Less than a week ago we bid farewell to my parents Tim and Johanna. They came to Egypt for two weeks and saw the world that has become our home. As we look back, we are once again amazed by how quickly time went with our beloved guests. After all the anticipation prior to their visit, it is suddenly over. But ilhumdulallah we have many memories to look back on and – thanks to my dad – multitudes of photos!
My wonderful parents. I had not seen them in over two years!
Since Isaac and I were working, the bulk of our time was spent in Beni Suef. Although by tourist standards Beni Suef is a relatively unimportant city, it is our home. Thus it holds many humble pleasures my parents had heard about and were eager to experience. We showed them our favourite cafes, introduced them to our closest friends, and gave them a taste of sumptuous local foods.
Stuffed from stuffed-vegetables- visiting with Teresa and her dear family.
School Party, headlined by Isaac doing his best Amr Diab impression.
As we were busy with the English courses, my parents were able to meet our students and participate in our classes. This was a real pleasure for our English learners as they got the chance to converse with more native speakers and hear about my parents' first impressions of Egypt. Topics of Cairo traffic, sunny/snowy weather and traditional Egyptian foods caused much laughter on both sides.
Turkish coffee at Fishawi's in Islamic Cairo.
Indiana Tim exploring an ancient tomb at Meidum.
After a rich and relaxing time in Beni Suef, we traveled to the country's capital and spent a couple days touring the major sights. We visited the Egyptian Museum, Tahrir Square, Coptic Cairo, Islamic Cairo, the Khan El-Khalili, Mokattam and the Giza Pyramids. Not an ounce of energy went unspent! As always, epic Cairo did not fail to entertain and awe us with her sights, sounds and smells.
And I thought we were a tall family!
Shopping at the Khan El-Khalili.
In addition to being exciting and captivating, Cairo is also exhausting and overwhelming. Therefore, we went from the noisy capital to Anafora for a couple days of respite. The Coptic retreat center of Anafora is a parallel universe. It is a bougainvillea paradise in the eye of a dust-storm, a sanctuary for the soul. We spent an incredible time there, catching our breath in the fresh air. This was the perfect way to unwind and soak in our company before our parting.
Peaceful bliss at Anafora.
