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Al Ula & Hegra (Saudi Arabia): Travel Journal
We continue our December 2024 road trip in Saudi Arabia, which we are discovering for the first time. We learned that the country was open to non-Muslims during the 2020 World Expo in Dubai, and the magnificent Saudi Arabia booth gave us a strong desire to go there. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Day 5 of the road trip (continued) Cairo – Al Madinah The airport in Cairo is not the most peaceful in the universe. Everyone has tons of luggage, is very impatient, and very rude. Luckily we get there 3 hours early because it takes us 1 hour of waiting to check…
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Cairo #4 (Egypt): The New Egyptian Museum & the Sphinx
Last time, I loved my hotel in front of the Sphinx so much that this time, JB found another hotel even closer to the Sphinx for me. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Day 3 (continued) I know everyone is impressed by the pyramids, but I find them lacking in special energy. On the other hand, the Sphinx impressed me a whole lot, and it has such a presence, such a special energy that I want to get as close to it as possible. Last time, we stayed at the Egypt Pyramids Inn guest house (Booking link), which I highly recommend because it looks the…
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Cairo #3 (Egypt): Visiting the Pyramids of Giza
After dropping off our luggage at Mena House, we grab our smartphones, cameras, and water bottles and walk to the pyramids. The taxis in front of the hotel offer to take us to the entrance for $10, but that’s way too much for just a 7-minute walk. We bought our entry tickets in advance on the official website, which saves us from waiting in line at the ticket office. In addition to the Giza Plateau entry, we also opt for the entry inside the two pyramids of Khufu and Menkaure (a surcharge that must be decided when buying tickets, not in front of the pyramid). Last time, we went inside…
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Cairo #2 (Egypt): Our Pyramid-View Room at the Marriott Mena House
In Egypt, there are three historic hotels that really appeal to me: Winter Palace, Old Cataract, and Mena House. Last time, we stayed at the legendary Winter Palace in Luxor. This time, we’re thrilled to spend a night at the legendary Mena House, at the gates of the pyramids. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Mena House Hotel (Booking link), located at the foot of the majestic Giza Pyramids in Cairo, is one of Egypt’s most iconic establishments. Built in 1869, originally as a hunting lodge for King Ismail Pasha, who wanted to host foreign dignitaries during the inauguration of the Suez Canal. Built in…
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Cairo #1 (Egypt): Visiting the Old Egyptian Museum
Welcome to this new road trip in Egypt and beyond. We weren’t able to properly celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary because of Covid, so we’re taking advantage of a slightly more relaxed time at work this year to celebrate our 10th anniversary a few years late. Let’s take the opportunity to celebrate anything and everything because there’s always an excuse to treat ourselves, right? Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Day 1: Chaotic Arrival in Cairo We weren’t originally supposed to go to Egypt, but to get to Saudi Arabia from Athens, we have to make a stop in Cairo. We’ve been there before, but…
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Where to exchange money in Athens?
In Athens, the day before we went to Egypt, we were worried about tipping. Having taken a first trip to Egypt a few years ago, we had the opportunity to realize how prevalent the culture of baksheesh is. Anyone who provides you with a service, no matter how small, will expect a tip. It’s part of Egyptian culture, and it’s surely amplified by the fact that you’re a foreign tourist, and therefore obviously very rich 😀 Anyway, not only does it need to be factored into your budget, but on top of that, we remembered the difficulty of getting small bills for tips, which caused a certain amount of stress.…
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Egypt: How to get the visa on arrival at the airport
It’s very simple. Before passing through immigration, you’ll see a small arrow pointing to “visa on arrival.” It points to two counters that look like currency exchange / bank counters. The visa costs 25 dollars per person, and you need to pay in foreign currency. If you don’t have dollars, you’ll have to pay 25 euros. The exchange rate, as you can see, isn’t great. So if you have US dollars, pay in dollars. We didn’t have exact change but giving a 100-dollar bill, we got change in dollars, no worries! If you only have euros, that’s fine too, but note that paying in US dollars costs the equivalent of…
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How to get a visa for Jordan? Is the Jordan Pass worth it?
I first wanted to apply for an eVisa in anticipation of our trip to Jordan, but it seems the website doesn’t want us. Indeed, as French citizens, the visa is obtained on arrival, and costs 40 JOD. Apparently with cash payment in JOD, so you’ll need to exchange money at the airport’s exchange offices, which we want to avoid. I could have ended my article there, but I discovered that the visa is free if you’ve purchased, before your arrival, a “Jordan Pass”. The Jordan Pass costs between 70 and 80 JOD depending on the number of days you plan to spend in Petra. Be careful to buy these passes…
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How to get an e-visa for Saudi Arabia?
At theDubaï World Expo in 2022, we visited the impressive pavilion of theSaudi Arabia which gave us an irrepressible urge to visit this country. When a Saudi employee asked us at the exit, we replied, “what a shame we can’t visit your country!”. He replied: “of course you can visit Saudi Arabia”.“Really?”“Yes, you can go see my colleague over there, you’ll get your visa in 10 minutes”. Woooow. Indeed, since October 2019, the Kingdom has opened up to “non-religious tourism”. Saudi Arabia is preparing for “life after oil” and plans to develop tourism to make it a significant economic sector. Maybe it’s because of Covid that came right after, but…
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Visiting the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens (Greece)
On the day we arrived, we briefly passed by the Panathenaic Stadium (which means “stadium of all Athenians”) in a taxi. It was only two days before we left that I finally decided to visit it. It is a bit out of the way, but you can get there by public transport. This stadium has a (very, very) long history. Entrance to the site costs €10. If you just want to take a photo, you can do so from the outside. The stadium certainly no longer looks anything like it did in antiquity, but you can still feel the weight of history. Its stands, all in marble and with very…
