Cairo, Egypt

I woke up at 07:30 today, had breakfast (fried egg, bread with cheese and jam, and tea), showered, and got ready to see the city of Cairo. I walked outside of the hotel at 09:00 and walked toward Tahrir Square to look at the statues outside of the Egyptian Museum (something I didn’t appropriate enough time to yesterday). However, I discovered that the road and sidewalk was completely cut off with concertina wire and armored vehicles; I then walked south to another road and found the same thing. Then, out of curiosity, I walked north to see if there was any way to get to the museum, only to discover the road blockaded with concertina wire and more armored vehicles; there were also some news personnel with cameras set up (I would’ve loved to have taken pictures of the military out in force, but I feared that my camera would be confiscated by some dumbass army guy with self-esteem issues on account of his small penis). Tahrir Square and the Egyptian Museum were off limits today. I found out that the reason for this is because it is the anniversary of the January 25, 2011 Revolution (which is when widespread protests began which led to the resignation of Hosni Mubarak on February 11, 2011); not only has the government stepped up security around the square, the palace, other government buildings, and Cairo in general, but (as I would find out later from walking around) it is a public holiday and all museums, attractions, and most stores and restaurants are closed today (tomorrow is supposed to be business as usual). As a result, many streets are nearly empty with little traffic and fewer pedestrians – a strange setting for a place like Cairo and most Middle Eastern cities (Muscat is an exception). After realizing the impossibility of continuing on to the museum, I walked toward Ramses Railway Station, past the Continental-Savoy Hotel (originally built in 1869 although mostly derelict and unkempt now, it is where many VIPs, T. E. Lawrence, and Orde Wingate had stayed in the past), northward, and past some trashy areas that smelled strongly of urine and excrement (the area around the Railway Station is nowhere near as pleasant as Downtown Cairo). I reached the railway station (where a steam locomotive (No. 986) fabricated in 1865 by Robert Stephenson stands outside), walked inside, and bought my tickets to and from Alexandria for the 27th of January. I then walked south, toward Abdeen Palace (which was completed in 1874 and has 500 suites). I turned east just before the palace, passing many police officers and armored transport trucks, soon reaching the National Library of Egypt; at the library, I asked two men working there where the Museum of Islamic Art is and if it is open today; they replied that it was a short distance east and that it, like all other museums, is closed today. I then walked back toward my hotel, stopping for Turkish coffee at a cafe nearby, which was located next to some street art. After enjoying my cup of coffee, I stopped at a supermarket, bought some treats, and returned to my hotel. Back at the hotel, I made some further arrangements for tomorrow’s trip to Giza, had some beer, ate my treats (“Borio” cookies – an Egyptian knockoff of Oreos (better than the Bangladeshi “Doreos” and sweeter than actual Oreos – as to be expected in the Middle East where many have a sweet tooth for milk and honey) – and some chocolate covered dates. I then typed out some journal entries and relaxed inside my room for a while. Later I walked outside for dinner; I was going to try a nearby restaurant that was highly rated on Tripadvisor, but could not find it (maybe it was shut down like most everything else today); so I went to the same restaurant I ate at last night; I had bread and butter, roast beef with Madera sauce, French fries, kobeba meatballs, potato chips, artichokes with meat and bechamel (quite tasty), and Sakara Gold beer (this sounds like a lot of food, but they were mostly all small portions); during my meal, I overheard the conversation of the adjacent table (two Egyptian guys and a German woman) and one Egyptian guy was praising Hitler for his ability to rally a nation, take over much of Europe, and get things done (lamenting the fact that Egypt’s last two presidents weren’t even able to effectively govern a lowly country like Egypt); he was sure to mention that his policy of extermination was incorrect, though he ignores the fact that Hitler lied to his people with propaganda, took away their freedoms, and that the military accomplishments are more the result of brilliant generals rather than Hitler; really, the only praise I can give Hitler is how well he was able to deliver a speech. After dinner, I walked back to my hotel and had a bottle of Egyptian Rose; it was smooth, though light, and tasted of cheery, strawberry, melon, honey, and flowers (not sure which particular flower(s)); it was tasty and quite drinkable, but lacked complexity. While drinking the bottle of wine, I heard more sirens out on the streets of Cairo and more bangs that sounded like distant gunshots. I then went to sleep.