Chris and I have arrived safe and sound in Cairo. This place is gorgeous! We're in the Semiramis Intercontinental Hotel, overlooking the Nile. We are absolutely spent! What a long day(s) of travel. We had a layover in Frankfurt for 12 hours, but we were set up at the Sheraton which is attached to the airport and slept for the better part of the layover. We did however have a couple of Paulaner Heifeweisens and Chris had some bratwursts and sauerkraut.
We arrived into Cairo around 3am and were met at the airport by someone from the hotel who arranged travelers visas for us and got our bags. I really don't know how we could have managed on our own. There's a distinct moment where you can feel the sliver of panic work itself into you as you realize you are soooo out of place.
Chris and I walked around downtown Cairo today. Friday is equivilant to the west's Sunday, so 'there wasn't that much traffic' on the roads. Ha! There are no real crosswalks, no one obeys traffic signals, and crossing the street is like playing "Frogger"- I being the frog. The architecture is wonderfully varied, ranging over a large span of historical periods. It is noisy, it is dirty, but it's no worse Chris says than New York in places. Actually, the drivers here make me think of L.A..
The day runs long here. Businesses don't open til 9 or 10 and restaurants are open til 4am in some places. Dinner isn't usually served until 10pm.
Anywho, we're going to the studios tomorrow to check out our digs.