Egypt- Day 2 "Barbie does the Citadel"

Day 2 Egypt was just as packed as Day 1. We woke up early and headed off to the Citadel, a national Egyptian monument that was built for the Army and to protect Cairo from invasion. We stepped out of the cab and immediately noticed the place was SWARMING with kids. I felt like I was one a third grade field trip, with no teachers. Loads of kids were running everywhere, climbing, fighting and being very obnoxious. Yes I know Mom, I was a kid once too.

Anyway we walked up the hill to the top of the Monument and went through a military museum. All the time being harassed by young prepubescent boys who kept calling me "barbie". The nickname stuck and my whole Citadel experience revolved around young kids following "barbie" around the monument, I seriously felt like a celeb, kids wanted to take pictures with me and everything. Yes Forrest and Beka, I am just super cool with the teenagers over here in the Middle East. We hung around the top of the Citadel for a while and enjoyed the view of the city, and then went through a gorgeous Mosque. After about an hour of being followed, we decided we all had enough of the "celeb" experience and went to a popular 600 year old souk to check out some shopping.

We arrived at the Khan El Khalili Souk just as everything was opening. MY oh MY, it was amazing. Bustling with people, I really enjoyed the experience. The market was filled with endless corners of shops and little corridors, with millions of food/tea stands, souvenirs, and tables and tables of trinkets. Basically you get to "haggle" with the shop owners about how much your willing to pay for items, I got pretty good at it by the end of the afternoon and will be very prepared for the souks in Amman. Anyway, I spent a good amount of money on some great gifts! It was a great afternoon for us girls!

We ended up meeting some other kids from our program in Amman for dinner in Cairo at a wonderful Egyptian restaurant. After which we rode on a "faluka" or boat on the Nile. The city at night is even crazier than during the day, the nightlife was booming with families and teenagers. The personality of Cairo can only be described as "non stop", the city was a great adventure for all of us!