Look at the Beautiful Every Day Life in Cairo, Egypt
I find when walking through chaotic streets if I hum a chill song in my head it turns the whole process into this zen like state where I am able to get through anything. I can dodge cars, pot holes, stray cats, blowing garbage, zipping scooters, running children and anything else that comes my way. The horns become muted in the back ground and I am moving with the flow of chaos. Some of my favorite songs to hum are from Adele, Raye and Florence and the Machine. When I can go to this other state, it allows me to see the beautiful every day life in Cairo Egypt.
While walking around the streets of Cairo, Egypt I hummed a lot of Adele songs. Once one gets over the over stimulation and fear of getting hit by every car whizzing by, there is a sense of accomplishment while walking these crazy streets.
<Want to have this post in your pocket? You can download it as a GPSMyCity walking tour app HERE. Then you can stroll the streets at your leisure, not need wifi and enjoy learning about Cairo!>
It’s so different from back home. And that is one of the beauties of travel.
So while I was humming Adele, walking the streets with Chris in this foreign country, here are some of the things we saw.
Beautiful Every Day Life in Cairo Egypt:
City Views
I guess I wouldn’t necessarily say this is beautiful in the sense of tidiness, but it is an interesting perspective. One would think buildings just crumbled from the sky. Climbing up the tower in the Bab Zuwayla complex we were just amazed at the amount of rubbish on top the roofs of so many buildings. But it was everywhere. Just a difference in building techniques I guess.
Cats
Oh yes, of course we found plenty a cat catching a snooze within the casting sun rays.
Lamps
Oh my gosh – the beauty of some of the lamps was so immaculate. Imagine having these in your house!
Friendly Locals
In a cafe we made some friends. This family sat down next to us and insisted to share their food with us – which was really good! The one lady was from Malaysia and had married an Egyptian whom she met in Abu Dhabi. They just kept feeding us grape leaves and fried chicken and it was so good.
Ancient History
This Mausoleum of Najmudin Ayyoub was the tomb of someone who was fighting all the way back until the Crusades. I had to look that up to remember they started around 1065. There is history in Egypt. Side note: Does your high school history class seem so far away? Yeah, mine did too. Here is a quick synopsis of the Crusades if you also feel like you can barely remember anything about them. Sorry Mr. Aikan – I tried to listen in class!
Architecture
Egypt has some phenomenal architecture all throughout the city. Here are a few snaps from walking around the Qualalun Complex.
HOT TIP: International Tourists can buy an entry ticket for 200 EGP. This lets you wander around all the various buildings in the area. You can easily spend a few hours doing this, so the ticket can be great value if you like this sort of thing!
Big Doors
There are big doors all over Egypt – like really big doors!
Spices
There were stall after stall with giant bags of spices pushed into small shops.
Happy Travelers
And wrapping up there’s a happy Chris out exploring the world. There is so much to see and it feels surreal to be in Egypt. Egypt is a place that gets talked about in movies, history books and political news. But being here in person, this becomes a chance to see the beauty of every day life in Cairo Egypt.
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Want more?
Make sure you are following our facebook, instagram and twitter pages. We post (almost) daily and there’s a lot Egypt pics going up!
We don’t have any footage yet of Egyptian traffic, but if you want to still ‘walk through’ some crazy traffic with us, check out this short video from Vietnam.
We did part of this trip on our own and part with G Adventures. Intrepid Travel is another company we have traveled with and they also run trips here. We think both of them offer great services, spread the money around and we would recommend booking with either company. Despite having a lot of airline points, we found the best flight deals for this particular trip using Sky Scanner.
Must have travel items:
Safari shirt – It feels a little silly for me to write that, wear a safari shirt in Egypt, but it kept me so much cooler and my shirt has a little zippered pocket. I like to discreetly carry my cash in there. I also am wearing most of the clothes I talk about here.
Stuffable Bag – These light weight bags are so convenient to carry things around. Plastic consumption is a problem everywhere on the planet. These bags are both great value and great use. Please try not to take any plastic bags.
Sneakers (!) – Oh the joys of walking in comfortable shoes. Leave your cute stylish shoes at home. If you want to explore you will be walking these pot holed lined streets. We walked about six city miles this day. Having good, functional and comfortable shoes is key. I actually got mine at a thrift store for $8 but if you are not so lucky, then you can check these out and see if you can find a deal.
Want to bring some of Egypt into your own home? You can check out these lamps. These are many of the styles of lamps they use over here and you can create some zen like spaces in your home.
