Tried to post from Cairo before we left but had problems with the connection. So here is a brief summary. Had a hectic but fascinating time in the capital, right in at the deep end of Egyptian life - hustle and bustle, traffic, chaos, everyday business, attitudes and behaviour. A bit of culture shock, but not as much as I had perhaps expected, maybe due to having such good people looking after us. We crammed plenty in - the first full day we visited the citadel, a selection of old and ancient mosques, the famous markets of Khan al Khalili, a museum with reconstructed scenes of Ancient Egyptian life and even the house where scenes for The Spy Who Love Me were filmed! Day two was devoted to antiquities - with a guide who has worked for 11 years as an archaeologist in the area, we had the best possible tour of the Giza pyramids (including camel ride), the ancient capital of Memphis and Saqqara, site of the first pyramid - step pyramid of Djoser - some superbly decorated tombs and various other semi-collapsed pyramids, including one that I actually went inside. At the end of each day we were shattered, but able to relax in our excellent hotel, with a view of the Great Pyramid from our room! Friday morning saw us up bright and early for the short flight down to Aswan to join our Lake Nasser cruise.