Day off – Surprise for Jane’s Birthday

Al Azhar Park in Cairo – A Dinner Surprise

Sunday, December 19, 2010

We had planned that after a travel day on Saturday, we would have a day off on Sunday. So we started the day by sleeping in.  The key focus of this day was to be surprising Jane and Sally. Their plane from Luxor was due to arrive in Cairo at 10:30am. We had originally thought we might go out to the airport and surprise them as they got off the plane. But the idea of spending 2 hours on the road in the traffic to and from the airport quashed that idea. Figuring that they would head to the Sheraton Hotel to check their bags before shopping, we decided instead to walk to the Sheraton and ambush them at the bell desk. We described them to the men manning the bell desk and explained that we wanted to surprise them. We waited about an hour before we went to the front desk and found out they had canceled their reservations there. So we gave up and took a taxi back to our hotel.

Shortly after arriving back at our hotel, we received an email from nephew Mike that they HAD gone to the Sheraton to check their bags after all. We had missed them by 20 minutes. But Mike also said that he’d made reservations at a nice restaurant (Citadel View Alain Le Notre) in Al Azhar Park at 7pm.


Matt & Sally

Getting directions: We go to the Concierge Desk at the Marriott and the gal writes down the name of the restaurant in both English and Arabic. The doorman talks to the taxi driver and we’re confident that we’ll end up in the right place. Wrong assumption! Instead of the restaurant or the park, he drops us at the Al-Azhar Mosque on Al-Azhar Street. It’s dark. It’s a busy street. There is a lot of traffic and people and we have no idea where we are vs where we want to go. So JB asks directions from a shopkeeper, a guy in a gas station, and another guy – and sure enough, we walk in the right direction (about a mile) and start to see signs for the park and then amazingly end up in the right place. The universe smiles on us!

We arrived early and waited in the courtyard preparing to pounce on our unsuspecting family as they enter the park gate. But they didn’t show. After another email from Mike saying they would probably be running late, we walked to the restaurant to make sure they haven’t found another way in. We finally spotted them walking up the path and were able to surprise them as they walked in the front door. As surprises go, wewould rate this event as a “great success”!

What followed was a wonderful meal – seriously good food – hummus, fresh peta bread, tahini, fellafel, roast chicken, lamb- yum! Then, of course, there followed the small birthday celebration for Jane and chance to hear all about their Egypt adventures. We had a wonderful time. After a couple hours and mandatory photo session, they headed off to catch a few hours of sleep at the airport before their 3am-ish flight home. Fortunately, they were on Turkish Air through Istanbul so they didn’t run into the delays plaguing Europe because of weather. We took a taxi back to our hotel and collapsed.

Surprise accomplished. More delicious food consumed. All is good.

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