City Survival Tips:
If this is your first time traveling to a place with traffic like this, crossing the street can be super intimidating. Here are a few tips:
- The crossing is not rushed. Watch any locals – they don’t rush. There is a methodical pace to the madness. This lets everyone plan out what the other person is doing. When the darting happens, that’s when trouble happens.
- Look for a local who is going to cross the street and just follow them. That is a very simple way to accomplish getting from point A to B.
- Look like you know where you’re going – even if you don’t. We found people to be friendly in Egypt. If you have a smart phone download the offline maps and use them. Get some main reference points to make it easier to know where to go.
- If you do lose your way, step inside a shop to consult your map. Most times it is not a problem if you step inside a place to quickly look at your map.
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As always, thank you so much for reading.
What did you think of this mini market and city tour of Egypt?
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Want to have this post in your pocket? You can download it as a GPSMyCity walking tour app HERE. Then you can stroll the streets at your leisure, not need wifi and enjoy learning about Cairo!
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Cairo looks like a lot more fun than I imagined. The architecture alone had to be amazing.
The architecture alone was amazing – and all the lights/lamps! Being in the with all this decor we really love it. Egypt is such a dynamic and interesting place to visit.
Hi Really liked this post. I remember reading about how “stiff” Cairo was but that was a long time ago.
Now it is “swift” so what a difference. Glad to hear you are safe!
Keep up thr good work
mare
It’s interesting because people in your age bracket (60-ish) often speak to me of a very different Egypt. It is not the case now, yet for your generation as the parents of our generation, there is a lot of wonder (and worry) when people say they are going to Egypt. Yet we just had a fantastic time! I hope more people continue to visit Egypt and see it’s tourism rise.
Hi Tiffany & Chris,
Excellent article, fantastic pictures and many good travel tips to keep in mind when we visit Egypt. We’ll be there in October for 9 days/nights. We look forward to a 4-day cruise on the Nile, the Pyramids and strolling the streets of Cairo to enjoy the flavor of the busy City. We should be okay crossing streets – we survived it by crossing with locals in Biejing, Hanoi, Rome, Burenos Aires, Santiago, recently in Sicily (where drivers don’t want to stop) and of course our hometown NYC (where drivers will stop and must yield to pedestrians. Thanks for all the info.
M&G
NYC
Michael & Gina Z recently posted…Look at the Beautiful Every Day Life in Cairo, Egypt
Hey Michael and Gina! Oh that could be another interesting article idea – the cultural norms behind all the different methods needed to get across the street. Yes, if you have crossed the street in Hanoi you can cross anywhere! For us, navigating the traffic in Vietnam was the peak. It was just so different than back home. I am so excited for your guys to experience Egypt! We really just had a fantastic time and I can’t wait to see your pictures!!! Yeah!!! 🙂
Great post. The photos are incredible! I’ve never been to Egypt but it is on my list. Love your tip about following a local across the road too, this is one of my favourite tips for surviving in a foreign city! #flyawayfriday
This is giving me some great travel ideas
Absolutely beautiful photos! I would love to visit Cairo. #flyawayfriday
Beautiful photos of everyday life in Cairo! I’d love to visit some day. The lamps look stunning, and the intricate door as well!
Bryna | Dotted Line Travels recently posted…Things I Ate: Desserts in Taipei Edition
This is wonderful and brings back vivid memories from Cairo. The city (and the country) is one of the most unique places I have visited. I know it is chaotic and noisy but there is something that makes you like the city. Before visiting, I remember a lot of people in the group being worried about the food and other aspects. We ended up eating like royalty, meeting nice people and shopping at the markets. #FlyAwayFriday
Ruth | Tanama Tales recently posted…50 Cool, Interesting and Fun Mexico Facts
Egypt has been one of my top spots on the bucket list! All your photos look as beautiful as I imagine it to be! Thanks for joining Fly Away Friday, hope to see you tomorrow for the 50th one – exciting things happening! xo
Every time I read about Egypt I get so jealous of those who have gone! I hope to get there some day. This post give the country a bit more perspective than the pyramids! Thank you for coming to Fly Away Friday! Hope to see you for our 50th link-up tomorrow!!
This Cairo street adventure sounds exhilarating! Your adept navigation through the chaos, accompanied by Adele’s tunes, paints a vivid picture of everyday life. The diverse sights – from historic mausoleums to aromatic spice stalls – create a rich tapestry. Thanks for sharing your unique perspective on the beauty of Cairo!