| PLACES! |
| Cairo, Egypt (oh, be sure to check out this website if you are looking for a job in Egypt) is an incredibly overpopulated, polluted city, but it is a fascinating place to wander. The mosque of Ibn Tulun, built in the 879 AD is still used on a daily basis. The Al-Azhar mosque is not only beautiful but seemed to me to have the loudest muezzin in the city. Saladdin turned a hilltop pavillion into a military fortress (The Citadel) to defend the city against invading crusaders. In Alexandria, on the Mediterranean coast, you can see ruins of a Roman amphitheater and wander in exotic gardens. And there are definitely camels, pyramids, tombs, sand, date trees....Check out the following website: this guy seems to have done a lot of traveling and has some nice pictures. Don't miss: - St. Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai - Zamalek (I lived there for 4 months) - Saqqara - AUC (the American University in Cairo) - I even know "The Lux" and have eaten kushari there! - Abu Simbel - Luxor - Dervishes (don't get dizzy!) - wow - don't get on a plane - just look at these pictures! Want to see what your name looks like in hieroglyphics? I don't recommend using hieroglyphics for signing official documents. Spain lives up to its exotic reputation. I recommend visiting Madrid first, just for a grounding in Spanish culture and history. Barcelona is a hip, happening young person's city. I haven't seen much of the northwest. The south is my favorite. The Moorish influence is evident in the music, architecture, dance, food - even in the appearance of the people. The heat can be formidable - so take some cool clothes! In fact, be prepared to sleep naked (and there are nude beaches for those of you who also like to stroll naked). |