A Visit to Ramses Station

It's about a half-hour's walk to the northeast from Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo to the main train station at Ramses Square.  We were headed there on Saturday to visit the Railway Museum and see the area.

Ramses Square has long been a center of street commerce, with ad-hoc markets set up all around the station.  Security concerns have resulted in the immediate area around the station now being kept clear, but the vendors are set up nearby.  It's all part of the usual Cairo chaos. 


There are lots of shoes and clothes and plenty of food.





That last vendor gets a bigger picture since he not only smiled, he gave me a free handful of nuts.


We approached the station, heading toward the main entrance.  But, to appreciate it, you really need to get a view of the whole building.




The station had a complete architectural rehab beginning in 2011.  I'll talk about that in a separate post.  The station's interior features a good deal of traditional "lotus flower" decor which gives it an art deco look.



On the second level, there is a modern dining facility where you can find a good panini sandwich for right around three dollars.


And there is a fine view of the boarding platforms also visible from that level.


Linda had visited the station many years ago and was highly impressed with the revised interior.  The remodeled building is in stark contrast to the railway station from which she departed to southern Egypt several years ago.