Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

A breath of fresh air! Literally. After leaving Cairo for a day it made such a big difference to finally get some desert air. It seemed, that somehow all the heavy polluted air was left behind at the entrance to the Pyramids. The desert just waved its sandy index finger and told the polluted air to stay behind its wall.

We went to the pyramids without a tour, just took Uber there and back. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions. I honestly didn’t even know which pyramid was which, and I couldn’t care less. My head was up most of the time soaking up amazing view, admiring and figuring out, how someone could pull off such a building in ancient times. I felt sorry for the people who built it, and perhaps, lost their lives there. I was so grateful as well that I had a chance to admire one of the seven miracles of the world in this lifetime. No tour would have had a luxury of walking slowly and finding a great spot a bit further in the desert. Sit there on the sand for an hour and see how sun played with shadows of the clouds on the pyramids. From that spot I could see all the pyramids and even fit them into my camera frame. What a delight. Passing by tourists made some good comedy by following their guides’ photographic staging: make a jump, make a wave, make a heart, you name it. Drama feeling came as well while watching them leave on underfed horses and camels. Especially, when someone’s belly weighted more than the whole animal itself…

The city was so close to the desert and made a surrealistic background for the ancient pyramids. We exited the complex from another gate and followed the street to the Marriott Mena House Hotel. Even not being hotel guests we easily were let through security. The path through lush gardens with pools and fountains took us to the 139 Pavilion restaurant. We got a table for two with the view to the pyramids. The view was soon accompanied by traditional Egyptian food set and drinks. I called it a great day watching the Sun setting behind them.

To go a bit into the future, I took quite a few tours in the South of Egypt that ran me through various temples. I heard plenty of stories with even more names in them that I forgot the next morning on the next day’s tour. But the pyramids… they are stuck with me for a long long time.