And we were starting in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.
Daughter Gina made it as easy as possible, awakening before 5 AM to pick us up and drive us to Merion Station, then accompanying us on the Septa commuter train all the way to 30th Street Station, where Julie, Laszlo and I caught Amtrak (but not the pricey Acela Train) to New York.
Gina and her husband Laszlo lived in NYC for several years, so he and Julie were able to direct us seamlessly through changes from Amtrak to Long Island Railroad to the Air Train. We had some concerns about making connections to arrive on time, but we cleared security two hours before our 10+ hours flight was scheduled to leave.
It ended up taking a little longer than expected for our jumbo jet to take off.
Doing the math, it was about midnight back home by the time we landed in Cairo in the early morning.
We were greeted at the airport by tour group reps, who made it easy by furnishing our eVisas for a modest $2 fee more than the government price of $25. It is possible to get the visas in advance, but Julie decided before leaving home that this sounded less stressful than the process of procuring a visa in advance can sometimes be.
Julie and I normally pack light, using exclusively carry-on luggage for most trips, as does Laszlo, so it was somewhat aggravating to wait around for the luggage of the rest of the group to arrive.
As to why Egypt Air was so slow getting bags to the carousel on this flight and the two intra-tour flights, I can only theorize, but it took well over an hour every time. Just absurd.
Then we all had to verify that our luggage was undamaged before we walked out to clear security with the big trolley of baggage following us. Egypt has very strict rules at the airport and, as we would find throughout the trip, lots of police and military carrying machine guns to ensure that travelers are protected. An oft-repeated mantra was "Egypt is safe."
Tourism is Egypt's most important economic segment, and they want to protect their reputation.
By the time we arrived at the Cairo Marriott Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino, it was time for breakfast. Fortunately, our tour group had arranged for us to have immediate access to our hotel rooms and a complimentary breakfast with coffee.
Julie and I unpacked what we thought we would need for our time in Cairo and headed down to meet Laszlo at the outdoor patio for coffee and a few breakfast items, all of which were delicious. You can have coffee many places, but under an umbrella in a distant destination always makes it seem special.
We adjourned for a brief nap before meeting back on lounge chairs under different umbrellas by the large pool. The outdoor temperature by afternoon had added maybe ten degrees to the breakfast temperature of about 80 Fahrenheit, but as they say in Palm Springs, it was a dry heat and a comfortable temperature for lounging poolside.
We each took dips in the refreshing water, with Laszlo spending more time in the pool than Julie and me.
That night, we met up with our tour group for a delicious meal beginning with hummus, Baba Ganoush and flatbread, on to soup (or salad) and a choice of entrees --- Julie and I chose a sort of mixed grill of steak and lamb kabob, while Laszlo chose fish --- plus assorted Mediterranean side vegetables.
As in Peru, we had been warned to not drink tap water and to also avoid fresh produce such as salads (washed in that same water).
Our guide said we didn't need to worry about that at this five-star hotel, but other than my daily banana plus some tomato and lettuce on the Marriott Burgers Julie and I enjoyed, we for the most part stuck with cooked food.
We were told that prices at the hotel restaurants and bars were much higher than could be found in greater Cairo, but prices at the Marriott were so reasonable for a five-star property that we didn't see the need to go elsewhere. For example, a small personal pizza was 45 Egyptian Pounds (about $1.50), Laszlo's meal-sized salad with albacore was $3, and a huge Classic Marriott Burger with French fries (plenty for Julie and me to split) was $9. Daily breakfast was included, which is always appreciated.
Beverages were also less expensive than you might expect, with Stella, a delicious tropical beer brewed in Egypt, for under $5 and a double pour of better quality wine for $9.
Later in the evening, Julie and I enjoyed walking past the patio bar to secluded patio tables next to an illuminated fountain for drinks. By then, the temperatures were in the 70s, making for very pleasant Egyptian nights.
Soccer games played on large screen TVs at the outdoor bar (which doubled as the breakfast patio) every evening that we were there.
From our room, we had a view of the action.
The first evening, a team in black shirts had the crowd cheering exuberantly for their goals. I sat in a chair to watch the game, but by then it was close enough to midnight in Egypt for me to fall asleep in a few minutes.
A video available in our room showed the history of the hotel, which was built as a palace to host royalty for the opening ceremonies for the Suez Canal.
Our spacious, comfortable rooms were in one of the towers built by Marriott more than a century after the Palace opened.
I will note that when we arrived, our tour group entered through a door convenient for our rooms but which left a less favorable impression than the posh main entrance. Hopefully, everyone explored the hotel sufficiently to find all the nice places, including a lobby bar sporting large murals.
This oasis in the city of Cairo proved to be an excellent location to ease into Egypt and take forays to nearby attractions.
Note that often a "10-day tour" starts with a travel day as ours did, and then that next day is more or less recovering from jetlag. That makes it the perfect time to enjoy the comforts of a nice resort, a relaxing part of a great vacation.
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