Egypt

We have made it to the land of the pharoahs. I was looking forward to totally different to Europe...well I got it. Mum has become religious I think, she seems to do a lot of praying as we're driving through Cairo and Alexandria. I just keep laughing, it's a joyride to me. They've been driving like they do for a long time now, it obviously works for them. It is so nice and warm, but the sun doesn't have much sting - too much smog to get through!!! Allison and Prue will be on their way over tomorrow. When they get here I guess that signals the start of the last leg of mum's and my adventures. Crikey....we'll be home before we know it.

Here's a couple of pics, as we've only been in Egypt 24 hours and haven't done much sightseeing yet. Just overnight in Cairo then on to Alexandria first thing this morning. Visited the catacombs, but no camera allowed. Then visited Pompey's Pillar and the Serapeum. The Serapeum was where the rescued scrolls from the Library of Alexandria were stored when the library burnt down in Cleopatra's time (toward the end of her life). The scrolls were then destroyed after 300 years, on the order of a Pope who deemed them heretical, sacriligious, etc. All that knowledge and history gone. Who's the heretic?

 Pompey's Pillar

 Mum under Pompey's Pillar

 View of part of Alexandria across the harbour

Part of Cairo from our hotel, not the place to be for too long if you value your lungs!!!

The remains of the Serapeum at Alexandria

Prague

Well our River Cruise ended on Monday :-(

We had a quick trip to the Nuremberg Documentation Centre, not something I wanted to do so I sat ooutside in the sun. A few people joined me, either because they too didn't want to do it or because it was  so crowded they couldn't get into the rooms. Only had 45 mins there. The people who did want to see it were pissed off that they had next to no time there and it needed a few hours at least. Then we went to the central square in Nuremberg for the Autumn Markets and food. We got there at 12.25 and our guide wanted us back on the bus at 1pm. We revolted en masse and told her we wouldn't be back until 1.30. We didn't see her again so I gather she didn't like our revolution, hehehe. No loss, she wasn't a very happy or informative guide. After that we made our way to Prague - what a beautiful city. We have done quite a bit of walking the last 2 days and now my feet are revolting (as in revolution).

The Cruise Director on the ship had a saying at each port talk about ABC in each town we visited - Another Beautiful Church or Another Beautiful Cathedral. I have to admit that for me, it's got to the point that this last week I've been saying Another Bloody Church or Another Bloody Castle. As beautiful and grand and old as they are, I'm over the opulence and definitely over the indulgence, excess and thievery of the privileged. If they weren't so self-indulgent, people wouldn't have needed to be taxed so much. But then, has anything changed??? Governments have taken the place of the privileged.

Enough ranting, off to Egypt tomorrow and it will be nice to have something utterly different to look at. Garry will be very happy to find out that I'm over Europe: been there, seen that, there's more to the world than castles and cathedrals and baroque buildings. After almost 6 weeks here, I'm really looking forward to seeing our sunburnt country. Egypt and Jordan will be a very refreshing (but hot) interlude before returning to our lucky country.

Here's some pics of Prague:

Part of the Prague Castle complex (a very small part - it is made up of 18 palaces!!!)

Inside Wenselas Cathedral in Prague Castle (for those of you who have only walked around the outside). Have many more pics of the old and fading art and stained glass windows - ask mum to show you when she gets home)

One of the facades of Wenselas Cathedral

A view of part of Prague from the castle

Just a sample of the many beautiful buildings in Prague

The Black Madonna - a famous Cubist building

Charles Bridge

Can you see the metronome on the hill? It replaced an imposing statue of Stalin and his cronies

The Astronomical Clock

30km bicycle ride Durnstein to Melk

There goes my ship!!!

Riding thru the vineyards

In one of the little villages

Nice bike paths in Germany

St Stephen's, built in 800AD (I remembered the name of this one!)

A little village called Spitz, where we had a pitstop (and where the ship went past us)

ABC....another bloody castle

Durnstein

St Another Someone Else in Durnstein

Just one of the streets in the village

A lovely little medieval village on the Danube

More Vienna

Scholss Schonbrunn (Schonbrunn Palace, the summer palace)

Fountain at Schonbrunn Palace

Holy Trinity statue, a statue erected in thanks for surviving the black Plague. We also saw one in Budapest, very similar. If you look closely you might see a world map, with a island that doesn't look like Australia but is where  Australia is on the world map. The statues were erected in the 1500s.

St Someone else's church, built by Franz Ferdinand, completed in 1897. Right by where our ship was docked

Catch up photos - Vienna

Entrance to Hofburg Imperial Palace (the winter palace)

The Spanish Horse Riding School - weren't allowed to take photos during the performance

Part of the parade in Vienna for their regional/rural produce fair

As above

The Houses of Parliament in Vienna

City Hall in evening - we were there for the last night of their Film Festival. The German for Town Hall is the most appropriate word I've ever heard in any language - Rathaus (pronounced "rat house")!!!!!!!!!

Can't post any more pics just yet, I have to do some downloading from the camera....stay tuned

Catch up photos - Budapest

Budapest Castle by night

View from St someone or other's church

St Someone or other's church

Closer view of that church

The Houses of Parliament as we sailed out of Budapest

Catch up photos - Venice

Needs no introduction!

Rialto Bridge

The Grand Canal from Rialto Bridge

Fat feline friend that lived in the apartment across from our hotel

Part of inside St Mark's Basilica

a little high tide at Piazzo San Marco

On our speed boat trip to Murano

Master in action - making a chandelier

Glass sculpture in Murano

Funeral on Murano, Venetian style

Burano