Cairo Opera House

Some of us decided to go to the opening opera for the  new season at the Cairo Opera House on the island of Zamalek(where I live). Great decision. Now I have never been to an opera, ballet, or anything of that caliber. I've been to my share of concerts, but never to watch an orchestra preform Beethoven's 9th Symphony. It was amazing. The cello was my favorite part of course.




The opera house is located on the southern part of Zamalek, and it feels like you're in a different world the moment you enter into the gates surrounding it. I think they have the greenest grass I've seen since moving to Cairo two weeks ago. The air smells different, it smells cleaner. The whole set up is very different from the sprawling city and honking horns of Cairo.


We decided to go to the opera the moment we found out it was the opening show for the season. None of us had ever been to an opera or ballet before, so we had nothing to compare it to. It was well worth the cost of admission(which was so cheap I won't even disclose the price).



The entire thing was amazing. It was an amazing experience to see people with that much talent making such beautiful music. I've never really gave ballet or opera a try and I'm glad I did. I've always loved classical music, and it was really an awe-inspiring thing to see live. The opera singing itself really isn't my cup of tea, but it was alright. After the opera, we hung out on one of the six bridges over the Nile to get onto Zamalek.

Running in Cairo

I went on my first run today since I've arrived in Egypt. Wow was it difficult. It wasn't the heat or the lack of even pavement to run on. It was the air. A lot of people smoke in Egypt. My run was a constant weave of street to sidewalk at night, while people were smoking all around us (oh ya I ran with a guy from California).

Our dorm has a gym, but I don't run on treadmills. They hurt my body and these ones in particular are old as hell. My mind and body were needing a run. So I decided to go to the computer lab at the dorm and print a sheet of paper that had my number looking for someone also interested in running on the street.

As I was walking into the gym, I saw this guy who I met earlier and he was going for a run at the time. I ran upstairs, put on some workout clothes, and grabbed my Ipod. Next thing I know I was running on a sidewalk next to the Nile. We both looked at each other at different times and said "I can't believe we're running in Egypt". A lot of people starred and some even made noises or said things to us. Some guards outside an embassy even pretended to run near us. I guess running on the street isn't very common in Cairo. We'll too bad, Cairo is going to get used to this white girl running around their neighborhoods.

Imagine running in a city with horns honking, people smoking, and pollution that's so bad people say its like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. Ya I struggled, but was awesome. It's going to take some getting used to. I just hope I don't get lung cancer in the process (just joking well not really).

Coptic Cairo

Today was my first real day of visiting tourist places in Cairo. The school took all of the international students to visit Coptic Cairo and for a dinner on the Nile. Coptic Cairo is located in Old Cairo, and is an area that is know for its strong Christian influence. We visited the Hanging Church, the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As, and the Ben Ezra Synagogue. This area is famous because the Holy Family stayed at a church in the area.

Below is a picture of the Hanging Church in Coptic Cairo.
 

This was the only place all day that had air conditioning. Here is a picture of the inside:



Below is a picture of the inside of the the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As. This mosque is supposed to be the first mosque ever built in Egypt.Men can go through the main door, but the women have to enter through a different door. Everyone had to take off their shoes, and the women had to cover themselves with these hideous green cloaks. It was horribly hot and uncomfortable, but it was well worth it. There were people just hanging around, laying on the carpet. One of the girls in the group and I want to come back (without the flock of foreigners), so we can just relax and hang out. It's super chill!

 

Here I am in the very flattering green cloak. They will allow you to come in without the cloak if you have on a long sleeve shirt and a scarf/hijab on your head. Next time, and there will be a next time, I will definitely wear a scarf on my head. It's literally so beautiful and ridiculously relaxing.


After the tour, the school set up a dinner on the Nile. It was definitely the kind of place that caters to Americans. The prices were crazy compared to what you can get on the streets or in local restaurants. There is absolutely no way any regular Egyptian off the street is coming to eat here.





The food above is chicken with rice. The rice had some cinnamon in it. That's going to take some getting used to.