5W3D Moving Forward

The highlight of this week was Azhar Park, which I describe as an oasis in a city of chaos. This park is listed as one of the world’s sixty great public spaces by the Project for Public Spaces organization. It was a gift to Cairo from the Aga Khan and cost over $30 million USD. It was a very beautiful area that included and incorporated the old 12th C. Ayyubid wall with historic building rehabilitations.

It reminds me slightly of New York’s central park, in that it is a green space inserted into the city as opposed to a green space that is created with the city. But I think Azhar Park is a more “quasi public space” since there is a fee to enter Azhar Park, keeping out vagrants and the like. I can understand this since there needs to be regular upkeep to keep it looking the way it is. Regardless, it works and is a great area to come to in order to get away from the chaos in Cairo.

View of the Northern Cemetery from the path to the park

The great thing about long term traveling is that you don’t feel a pressure or need to cram all sights and visit the city all at once. This week I’ve been spending time recuperating from the heat and sights of Upper Egypt at Adel’s flat listening to French tapes (in preparation for Tunisia and Morocco), sketching diagrams of Islamic Cairo, walking leisurely through Islamic Cairo for the 4th time and cooking dinner with friends. It has been an incredibly lazy week.

Om Ali and Egyptian Dinner

Building codes in Cairo? What are building codes? Psh.

This time is great because it gives me time to reflect on my travels so far and plan for the next few weeks of my trip. I finally brought my ticket to Tunis and will be flying out of Cairo on Oct 25. I got in contact with my next host and am extremely excited to meet her and start exploring the fusion of Islamic culture and French colonial influence that is Tunisia. This will include bathing in a hammam, walking through the whitewashed villas with blue doors of Sidi Bou Said, following in the footsteps of Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 (and Ralph Fiennes in The English Patient) on sites such as Onk Jemal and Shubiel Gorge, shopping in the old medina of Sfax and Tunis, exploring the ruins of imperial Rome in Carthage and El Jem and stuffing my face with couscous. Too bad I don’t have more time – I think I’ve said this before but four months is not enough. I already have plans for my next long-term travel and I hope it will be for at least a year, if not longer.

View of Bab Zuewyla in the Background