To Cairo - 2019

We are frequently asked, "how long is the trip to Egypt?"  The short answer is, "About twelve hours of flying time."

But the agony of the trip is in how those twelve hours are distributed!  After extensive research, Linda got us a good deal on a Delta/Air France flight plan that took just about 24 hours, thanks to an eleven hour layover in Paris.  There was a cheaper fare that took 36 hours but there's a point where the trade off of money vs time goes in favor of time.  We headed for the airport at about 1:00 p.m.  I only had about a half hour to pack prior to leaving due to my poor preparation habits, ie. procrastination.  All of our flying was at night so I don't have any pictures this year of the arctic ice pack or the Alps, etc.

We had a nice tailwind which gave us a mere seven hours and eighteen minutes flying time to Paris.  We flew a bit more southerly route than usual.  Most people watch movies, I watch the flight info and read the newspapers.  We had seats in row 55 on the Boeing 777.  Who knew there were row numbers that large?  Which airline will be the first to squeeze sixty rows onto a plane?



In Paris, we changed terminals at Charles De Gaulle airport requiring another run through security before ending up in Terminal 2F.  This terminal is still undergoing some remodeling but the seats in the waiting area all have good electrical connections - a far cry from a few years back when travelers shared the secret outlet locations in airports around the world.





The food situation in a country known for its cuisine, was dismal - $8 sandwiches are available.  But the restaurant highlight in our waiting area is the YO! sushi bar, part of a small Paris chain.  Reviews on-line range from excellent to awful - with more tending toward the latter.  But the entertainment value of the dishes rotating along the counter earns high praise.  It surprised us how many Westerners sat here and ate their food with great ease using chopsticks. I have posted a 30-second YouTube of the show below since still photos don't convey the real atmosphere.  To play it, click on the triangle in the center of the second photo.

Much of the day this area of the terminal is quite empty.  Our gate for the flight to Cairo always seems to be down at the end where the smoking booth is hidden away and that's always a good opportunity for people-watching.



The second leg of the trip is about four hours from Paris to Cairo.  It had been about 36 hours since our last good sleep, so we both caught a good nap on this flight, waking up as we approached the Egyptian coastline.



Cairo now has a first class modern airport terminal.  We bought our visas on arrival for $25 apiece, cleared customs quickly, found our bags and were outside in short order.  The terminal has a giant Christmas tree with Santa Claus featured prominently.  They don't quite have the candy cane right, though.  Christmas here is on the Orthodox calendar (Egyptian Christians have their own pope, too) and so falls on January 6.



We arrived at the apartment around midnight local time and did a little shopping at nearby Ragab Sons grocery supermarket, picking up a package of fifteen eggs, some milk and the like so that we'd have breakfast food available upon rising..  "Deck the Halls" was playing over the speaker system in the store, something we find amusing in a store owned by conservative  Muslims. Makes us wonder if Egyptian Christians even sing Christmas carols.

We slept well.