Mohammed who lives in Dahab and has booked tours for almost everyone from the Abrams(my building) that has gone to Egypt in the last 3 years. We had some issues with the drivers being late, but otherwise we had a great time and learned alot about the Egyptian lifestyle and history with a brief day trip to Jordan to visit Petra.
To see all my pictures click on the link below...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2112342&id=44801562&l=426500752c
So far Kelly posted an album as well. Check my profile for the link to her album.

I'm officially Bavarian now!

I just purchased my dirndl. For those of you who may not know, a dirndl is a traditional Bavarian and Austrian dress that women wear for special occasions. Generally it comes in 3 parts, the blouse, dress, and apron. I got a more traditional style, but there are shorter ones that are more common now. I got 2 aprons so I can mix it up. I plan to wear my purple Birkenstock sandals for the up coming fest season.
Pictures!! http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2098835&id=44801562&l=026a67cef7

Florence, Italy

On July 5th I headed off to Florence with Morgan and Elizabeth in our rental car. I had to work until 1130 but by 1230 we were on our way. At our first pit stop the cashier at the gas station cafe thought we were beautiful and wanted to know if we had babies. I think that really meant did we have families. Lol. It was interesting. We arrived in the city around 8pm got settled in our hotel and parked the car in a secure lot. We then explored the city and got some gelato because we were dying from the heat.
On Tuesday we walked around the city, did some shopping, ate some delicious pasta and risotto, and explored. Morgan and Elizabeth both got leather bags as well as some sandals and other gifts. I got some scarves and a leather belt as well as a painting. We went inside the Duomo and Elizabeth had to wear a blue smock type thing because she was "revealing" her shoulders.
We enjoyed some wine with dinner and sat outside at one of the squares and chatted.
Wednesday morning I forgot about the step in our room and kicked it super hard. I thought I broke a toe or two, but it turns out after a visit to the ER here in Garmisch on Thursday and 2 x-rays nothing is broken. We drove home in time for Morgan to work at 4 Wednesday afternoon.
It was a quick trip but fun.
Pictures... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2098548&id=44801562&l=c645461f04

Paris

So I just got back from almost a week in Paris for my birthday and had a great time exploring the city and seeing the sights. The weather was warm and sunny with hardly a cloud in the sky every day and beautiful sunsets every night.
Morgan and I flew out Monday morning and arrived in Paris around 12:30, took the train into the city and dropped our bags off at our hotel room. We then walked up to the Sacre-Coeur and walked around inside, then went down to the Moulin Rouge. After a quick trip on the Metro we arrived at the Centre George Pompidou to take some pictures and then went down to the Notre Dame, Berthillion Ice Cream Shop for a couple scoops of the famous glace. We then trekked down the Seine towards the Tour de Eiffel, had a snack under the tower and then met up with Cat and went across the river to Trecado Square. We spent the evening talking and watching the tower light up. The World Cup was going on so there was a big viewing screen in the square and after the game we were surrounded but yelling fans. We saw the tower sparkle at 11pm then caught the subway back to our hotel.
Tuesday was my actual birthday and to celebrate my parents got me a gift certificate for a Segway Tour which Morgan and I had prebooked. So we headed out to meet up at the South leg of the Eiffel Tower taking pictures and grabbing a bite to eat along the way. The Segway Tour was an interesting experience to say the least. It was the last day for our guide so we got his last tour. We practiced a bit in a small paved parking lot next to the tour office before heading out to see the sights. Along the way another person in our group had a little mishap. The mother-daughter pair were cruising along and had a small crash mid-crosswalk and the mom fell off her Segway. We weren't immune to the mishaps either... Morgan misjudged a small pillar and fell off her Segway as well. Other than a bruised egos both the mom and Morgan were fine. We had lunch at a cafe near the Louvre and I got a chocolate brownie with ice cream as my birthday cake. The Segway group sang to me as well as our waiter, but only in English. Once the tour was over we headed up to the L'Arc de Triumphe and walked down the Champs Elysee with stops in Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Laudree, and then a park to enjoy our little sugary creations from Laudree. Then it was back to the Tuilleries Garden and we had some dinner in the park, then some ice cream before heading back to our hotel.
Wednesday Morgan and Cat flew home in time for work that evening and I kept on touring Paris. I started my day after locating a new place to sleep at the l'Orangerie Museum which is home to Monet's Waterlilies paintings. I then went to the Rodin Museum and enjoyed some lunch in the gardens at the museum, then did part of the d'Orsay Museum before taking a nap, grabbing a bite to eat and going to the late night opening of the Louvre. Found Mona Lisa who is smaller than I expected.
Thursday I went out to Versailles but was very disappointed that the buildings were all closed. It was mass confusion because the official word was that it would open in an hour, and then the next hour and so finally I rented a bike and rode around the gardens for a while. I then caught the train back into the city, took yet another nap, and headed to the d'Orsay for late night which happened to be canceled that night. So I headed to the Eiffel Tower and waited in line to buy my ticket and took the elevator up to the second level. Initially the top was closed due to congestion but then it reopened and there was another massive line so I just got some Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and watched the sunset. I watched the tower light up and then took the elevator down, purchase my mini Eiffel Tower and then went to my hostel.
Friday I packed in the rest of my to-see list starting at the Louvre seeing the Venus de Milo and several other sculptures, then to the Flower Market, Sainte Chapelle with the breath taking stained glass windows, touring the Notre Dame, then to the Deportation Memorial. The remainder of the afternoon I spent in the Luxembourg Gardens sitting in the green chairs with my feet up watching kids play with toy sail boats in the fountains and people walking by. I must've looked like a real Parisian because I was asked multiple times for directions and did my best to respond in French. I then went back to my hotel to pack my things and get ready to head home. The shower in my room had the hottest water ever and I couldn't physically handle it.
Saturday I got up early and headed to the metro to head to the airport. No major issues on the trip home, and then headed to work at 430.
It was an amazing trip that I'll never forget. I want to go back and enjoy the city more and eat some more amazing pastries. Overall one of my favorite trips.
As always check out my pictures at... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2097655&id=44801562&l=991e9e5328