Cairo

Rudy writes:


Landing in Africa, in this case Cairo, for me is always like running into a brick wall. It takes a little while to adjust to the fact that evwerything is now different. I mean everything......from the way people dress, line up (or not), drive like in a video game, eat....everything! Now 12 hours later, things are falling into place as I recognize that I have to bargain to buy, not just pay and run. We went to the Light & Sound show at the Giza pyramids on our first night....not well done could have been so much more!

Seeing the pyramids during the day was no problem although the fog/smog seemed to be thick! In summary, a very large arrangement of shaped stones placed so as to form a very large pyramid. Clearly a major engineering & construction achievement! But in the same class as the Taj Mahal or Suez Canal in terms of engineering, architecture and pure art. That's my opinion (Rudy) anyway!

We enjoyed our two day stay here and are very glad to have seen the Giza pyramids, and many related Eqyptian artifacts at the Cairo museum. It seems the tour package we purchased was for a tour group of 2, Irene and I. Neven, our tour guide for 2 days toured us through the various venues. Nice format. Very happy.

Additional comments/notes.

1. Temperature 18-20C. Ideal.

2. Canals inside Cairo are lined with rat infested garbage.

3. Watched children tying rugs. Beautiful work, but there are all those issues.

5. People seem very reasonable to deal with given that in the tourist pipeline in which we are running there is pressure to buy stuff. Pressure is worse in Pakistan and Ghana.

6. Tour companyy took good care of us.

7. Lots of "Tourist Police", sniffing dogs, and security checks to protect the 40% of the Eqyptian economy that depends on tourism.

Had an amazing evening visit with Corinne McComb, a Canandian friend we met in Pakistan who is now living in Cairo running a business training teachers. Small world. Great to reconnect. Irene was far too busy arranging a follow-up holiday meeting in Italy with Corinne sometime in the future.

Tonight it's off to Ghana via Frankfurt.

Rudy writes:

We seem to have squeezed the European leg of our trip between a record setting wind storm that covered large parts of Europe the day before we left Winnipeg, to snow storms that were closing in on Frankfurt as our plane left for Cairo this past Thursday. We squeezed in 1600 kms in 5 days with no trouble on the road. The one hour lost in Bielefeld and 2 hours lost in Amsterdam trying to find the hotel (once around the city perimeter and twice around the hotel) were in hindsight minor issues when compared to what could have been.

We had a great time visiting Irene's cousins & aunts, my cousins (Peter & Victor Isaak; Johann &Sara Derksen) and uncle Peter Derksen & their families. We missed some cousins and Tante Katharina (my father's sister) whom I had never met and was really hoping to meet. Let's just say family dynamics and a tight schedlue contributed to this.

With Heike Pottast and her mother in Hagedorn we have developed a long history, since I first walked across a farmer's field in 1972 with Willi Funk, to visit where my mother worked after WW2. Heike, the African drumming./yoga teacher, developer (converted the farmhouse into 4 suites), has a $230,000 soalr system on her roof for which the German government has guaranteed her 57 euro cents per kilowatt generated over the next 20 years while she pays 13 euro cents for power she uses in her home and we in Winnipeg pay about 3 euro cents for power. Last year she generated about 27,000 KWHs. Heike is running about 8 different business ventures, is slowly winding down her food stand at music festivals (Dave will run 4 events instead of 13 this coming summer) and all in all is making the most of life as it presents itself. The name of her friend is Klaus. He buys and renovates mobile holiday trailers in Germany and sells them in Crete.

It was a long drive to Amsterdam for dinner with Peter & Gerda, but always worth it! They are doing well and Gerda looks great as she nears 60 (was I not supposed to say that part?) Freek & Christa are living and working on their own and keeping well as well.

As we leave the Krasnapolsky we have no regrets about taking a week to vo\isit the preverbial "relatives". We wish we had more time instead of just running in and out.

"Navigationally" Challenged

Irene writes:

With directions from Heike fresh in our minds, we head out for Amsterdam. The sun is hining beautifully, no snow to be seen! Somehow we are unable to connect with the autobahn and we travel down beautiful country roads. It seems to take forever to leave Bielefeld and surrounding towns and the countryside is seeming less and less beautiful....we finally get to an autobahn and have added an extra hour to our travel time....When we finally arrive in Amsterdam and drive by our hotel 3 times before we are able to stop at the front door....after navigating one way, narrow streets where bicycles, people and cars are all travelling at the same time....it's very crowded!!

We call Peter & Gerda and they come to meet us at the hotel, They take us to a wonderful Indonesian restaraunt for dinner and we have a woderful time catching up with them. They say it seems so natural to be visiting with them.... I guess we have been through quite a few times! They extend their greetings to all and want everyone to know that they are well!

