We didn't get a lot of sleep on the train however it was comfortable and we did get 2 meals. We arrived in Luxor around 9 am and met by Ali our guide who took us to our hotel to freshen up.
We began our tour at the Temples of Karnak. This is a complex of sanctuaries, kiosks and obelisks dedicated to the gods and the pharaohs. The site covers over 2 sq. kms. The Temple of Amun is the largest religious building ever built. Karnak was the most important place to worship in Egypt during the New Kingdom. The pillars, columns, obelisks, sphinxes, statues and hieroglyphs are something to see.
The evening was very beautiful for a felucca ride up the Nile River to watch the beautiful sunset. Our captain was very friendly and most welcoming with a glass of mint tea. We were able to get many beautiful pictures of the sunset. Fred also tried his hand at rowing the felucca. We all had a laugh at how slow he was compared to our captain. Wonderful time on the felucca and then we had a great horse carriage ride back to our hotel room. Very wonderful way to end the day.
Luxor Temple was built by the New Kingdom pharaohs. In front of the temple is the beginning of the avenue of sphinxes which runs 3 kms north to Karnak. One huge pink granite obelisk stands in front and the other one remains in the Place de la Concorde in Paris because it was given as a gift. The Great Court of Rames 11 gives way to rows of columns with lotus bud capitals and the walls are decorated with scenes of the pharaoh making offerings to the gods.
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