Bab Zwelia, take 2

May 26, 2010 - 12:15am (May 27)
For class today, we went back to the Bab Zwelia marketplace, this time with all the photo girls, Rob, Denis, Cynthia and Abduh! We climbed the minarets of Bab Zwelia (which were placed on top of an already existing wall. They went up so high!). The climb to the top of the wall was enough for me!

One of the minarets of Bab Zwelia.

The view from the towers that support the minarets.

The tent-maker's market.

Rubble as seen from above.

























We explored the market again - it was much less crowded this time because it was so early in the morning still. It was nice to see the market at a different time. In our wanderings (taking photos, of course), we passed a vendor in the tent-maker's section who sold these nice quilted pieces. I bought a red paisley purse from him for 10 LE (less than $2), which was definitely hand made (and quite handy, since I neglected to bring a small purse with me to Egypt!). I hope to stumble upon (or create some) more good deals before I leave. I haven't been actively shopping, because a good portion of the souvenir stuff is just so tacky, cheesy, and not even Egyptian made. When I see something worth buying, I snag it, though! You never know if it'll be there again, especially at the suq.

Bab Zwelia as seen from the street.

Beans and lentils.

Down a side street.

Getting ready for the day.

Walking the streets of the marketplace.

Apparently this guy makes legendary foul.

They ripped up the street for construction, but it's still business as usual.

At 11:30, we piled into the vans - but not before seeing some open-air butcher shops lining the street. Maddie posed for a photo with a camel butcher(!) and I almost lost my lunch looking at the carcasses hung for all to see on butcher hooks. That's one thing about Egypt that I definitely won't miss. I will definitely miss a lot of things about Egypt, though, especially its people. They're really good-natured as a whole, and welcoming of us to their country.

We came back to the hotel, and Rob, Avery and I went to Euro Deli for lunch. The sandwiches were so cute, each slice was open-faced with a little dab of mustard. It was a good, simple lunch.

At 2:30 we headed to Arabic, our second class (of three). Rob didn't come this time, and I think as a result Hasnaa didn't feel as pressured to keep us on track. We taught Hasnaa how to play hangman, which we did with Arabic words (for us) and English words (for her). She did tell us a few interesting things about life for an Egyptian woman, which was good to hear. Hasnaa is so far the only Egyptian woman I've really had contact with, and its interesting to learn the role of women in this society. She's 26, and still lives at home. She can't date, and will only move out when she marries. She was unclear on how the courtship-for-marriage thing works, but what she did tell us was eye-opening. It was a fun class overall, and it was nice to not be pressured to focus when we were all so fried.

Dinner tonight was at Cafe Tobasco, which I've been hearing about for days from other students here, and finally decided to try. Tim, Alexis and Laura (all fluid mechanics kids) came with me. I had pesto pasta, which was really good! The atmosphere was quiet and relaxed, the music was good, and the seats were pretty couch-like. The service was slow, but that's just how Egypt is. You have to be very patient here.