I was recentlyh on a trip to Egypt with #EscapeWorldwide. I’m a big fan of Egypt and its history – to my mind it’s the kind of history that’s obvious. Perhaps I was scarred at school by visits to Roman ruins that looked more like a pile of rocks than the remains of a powerful civilization, but these days I’m not too in to historical sights, but Egypt is different. Here, history comes alive and you can really see how these temples and statues that are thousands of years old would have been in their heyday. What’s more, you don’t have to travel too far, or get too far off the beaten track, to take it all in – my idea of ideal history!
Luxor itself is the main gateway to Upper Egypt’s historical highlights, and while you won’t get to see the Pyramid at Giza from here, most other well-known Egyptian sites are easily accessible for the town. It’s a fairly small town that’s straightforward to negotiate, focussed along the east bank of the Nile, giving the town an impressive setting. The Corniche that runs along the Nile itself is home to many of Luxor’s hotels, while away from the river is the more traditional part of town, with local restaurants and the market area. This part of town is perfect for picking up a bargain, so long as your bartering skills are up to scratch! I picked up a rather colourful rug, made of camel hair (or so I’m told) that cost me £15 – a bargain (or so I’d told) as the seller was losing money himself (or so I’m told). Still, it looks excellent at home and you won’t see anything quite like it on the high street!
Let’s talk temples. If you spend some time in Upper Egypt there’s a risk you may get temple-overload. There are dozens of amazing temples and monuments that, in most locations, would be a major attraction in their own right. Here, where there are so many amazingly preserved temples and monuments, you’ll do well to come away knowing the difference between Nefertari and Nefertiti. To my mind, the Temple of Karnak, Valley of the Kings and Temple of Hapshetsut are the most impressive sights in the Luxor area. If you’re on a Nile cruise, the setting of the Temple of Philae near Aswan is simply stunning, while the Temples of Abu Simbel, in the far south of Egypt are perhaps the single most impressive historical site I’ve ever been to – personally, I rate them above the Pyramids (although Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Borobudur in Java are up there too!) – a bit more effort to get to, but really worthwhile. The great thing about Luxor is that these amazing temples and monuments are easily accessible – the Temple of Karnak, for example, is a few minutes by taxi from most hotels, and the town itself is only a five hour flight from the UK!
Away from the temples, I spent one morning in the market, shopping – other than the colourful rug (and a particularly iffy alabaster carving of Nefertiti herself that’s unlikely to appear on the mantelpiece any day soon) I came away laden with spices at rock-bottom prices - big bags of black pepper, coriander seeds and cardamom, far cheaper that you’d get them for in the UK. I’m always one for trying local food, too, and the market area is good for this – one evening I plumped for pigeon, and while it wasn’t the meatiest of birds, it was certainly a very local experience! That’s the great thing about Egypt – it’s so close and so easy to visit, but it’s still a fascinating place with a huge amount of interest, and you’ll be sure to have a very local experience.
More details of our Egypt Holidays can be found at: http://www.redseaescapes.co.uk
Our full range of holidays: http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk
Luxor itself is the main gateway to Upper Egypt’s historical highlights, and while you won’t get to see the Pyramid at Giza from here, most other well-known Egyptian sites are easily accessible for the town. It’s a fairly small town that’s straightforward to negotiate, focussed along the east bank of the Nile, giving the town an impressive setting. The Corniche that runs along the Nile itself is home to many of Luxor’s hotels, while away from the river is the more traditional part of town, with local restaurants and the market area. This part of town is perfect for picking up a bargain, so long as your bartering skills are up to scratch! I picked up a rather colourful rug, made of camel hair (or so I’m told) that cost me £15 – a bargain (or so I’d told) as the seller was losing money himself (or so I’m told). Still, it looks excellent at home and you won’t see anything quite like it on the high street!
Let’s talk temples. If you spend some time in Upper Egypt there’s a risk you may get temple-overload. There are dozens of amazing temples and monuments that, in most locations, would be a major attraction in their own right. Here, where there are so many amazingly preserved temples and monuments, you’ll do well to come away knowing the difference between Nefertari and Nefertiti. To my mind, the Temple of Karnak, Valley of the Kings and Temple of Hapshetsut are the most impressive sights in the Luxor area. If you’re on a Nile cruise, the setting of the Temple of Philae near Aswan is simply stunning, while the Temples of Abu Simbel, in the far south of Egypt are perhaps the single most impressive historical site I’ve ever been to – personally, I rate them above the Pyramids (although Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Borobudur in Java are up there too!) – a bit more effort to get to, but really worthwhile. The great thing about Luxor is that these amazing temples and monuments are easily accessible – the Temple of Karnak, for example, is a few minutes by taxi from most hotels, and the town itself is only a five hour flight from the UK!
Away from the temples, I spent one morning in the market, shopping – other than the colourful rug (and a particularly iffy alabaster carving of Nefertiti herself that’s unlikely to appear on the mantelpiece any day soon) I came away laden with spices at rock-bottom prices - big bags of black pepper, coriander seeds and cardamom, far cheaper that you’d get them for in the UK. I’m always one for trying local food, too, and the market area is good for this – one evening I plumped for pigeon, and while it wasn’t the meatiest of birds, it was certainly a very local experience! That’s the great thing about Egypt – it’s so close and so easy to visit, but it’s still a fascinating place with a huge amount of interest, and you’ll be sure to have a very local experience.
More details of our Egypt Holidays can be found at: http://www.redseaescapes.co.uk
Our full range of holidays: http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk
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