Some initial Cairo observations:
1. Traffic is terrible
It's almost a cliche here, but the traffic really is worse than almost anywhere else I've been. To begin with, there exactly as many lanes as cars fit across (regardless of any lane markers). Yesterday driving back from the airport, there were 6 lanes of traffic on a 4 lane road (and one of those was a left-turn only lane). Pressing the horn is as common as stepping on the accelerator.
2. Women are nearly entirely absent
There are very few women walking around the streets of Cairo - the streets are dominated by mostly young men. However, the women that are around are a mix of conservatively dressed and not. One thing that has been really interesting are the women walking around with the boyfriends (husbands?) walking hand-in-hand. Didn't see as much of that in Indonesia as I've seen here so far!
I also uploaded pictures! Go here: http://summerincairo.shutterfly.com
I'll add more as I notice more....
Coptic Cairo
I spent most of the day today in Coptic Cairo, also known as old Cairo. Coptic Cairo is a closed-off area with churches and tiny alleyways. Today was Labor Day, so it seemed like every Egyptian in the country was there. Most of the people there were Christian Arabs - everyone crossed themselves before entering the churches. The whole area - in addition to being packed with people - was very commercialized, bookstores and shops all over. Despite that, there were hidden alleyways leading to courtyards with kids playing soccer.
The churches themselves were interesting. Very ornate, high wood ceilings. But detracting from that was the giant paintings of Jesus with flashing Christmas lights outlining his body - not so classy.
Probably my favorite part of the area was the Ben Ezra Synagogue. It was a small building (no pictures allowed, unfortunately), with a huge marble altar in the center with the Torah and a replica of the 10 commandments. The building was very ornate, with lots of stained glass and marble inlay. Around back of the synagogue is a mikvah and the alleged site where Miriam and her mother put Moses in a basket and sent it down the Nile (look at my pictures!).
I also spent a good deal of time in the Coptic Museum, which holds very well-preserved pieces of Coptic art, mostly taken from monasteries and churces. The building itself was beautiful.
As I walked around, I met a bunch of kids and played a little soccer, and got some great views of Coptic Cairo from the side streets where no tourists were.
Tomorrow is my first day working - starting with an 8:30 meeting downtown. I'll post more soon.
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