EGYPT  2001:

After seeing the outside of the palace, we stopped at many different sites on our way back to Cairo.  I was feeling much better this day, but all I could do was drink water and eat antacid tablets.  The first set of pictures are from the Greco Roman Theater.  This small theater was very interesting because of its design.  It was acoustically engineered to naturally amplify your voice when you speak.  When I stood and spoke on the spot marked by a stone in the center of the theater, it sounded like I was talking in a microphone.  The sound of my voice echoed right back to my ears.  It was an amazing experience.

Next stop was the Pillar of Pompeius.  This pillar is amazing to see in person because of its size.  It is still a mystery today how the ancient Egyptians moved the pillar here from the southern part of Egypt and stood it upright.  The amazing detail about the pillar is that it was carved out of one solid piece of stone, and not assembled in sections like most other Egyptian columns.  The other amazing fact about the pillar is that it did not fall during the great earthquake that just about sank the city and destroyed the Pharos Lighthouse.  Check out the pictures of the pillar to compare its size to the size of people.

We visited the memorials of the Germans and the Italians who fought and died in World War II before stopping at the St. Bishoy Monastery.  The entire tour group found the priest here to be very entertaining.  I was amazed to find that a holy man had such a great sense of humor.  He was a very intelligent, funny, and interesting guy who got all of our attention even though we were very tired from running around all day.  He is pictured in the last few rows below wearing black.  Also, St. Bishoy's body is kept in the church and can be seen in the fourth to last picture.