Cairo, Egypt

Well well well... look who's here!
Well, some days ago I received this FB notification telling me I havent posted anything on my page in a while...felt like some kind of warning, even though the notification didnt refer to this blog in particular, but it felt like some kind of red alert... plus Bryon has been "nagging" me to do so I think it is enough signs that something had to be done, haha

Though I sort of assume that some people thought I'd be back earlier now with this lock down and staying at home and that naturally it calls for going back to your neglected hobbies... but sadly... or not so sadly, turns out that my life doesnt differ too much now compared to the normal times when we could all move freely. I really dont know what to make from it honestly, and if I should be worried or not... though I must admit that my general life style has kinda eased this whole process of staying at home, though on the other hand being forced to do so has added more to my existing anxiety.

I dont know about you, but I have shown ZERO extra productivity during this month that I've been working from home. There are all these blah blah blah articles telling you how now is the right time to get down to all your hobbies and pursue all those things you've always wanted to but never had the time and clean or redecorate your house and whatever not... I dont know who are these people who have accomplished this, but it is certainly not me... I can only say that I have some extra time to cook more (which inevitably is followed by 'eat more' as well). And some more time to read books or watch movies / tv shows. But that would be it... nothing life changing or eye opening or accomplishing...it is literally the same as when I say to myself, oh, when I have a holiday and extra days off, I will do this, I will do that... and let me tell you, NOTHING of it gets done... NOTHING! So this shouldnt come as a surprise... just a pinch of disappointment. I even attempted some online courses, but found them so boring and unmotivating, so of course, just ditched them....

So how are YOU coping with all this? What is the situation where you live?
Right now we are into curfews after 4pm on weekdays and total curfew on weekends... useless measure if you are asking me. Thank God I live in a house and have a backyard so I can do all my work there (unless it is raining and cold like these past two days).
So I think that's how I've been able to keep myself sane, esp. since everything gets so quiet once the curfew is on, it is like resetting your mind (except when your idiotic neighbours wanna chat on skype with friends for hours and they have to do it from the comforts of their backyard as well, so that the entire neighbourhood can listen to their moronic and banal converstations... seriously, they managed to ruin my weekend, both days.. two failed attempts to read in my backyard... well it is not the first time that they've shown their manners...

So, lets not forget that this is actually a postcard blog before anything else, so it would make sense to show some cards to and I'll get back to being chatty in the following posts :p

The first card for today comes from Jean Pierre, showing the Citadel in Cairo, which is a medieval Islamic-era fortification, built by Salah ad-Din (Saladin) and further developed by subsequent Egyptian rulers. It was the seat of government in Egypt and the residence of its rulers for nearly 700 years from the 13th to the 19th centuries.

At the time of its construction, it was among the most impressive and ambitious military fortification projects of its time. It is now a preserved historic site, including mosques and museums.

In 1976, it was proclaimed by UNESCO as a part of the World Heritage Site Historic Cairo (Islamic Cairo) which was "the new centre of the Islamic world, reaching its golden age in the 14th century."

(made me realize that it's been two years since I've posted a UNESCO site.. though taking into account the frequency of my posts, this actually ain't that bad...)

Two stamps on the card, both issued in 2019 - the one on the left commemorates the 46th Anniversary of the Great October Victory (commemorating the day when combined Egyptian military forces launched a surprise attack on Israel and crossed into the Sinai Peninsula and regained much of their land lost in 1967 war.)
The other stamp commemorates the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Mahatma Gandhi, 1869-1948.

Thanks a lot to Jean Pierre for this lovely surprise in my mailbox!

Egypt

here comes another update..yeah, that's quite soon you may say...well, it is indeed...and it's not like that is a bad thing now, is it? :)
but my fingers feel itchy, my mind feels anxious (in a strange way) and on Friday I am going away for a few days to the astronomy camp, so the next few days would be rather hectic as well, so I thought I'd post something now, otherwise it won't happen until some time next week...if then

just a short disappointing message first...there are NO postcards where I am going...there is actually not even a store or a small market...NOTHING...just houses and a small campsite...we are bringing all the food and even water with us since nothing can be bought there (there is water but it is just not drinkable)

based on the experience from last summer, one can easily survive in such conditions as long as he is well-prepared...and hopefully I will be =)

so, with that cleared up, lets take a look at a few cards for today..

First comes a map card from Egypt...

