Travels: Egypt

This is a photo I took of one of the pyramids of Giza (just outside of Cairo) when I traveled to Egypt in December of 2006. It's crazy, Egypt was one of those places I read and studied about in school but I never thought I would go there. Ever. It never seemed possible but, thanks to my job I was assigned to go to Egypt on business! I have always been very interested in archeology and history, so to see the pyramids and the artifacts of King Tut's tomb was huge for me. It was like studying a piece of art and then seeing it in person, right there in front of me. No matter how much I thought I knew about it or how closely I had examined it in books everything looked a little different in real life. A few things surprised me about the pyramids of Giza. The first was the size - the enormity of them! They. Are. Gigantic. The next thing that surprised me about the pyramids was the rough, step-like texture. Even though you can see this in pictures, in my mind I have always imagined them as they originally were, with a completely smooth limestone surface. The surface used to be highly polished and reflective. Also, they would have been topped with capstones that may have been made of gold. I was also surprised when I entered the inner chamber of the Great Pyramid. I thought it would be cool like a cave but it was clammy and stuffy like I was breathing the same air that had been trapped there thousands of years ago when they sealed the entrance. Only after seeing them myself do I fully understand why they have held our fascination for thousands upon thousands of years. (And why some people think aliens built them!) My advise? Go see them for yourself!