Our breakfast in the "Winter Garden" at the Grand Krasnapolsky is everything we imagined and remembered...the room is as grand as ever and the food was fabulous! As we were eating breakfast, I thought of how our trip is a veritable selection of experiences, sounds and tastes....very much like the assortment before us at the breakfast buffet!

The European portion comes to a close as we near Frankfurt....the African portion comes next and we'll finish with the Carribbean!

LIFE IS SOOOOO GOOD!

The adventure has begun....

Hi everyone...

We're on our way....have spent 2 days here and it feels like much longer!!!

I'm still learning how to use this blog and haven't been able to download a picture yet and I've deleted my comments twice!!!

Our flight day was a long one....we arrived in Frankfurt at 7:30 am., rented a car and proceeded to drive around in Germany like we knew where were going! and we even managed it!! We spent the first day in Oerlenbach with Dad's 2 sisters and my cousins. They welcomed us with open arms and tears! How wonderful it is to reconnect...10 years since we've seen each other and it's just like it was yesterday. We are rminded of how much we have missed by not being closer together. And how good our life has been while these dear relatives have been in Russia. As my aunt said..."Ich haette es nie geglaubt das wir mal so leben wurde". (Somehow I am missing all the pictures taken here and I am very sad about that!)

We travelled on to Hiddenhusen and Buren to visit with Rudy's cousins Peter, Victor and Johann and his uncle Peter Derksen, his wife and their daughter (these 3 are in the picture on the left, and Johann & Sara and family below). We have been welcomed royally!!































Today we spent the day in Hagedorn with Heike and had dinner with her mother Federicke and her friend Johann. What a wonderful time spent in a quaint small village. Heike has done a marvellous job of renovating the old farm house into 4 separate living quarters, one for herself and the others are rented out. She has carved out a unique lifestyle for herself here.




































Tomorrow it's off to Amsterdam...if there's no snow storm (they have none here yet!)... stay posted!

7 days to go!!

Shots are done, visas are in place, cruise documents arrived yesterday, started packing today...looks like we're actually going on this trip of a lifetime.

The next few days will be spent getting things organizied at work, going to see Jesus Christ Superstar, last minute instructions at home, supper at Mom & Dad's and whatever else we remember to do.

Here is our Itinerary, in case you want to "follow" us.

January 19, 2007 - Leave Winnipeg 12:10 arrive Toronto 15:38
- Leave Toronto 17:10

January 20, 2007 - Arrive Frankfurt 07:00. Here we have a rental vehicle waiting for us and we drive to Oerlenbach to visit Irene's cousins (from the Schulz side)

January 21, 2007 - Drive to Buren to visit Rudy's cousins (from the Derksen side)

January 22, 2007 - Drive to Hagedorn/Detmold to vist Pottasts

January 23, 2007 - Drive to Amsterdam to vist Rudy's uncle, Peter & Gerda Froese, and spend the night in the Krasnapolsky Hotel in downtown Amsterdam.

January 24, 2007 - Drive back to Frankfurt, spend the night there.

January 25, 2007 - Leave Frankfurt 09:25, arrive in Cairo 14:30 We hope to meet up with a friend from our Pakistan days, Corinne McComb....and catch up the past 18 years!

Janaury 26, 2007 - Day tour of Old Cairo

January 27, 2007 - Day tour to Pyramids, Memphis and Sakkara

January 28, 2007 - Leave Cairo 03:45, arrive Frankfurt 07:15
- Leave Frankfurt 11:05, arrive Accra 18:20

Janaury 29, 2007 - Fly to Tamale

January 29-Feb 7, 2007 Spend time in Tamale & Accra

February 8, 2007 - Leave Accra 20:05

February 9, 2007 - Arrive in Frankfurt 05:35, Leave FF 11:10, arrive Toronto 14:00. Hopefully have dinner with Mensahs in Toronto, spend the night.

February 10, 2007 - Leave Toronto 09:30, arrive Miami 12:45
Spend the night in Miami.

February 11, 2007 - Board the Royal Carribbean "Freedom of the Seas" and set sail!

February 12, 2007 - at sea

February 13, 2007 - Cozumel

February 14, 2007 - Georgetown, Grand Cayman

February 15, 2007 - Montego Bay, Jamaica

February 16, 2007 - Labadee, Haiti

February 17, 2007 - at sea

February 18, 2007 - arrive Miami 05:00, leave Miami 13:35; arrive Toronto 16:55, arrive Winnipeg 21:40.