Day 8 - a day visiting Maadi, Zeitoun, NZ Army Camps in WW1 (& WW2) and Heliopolis where Grandad Bert was in camp & a Convalescent Home for a while.
As you might expect Cairo is a lot different than what it was 100 years ago. I suspect Bert might have recognised the trash in the streets but that would be about all. The city has boomed - especially in the last 10 years or so with a nationwide increase in population of 20mill. It seems the revolution to remove the Radical Islamic Brotherhood from the power and the peace that has followed was good for the economy (even though right now Egypt is suffering with a Covid/Ukraine decline in their economy.
It seems that Military Camps abound in Egypt, both Zeitoun and Maadi Camps are still there, now surrounded by houses and swamped by the city - a far cry from the sandy desert pics of these camps from back in days of yore.
Maadi is still a working military establishment, Zeitoun just a wasteland behind high walls ( sleepy guards on the gates and no photos allowed thank you). We found the Heliopolis Military Hospital but not sure if that was the same one Bert was in. Heliopolis is nice, European (Belgian) town planning, these days just another suburb of Cairo.
Then it was onto the ancient Coptic Church of the Virgin Mary (see pic) - a church where the Holy Family stayed when they were on the run from King Herod. It was a big day there - 50 days after the resurrection of Christ. Three babies were baptised while we were there - Mum, Dad and babe all in white. Apparently a very good day to get baptised and a good church to do it in. Visited another Coptic Church (Coptic just means Egyptian). Then we rounded of the afternoon with a felucca trip on the Nile itself. Bit of a letdown really - just gently back and fore across the river for 4o mins. By then we’d had enough and it was back to the hotel, a beer and out for a walk and for some street food - bit like wrap with meatballs - chok! (= nice in Turkish and Egyptian). Hasta mañana.