The Sphinx
Made in Egypt Tour 2008 Diary - The Sphinx - Good Places for Viewing and Photos |
The Sphinx |
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Day 6: Visit to the Sphinx- Two places to get good views and photos. Today the Khan will be partially closed as the Goldsmiths are closed on Sunday. So we decided to visit the Sphinx. Hossam is not with us today, so Eman and I took the car and Driver out to the Pyramids. We walked from the entrance kiosk across the front of Cheops and down to the Sphinx. On the way down the hill, we visited a tomb. I am sad to say that I did not keep meticulous records on either of my visits to the Pyramids this time and I can only show you the picture of the tomb without the name of the owner.
Tomb in the Eastern Cemetary in front of the Great Pyramid. You can see it from the road that runs up the plateau, beside the Sphinx.Then we walked down the road to the Sphinx. There is just something about the Sphinx, and of course the pyramids behind it. You just can't say you have been to Egypt without a good look, and a good photo of you and the Sphinx. But there is more to it, I think. Somehow the Sphinx is so famous and so mysterious that everyone just wants to absord the ancient aura of the Sphinx.
View of the Sphinx, looking down toward the Sound and Light Show and the shaded cafe.Earlier, on the first day,we had stoped by the Antiquities Department Compound to see if there was anyone to show us the Worker's Village excavations, but alas, the Feast Vacation Schedule has defeated us. No one is around this week. The Sphinx is a real money earner for the Antiquities department. The Antiquities department makes a seperate deal with tour operators for access to the space just in front of the Sphinx. I wasn't interested in trying to work a side deal to go between the paws, we were lucky enough on our last trip to do just that. It can be done if the situation is just right and you meet the right people, but it is not necessary to get that close to enjoy the Sphinx. There is a great place for Sphinx and Pyramid Photos that anyone can get to. Walk down the road that runs down from the Pyramid plateau and stand beside the the Sphinx compound. You will get a great picture, and you can stand there as long as you like and gaze at the Sphinx.
The Sphinx and Kufu's Pyramid in one great shot.Also there is a another place you can have a uninterrupted view of the Sphinx. We went down the road into the village to the former bar-b-que restaurant that sits just behind the newly moved seating for the sound and light show. This is the space where the temporary building was being built when we were here last year. Since that time the bar-b-que restaurant has been taken over by the Mena House hotel as a tea and bathroom service. Eman and I lead a charmed life, we got a table just at the edge of the canvas shade that had a direct, unobstructed view of the Sphinx. So we serenely sipped, talked and gazed at the Sphinx. A priceless experience. My guess is that this cafe space is incorporated in the audience for the sound and light show.
View of the Sphinx from the shaded cafe.Not having had lunch, that evening, I wanted dinner. Being disoriented by jet lag, I failed to notice that they had room service menus items listed on the back of the door beside the fire escape map, and was despondent when they told me they didn't serve dinner in the dining room. What they failed to tell me was there is room service and a restaurant on the top of the hotel! Anyhow, I called Hossam and he produced a miracle. The local Kentucky Fried Chicken delivered a meal to the hotel for me. As it turned out I could have dined with a lovely view of Cairo at the restaurant on top, but having Kentucky Fried Chicken delivered like Pizza as a equally enlightening experience!
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The Egypt Holiday
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