...and as Maria, the sender says 'No pyramids for you as you asked' :P yeah, I asked for anything but the pyramids cos the majority of the Egyptian cards I have (even though not many) have a pyramid or two on them..so no more pyramids please! And she did a great job here by sending me a map card...my first and only map card sent from Egypt so far! Love it!

a country I haven't yet visited, though I'd love to (when it is not too hot). There were protests and a revolution a few years ago and things got quite scary, but I think dust has settled down by now....well, I think...

the stamp is a definitive issued in 2011 showing a pharaoh

well, may not be entire Egypt shown, but it is a map card...and it is from Egypt, so I thought I'd include this postcard showing the Cairo Subway lines...

not many lines though for a city with over 10 million people..but I guess it works for them...personally I'd like to take that Railway line to Alexandria - though I had a few doubts after watching this video (note just that this is in the opposite direction, from Alexandria to Cairo), but hell, why not...it's gonna be an adventure, that's for sure :D

 

Giza, Egypt

Yeah, Im still feeling crappy, and im having this terrible headache, and I guess I just had to distract myself from all that...at least for a while...and usually this is my refugee place, if you can call it so.

Staša sent me this card from her trip to Egypt last summer, and I really appreciate it coz even though she didnt have one of the greatest times and had problems all along, she still found the time and the mood to send out some postcards.
Well I think that everyone's first association to Egypt and Giza would of course be the Pyramids.
I suppose this is the Great Pyramid, or also known as Pyramid of Khufu and the Pyramid of Cheops, which is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the& Giza Necropolis.
It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one to survive substantially intact. It is believed the pyramid was built as a tomb for fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops in Greek) and constructed over a 20-year period concluding around 2551 BC.

both of the stamps are from a set of 6 definitives issued in 2002.

Cairo, Egypt

I totally unexpectedly received this card, but im very glad i did, coz its simply lovely :)

As the sender of the card says, here you can see the bride which connects Cairo and Giza, or as the sender says, between where the most famous Islamic areas all over Africa are, and where the pyramids lay...It is considered the largest bridge crossing the Nile in length, width and wideness of navigation spans.
It has 6 inlet and 6 outlet ramps. The length of the bridge is 2km and its width is 42m.

Did you know that "Cairo" actually means "The Triumphant" and that apart from being Africa's most populous, and Arab World's largest city, it is also known as the "City which never sleeps"..

well, i dont know about Cairo, but i am in constant need of sleep...its unbelivable how terribly tired i feel in general :(

Egypt

A card from my friend Marija Dz...from her visit to Egypt, in the year of i-dont-know-when....she brought me this card from there so there is no stamp cancellation which maybe would have helped me in the discovery...though all it takes is a short phone call to ask her, or that the next time i see her, i ask her for all the years for the trips she had been to, so i can update things here as well...but if right now i know i should do it, when i actually talk to her, it is totally out of my mind...well...its not THAT important, eitherway....

well, ive talked of Egypt a bit already...ill tell you this time what Marija says on the card :)
"The Pyramids are wonderful, the Sphinx is still without a nose and the Red Sea is actually blue" :)))

when i was little I actually was pretty confused of how a sea could be red or yellow or black or even dead :)  Kids :)))

Hurghada, Egypt

My last card for today comes from Egypt...Hurghada....Sheraton Street in particular...

Hurghada is an Egyptian city and a tourist center situated at the Red Sea.
Hmm, all those names of seas/lakes with some descriptive adjective as this one, initially makes me think that the water colour IS red indeed :)

The city was founded in the early 20th century, and since the 1980's has been continually enlarged by Egyptian and foreign investors to become the leading seashore resort on the Red Sea.
It stretches for about 36 km along the seashore, and it does not reach far into the surrounding desert. The resort is a destination for Egyptian tourists from Cairo, the Delta and Upper Egypt as well as package holiday tourists from Europe.

Ok...thats all for today....i need to rush to work, otherwise im gonna be late....thanks for your patience during the past week and for still dropping by to check if there is something new or no...and drop by again tomorrow...ill do my best to make another update...I promise :)

Hugs to all loyal readers! :)

Egypt (02)

Yay, Egypt! I already have one card from there, but this is my first written and stamped from Egypt itself :)


I dont know why but at first i actually thought the card said "Panoramic Egypt" not "Pharonic"....it wouldnt have been a big deal, unless it has to deal with a language mistake...since "Pharonic" itself aint a word....the correct one is "Pharaonic"....and i get too picky on things like this...I call it professional damage.

Ive never been to Egypt....it would be nice if i had the chance to go, since i do like travelling, and Egypt with its ancient culture and history is a country of one of a kind...if just it wasnt too hot there...i dont like heat at all :(

Writing about Egypt can be an endless topic....so ill just focus a bit on the issue of Pharaohs..

Pharaoh is the title given in modern parlance to the ancient Egyptian kings of all periods. In antiquity it began to be used for the king, who was the religious and political leader of Ancient Egypt. The pharaohs were believed to be the incarnations of the God Horus, the mythological ruler of all Egypt. Although the rulers of Egypt were generally male, pharaoh was also used on the rare occasions when a female ruled.
The most familiar pharaonic headgear was 'nemes' - a striped headcloth.

Ok, if possible, again some help would be needed in identifying the 3 pictures above....I googled for them, but nothing could satisfy my criteria for a perfect match......and if there is something i wouldnt want, is provide wrong details here.....its always wiser to remain silent :)