A Year of Riding in Egypt

Next week marks a year that we have lived in Egypt. (Meg got here a couple weeks later, but it's close enough for me.) Somewhere in there I got the guts up to meet some folks out to go for a bike ride, and well Cairo hasn't quite looked the same since. It's about time I put some photos up though. Meg now joins us when she's healthy and available, and from all accounts she really enjoys it!

I've seen the asphalt of Cairo up close and personal twice. (Double the number of other times I've crashed.) One of those times I apparently felt the need to have my view confirmed by Meg. We went down together. One that I'm sure I'll never hear the end of, though I'm hoping she heals up soon and gets back on the saddle!

There are two routes with a few minor variations:
- Clockwise or Counterclockwise (or anti-clockwise for those of us with a British accent.)
- Up the hills or avoid the hills
- Long way around the American University in Cairo (AUC) or the short way around (10K less).

That's about it. Really the max ride is about 100K and the variations make up maybe 10-20K difference. Oh well.

There are still some very strong riders which makes me push myself most Friday mornings. Usually the company and the effort are enough to keep me from noticing that I've done this before. Plus most times we get a cup of coffee afterwards and enjoy the always-sunny weather in Cairo.

Overall, I'm very surprised that Cairo has reasonably decent road riding available. The mountain biking is VERY good too, but with 20 million people I'm amazed that road riding is reasonably safe and pleasant here.

Going up a hill, give me 5 more pedal strokes, cameraman!



Not me, but a shot from the "long way around AUC".

Istanbul for a Weekend

I'm long over due for a post, but its been one of those months! At one point, I was on 4 continents in a single week! Istanbul (Asia and Europe sides) - Cairo (Africa) - Washington, DC.

In the middle of October, I took a quick trip to Istanbul, Turkey to catch up with a bunch of friends and run a 15 km race. I have heard a lot of people say that Istanbul is great, but I've always been more of a 'do-er' than a 'see-er', so I didn't generally believe that I would enjoy it as much. I was wrong. Istanbul is a very fun city to go to. It feels very European with the narrow streets and construction, but the Islamic influence is also pervasive and makes a very interesting contrast. Also, some of the old Christian Cathedrals have been "converted" to Islamic Mosques. But the original frescoes are frequently still there.

The 15k went well (68:30 ain't too shabby for someone who really hasn't trained for it) and I had a really great time catching up with some good friends.  I'm not much of a shopper, but the colors and detail work almost make shopping a trip to a museum. Very interesting stuff!

This is an ancient cistern:


An old Cathedral (still Christian)



A huge palace grounds / park:


Spice Market:


The blue mosque: