It’s a bird; it’s a plane; it’s a flying restaurant? Acclaimed Dutch Chef Angélique Schmeinck has created quite a stir with her popular CuliAir Skydining, the world’s first hot air balloon restaurant, where lucky diners enjoy a three-course meal while floating in the skies above Holland.
Cairo through the ages
21.07.2023 - 08:08 / roughguides.com / Keith Drew
As visitors slowly return to Egypt after years of political instability and unrest, Keith Drew traces the history of Cairo , the largest city in the Arab world.
Midan Tahrir was strangely peaceful. A handful of tourists milled around waiting for the Egyptian Museum to open its doors for the day. Taxis, trucks and donkey carts jostled on the far-off fringes, inching towards the Corniche road that would carry them south alongside the Nile. But the square itself was empty.
It’s been nearly four years since crowds of emboldened Cairenes gathered here in the heart of Downtown Cairo, at the height of the Arab Spring, and we watched on the nightly news as the thirty-year reign of Hosni Mubarak crumbled before their will. And yet this is the picture of Egypt that still burns brightly in most people’s minds. There have been many false dawns in the years since and the road ahead is far from smooth, but Tahrir is the Cairo of 2011. Beyond the square lie thousands of years of urban history and a gloriously confusing city of fables and pharaohs, Coptics and caliphs.
Not the famous pyramids that don one thousand and one postcards. At least, not yet. Whilst the city of Cairo as we know it today was still centuries away from its first foundations, the first pharaohs of Egypt constructed their capital at Memphis, some 24km further south along the Nile, and buried their royalty at nearby Saqqara. It’s here, on the blanched plateau of North Saqqara, that you’ll find the first ever pyramid (indeed, the first ever building made of stone), the Step Pyramid, created for the Pharaoh Zoser over 4650 years ago. It’s an amazing sight, one side covered in fragile wooden scaffolding, it’s roughly hewn bleached blocks ascending into a rich blue sky.
© Shutterstock
The techniques developed at Saqqara were perfected at the Pyramids of Giza. No matter how many times you’ve seen them in photographs, no matter that the encroaching outskirts of Giza City threaten to swallow them up at any minute, this last remaining wonder of the ancient world has that rare ability to exceed expectations. The scale is intimidating, the numbers mindboggling. It took a hundred thousand workers nearly thirty years to build the Great Pyramid of Cheops, the largest of the trio, which was erected for the eponymous pharaoh’s death around 2566 BC. The blocks, some weighing as much as fifteen tons, were transported here, all 2.3 million of them, and the whole thing was once cased in white limestone so that it glinted in the sun.
Inside the pyramids, there’s little to see in the dark, airless tunnels that lead to nowhere. For an idea of the treasures that once lay within, you’ll need to head to Downtown Cairo and the Egyptian Museum. Vast, dusty and with paint
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Top Autors
Popular Topics
cntraveler.com
01.08.2023 / 21:01
A Family Road Trip Through the Wild Andes to Bolivia’s Salt Flats
Bolivia’s tourism reputation is generally as a rugged backpacker destination with a few otherworldly gems for more sophisticated travelers—namely the Uyuni Salt Flats and La Paz’s buzzy culinary scene. But as my kids and I recently discovered on a multi-city road trip in the western part of the country, Bolivia has a diversity of landscapes (caves, deserts, and meteor-crash sites), distinct urban centers (silver mining towns and white-washed World Heritage cities), and colorful boutique hotels.
insider.com
28.07.2023 / 17:55
I spent $325 for a private anniversary brunch inside Las Vegas' 14,000-square-foot botanical garden. People watched us eat throughout the meal, but I don't regret the experience.
Every time I take a trip to Las Vegas, I visit the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. Stationed directly next to the hotel lobby, the 14,000-square-foot botanical garden features a seasonal showcase of sculptures, plants, flowers, water features, music, and digital projections.
cntraveler.com
27.07.2023 / 19:11
Amsterdam Took a Major Step Toward Banning Cruises—What It Means for Upcoming Voyages
The vote is in, but cruises to Amsterdam are not yet out: After Amsterdam’s City Council voted in favor of banning cruise ships from the city center on July 20, the future of voyages docking in the heart of Amsterdam still remains unclear.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:45
The 10 Most Livable Cities in the World for 2017
Ever dreamed of packing up everything and moving to another country? Here are the most livable cities in the world, according to a study by The Economist.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:23
The 10 Best Museums in the World (and How to Skip the Lines)
Looking for a new museum to add to your travel to-do list? TripAdvisor (SmarterTravel’s parent company) has released the Travelers’ Choice Top 25 Museums of 2018, including the top 10 worldwide and the top 10 in the United States, with some surprising frontrunners. The findings also highlight bookable ways to see each winner—think VIP tours and scavenger hunts—with some offering the added perk of allowing you to skip the lines to get in.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:12
Boeing 737 MAX 8 Planes Will Remain Out of Service through the Holidays
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes that were taken out of service earlier this year following a pair of fatal crashes will not return to the skies in 2019. American, Southwest, and United have all removed the aircraft from their schedules until January 2020, meaning the aircraft will be grounded for at least 10 months before they take off again.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:10
The 10 Best (and Worst) Airports in the World, Ranked
AirHelp, the online service that files complaints against airlines on behalf of passengers entitled to compensation for air delays or cancellations, knows a thing or two about air travel. Because it’s hard for the average person to understand air passenger rights and pursue a legal claim when they’ve been wronged, AirHelp is always going toe-to-toe with airlines and airports—and reveals once a year which ones that treat their passengers for the better (or worse).
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:01
Messages of Hope Around the World Amid the Pandemic
In this time of isolation, businesses and individuals around the world are sending out messages of hope. Discover, in photos, how we’re keeping our spirits up during the COVID-19 pandemic.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 17:57
The Happiest Countries in the World 2023
For the sixth year in a row, Finland has claimed the top spot in the World Happiness Report. The annual report, compiled by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, surveys residents in over 150 countries to determine which nations are the happiest.
insider.com
26.07.2023 / 09:48
I went on a 23-hour train journey through the UK and Europe. Sleeping in tiny beds next to strangers wasn't ideal, but I still prefer it over flying.
At least once a year, I fly from my home in Edinburgh to visit my in-laws in Berlin. But all of these plane rides have increased my climate guilt and decreased my bank-account balance.
cntraveler.com
25.07.2023 / 14:03
Sailing Through Indonesia's Komodo National Park
Soon after the turn of the 20th century, rumors began making their way west that man-eating lizards, 10 feet long and weighing up to 350 pounds, with fearsome talons, chain mail scales, and serrated teeth dripping with venom, had been found living on a remote Indonesian island. The source of the reports was Lieutenant Jacques Karel Henri van Steyn van Hensbroek, a Dutch colonial officer, who revealed the existence of Varanus komodoensis, the world's largest extant reptile, in 1910. But it was a 1926 American Museum of Natural History expedition to capture live specimens, led by a flamboyant Vanderbilt scion named William Douglas Burden, that caused interest in the creature to explode in popular culture. Burden's gripping account, Dragon Lizards of Komodo, inspired his friend Merian C. Cooper to dream up the primordial Skull Island for his classic 1933 film, King Kong. Civilization was steaming forward, and yet, in that era, the map still seemed to hold places that hid ancient secrets.