Itinerary

Tickets have been purchased, immunizations have been received (Typhiod Fever and Hep A, Polio booster) and everything is good to go. This is what we will be doing:

Day 1 = Fly from Chicago to Amman, Jordan. Amman, Jordan to Cairo.  We will be flying Royal Jordanian Airlines. We will be staying at the Hotel Longchamps. This is Cairo's third ranked hotel and is privately owned.

Day 2 = Day in Giza (The Great Pyramids), Memphis and Saqqara (The bent and red pyramids).  I was referred via Trip Adviser to contact a tour guide named Abdo.  We emailed back and fourth and he has agreed to pick us up at our hotel and take us around for two solid days.

Day 3 = Abdo will take us to the Cairo Museum. This is the resting place for many of the Pharaohs mummies that have been found...including Ramses the Great and his father Seti the I.  We will also spend time visiting mosques and Coptic Cairo.

Day 4 = We wake up and are taken to the Cairo Airport. We will then fly from Cairo to Aswan.  This is where we will be picked up by Best Way Travel and taken to our Riverboat for a 4 day Nile Cruise. We will load our belongings on the ship and then set off to see the sites in Aswan. This includes the High Dam, botanical gardens and the tomb of Agha Khan. We will also take a felucca ride along the Nile. For those of you that paid attention in class, this is an Egyptian Sailboat :). That evening, we set sail.

Day 5 = Sailing to Edfu & Kom -Ombo and visit temples of Horus and Sobek 

Day 6 = Sailing to Luxor and visit West Bank ( Valley of Kings , El Deer El Bahari , Colossi of Memnon ). I am not sure which I am more excited to see, the Pyramids or the Valley of the Kings. I have dreamed about both my whole life and to be able to see the Valley of the Kings and enter three tombs will be amazing. This is where, in 1922, Howard Carter found the Tomb of Tut and my fascination with Egypt began. I linked Valley of the Kings to the Wikipedia site because there are the best pictures and the information is pretty accurate. 

Day 7 = Arrive in  Luxor and visit East Bank ( Luxor Temple , Karnak Temple ), then we are taken to the airport in Luxor to catch our flight to Sharm El Sheikh.  This is on the Sinai Peninsula. It is considered to be the Cancun of the Middle East and is a favorite vacation spot for people all over the Middle East (and world for that matter.)  Here, we will check into the Baron Resort.  I hope that I can save enough money to upgrade the hotel room to a super sweet one :)  It will be late and we will be tired. 

Day 8 = Snorkle and boat in the Red Sea. This portion of the sea is home to one of the most beautiful coral reef in the world. This is also an important place for Christians and Jewish people. This is near the place where it is believed that Moses parted the Red Sea and led the Hebrews away from Egypt. 

 I want fun in the sun and some time to debrief and let the whole trip sink in. 

Day 9 = We will depart the Baron Hotel and travel 3 hours (via private Mercedes limo) to Mt. Sinai.  This is the place where it is believed that Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. The burning bush is said to be at this location as well. (Although there is much speculation about how this mountain does not match the description in the Old Testament / Torah). Regardless, it is also the home of the oldest monastery in the world - St. Katherine's. Then we will head back to Sharm and the Baron Resort.

Day 10 = We will spend the day at the Baron and in Sharm doing whatever we want. 

Day 11 = Depart the Baron and head to the airport. We will fly from Sharm to Athens, Greece in the morning. Once we land in Greece, it will be a total culture change.  We will take a cab from the airport to our hotel The Centrotel in Athens. We will then spend the afternoon site seeing and eating :)

Day 12 = We will spend time at the Acropolis and other sites in Athens. 

Day 13 = We will be taking a boat to three of the Greek Isles: Hydra, Poros and Aegina.  We will have a chance to swim in the sea and will see some of the clearest, bluest water in the world.  

Day 14 = Day to relax in Athens and unwind......

Day 15 = Head to the airport and fly home. We will be flying on Turkish Airlines from Athens to Istanbul, Turkey. There is a short layover and then we will fly from Istanbul to Chicago. 

In 15 days we will set foot on four continents....North America (duh), Asia (Jordan), Africa (Egypt) and Europe (Greece).   Not too bad considering I have only ventured to Toronto, Canada. 

Things I have already packed.....

• Hand sanitizer bottles and wipes. (all under 3oz of course)
• mini shampoos and conditioners
• mini facial wash
• power converter for European countries
• 14 double A batteries for camera
• 4, floor length dresses and shoulder covers purchased at Old Navy outlet store. 
• new, nice camera :)
• passport