VPR Commentator Chris Wren will be leading our Tour of Egypt in September. Chris spent three years there as the Cairo bureau chief for The New York Times from 1977 to 1980. He calls Egypt "one of the most colorful and complex countries" and says that Egyptians "must be the friendliest people in the world."We asked Chris to pick the top three places he's looking forward to showing VPR listeners on this trip. Here's what he had to say.
"Certainly, the Great Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza, for all their popularity, overwhelm the senses, especially if you glimpse them in early morning or late afternoon. Giza's pyramids never fail to take my breath away.
The less well known pyramids of Saqqara, to which we'll enjoy a rare access, can be more exciting because they're so unexpected. And the City of the Dead on the other side of Cairo, where Cairenes are living in the old Islamic tombs, is remarkable. I loved to watch the Sufi dancing there on Saturday nights.
I also want to revisit some favorite Islamic and Coptic Christian sites in Cairo, which other tours may overlook, and the Ben Ezra synagogue, once central to Egypt's vanished Jewish community."
Watch for future blogs from Chris Wren in which he'll share some delicious Egyptian dishes, reveal some other favorite sites and let us know who will enjoy the VPR Tour of Egypt.
You can learn more about the trip and download a brochure by clicking here
Please consider a trip to see The American University in Cairo's new campus in New Cairo. We would welcome the opportunity to show you around our world class university, and its newly inaugurated schools of Global Affairs and Public Policy; Business; and the Graduate School of Education. Morgan Roth, The American University in Cairo, mroth@aucnyo.edu
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