The Nile in Aswan from the deck of our cruise ship, the M/S Nile Plaza

Teri sitting on the deck of our ship

Faluccas sailed along the river just next to the desert.

We took a falucca ride and were surprised when children in home made boats came up to our falucca, clung to the side and sang songs to us in different languages.

That evening we were entertained by Nubian dancers.

The Philae Temple was built by the Ptolemies, meaning it was finished during the time Greece ruled Egypt.

A relief sculpture of Horus on the side of the Philae Temple.

Just to the left and right of the entrance were Christian crosses carved into the stone. Coptic Christians fled to Upper Egypt to escape persecution and adopted several ancient Egyptian Temples as their own worship spaces. Unfortunately they defaced a lot of the Ancient Egyptian sculptures.

Our tour guide, Madam Ragaa showed us the alcove where the Coptic Christians kept the communion elements.

Towering columns at the Philae Temple.

Aswan High Dam

A view of Lake Nasser from the top of the Aswan High Dam. The dam was built in the sixties with funding from the Soviet Union and provided hydroelectric power and controlled irrigation (as opposed to the uncontrolled yearly flood) to much of Egypt.

Teri walking on the top of the High Dam.

We got back to the boat and set sail for Kom Ombo.

Kom Ombo

We arrived at Kom Ombo just as the sun was setting. Once again we were greeted with gigantic columns and as many relief sculptures as anyone would want to see.

Some of the original color could still be seen on the temple.

The pharaoh being crowned by two representatives, one from Upper Egypt (on the left) and one from Lower Egypt (on the right). They can be distinguished by their crowns. Notice the pharaoh has one crown composed of both the Upper and Lower Egypt crowns.

Kom Ombo at night.

The Captain's cocktail hour. This is a small example of the extravagant food and drinks that were served.

Temple of Horus at Edfu

Another Ptolemaic temple. This one was even larger than either the Philae or Kom Ombo temples.

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Inside the Edfu Temple leading into the hypostyle hall.

A relief carving of an ankh, the symbol of eternal life. This one is for you Mom.

My big gourd next to a bull hieroglyphic.

Me at the Edfu Temple.

Khnum Temple in Esna

The Esna Temple was thirty or so feet below street level in the middle of a small town. Archaeologists had uncovered the hypostyle hall, but much of the temple still remains underground.

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The temple was built in honor of the ram god, Khnum

Colorful paint is still visible on the columns inside the temple.

The faded colors give you a hint of what the temples must have looked like in their glory days.

A depiction of a pharaoh holding war captives by their hair. He would then feed their limbs to the lion that sat at his feet. The lion's head is just visible at the bottom of the photo. To the right a god is extending a victory trophy to the pharaoh.

The family that ate dinner with us had an adorable little girl named Nina. One night the boat had a "galabaya party" where they dressed up tourists in Arab robes. Nina wore her galabaya proudly as if she were an Egyptian pharaoh herself.

The rest of the tourists on the boat danced the night away in their Arab garb.

Luxor

We woke in Luxor to see hot air balloons taking off for a bird's eye view of the ancient monuments.

The Colossi of Memnon, built by Amenhotep III. There used to be an enormous funerary temple just behind them.

Valley of the Kings (West bank of the Nile in Luxor)

Our first of three tombs in the Valley of the Kings, the tomb of Merenptah. We were not allowed to take photos in the tombs so you get to see this nice illustration of the tomb structure.

The guard let me take this one photograph at the doorway. The steps go down, down, down, forever.

Tomb number two: Tuthmoses IV.

Me and Teri at the doorway of the Tuthmoses IV's tomb.

I climbed a steep hill to get this photo of the Valley of the Kings.

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Teri was glad we left Cairo because that particular week was a Muslim holy feast during which they slaughter animals in the streets. Once they slaughter the animals they soak their hands in the blood and then put hand prints by the doors of their houses to ward off evil. During our vacation this was the only evidence we saw of the feast.

Queen Hatshepsut's Temple (West bank of the Nile in Luxor)

Me standing in front of Queen Hatshepsut's Temple.

Queen Hatshepsut's Temple.

Stars painted on the ceiling of the temple. This is a common feature of tombs, but this was the best example. It was interesting that I saw the same thing in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher over the site where Jesus was crucified.

A colorfully painted image of Horus.

Up close and personal with Queen Hatshepsut's Temple.

Queen Hatshepsut herself. Despite the fact she was a woman, she was still depicted with the "false beard" just like the male pharaohs.

An interesting depiction of a pregnant Queen Hatshepsut complete with false beard.

Karnak Temple (East bank of Nile in Luxor)

The Karnak temple was so large it was difficult to photograph. Photography doesn't do it justice. This just looks like a stone wall, but it was so much more.

These sphinxes lined the pathway into the Karnak temple, and at one time lead all the way to the Luxor Temple, which is several kilometers away.

Lotus style columns in the Karnak Temple.

Tuthmoses III left this record of the lands he conquered. Each one has a cartouche naming the city that fell to his army.

One of the obelisks of Queen Hatshepsut.

Me standing near the central corridor of the Karnak Temple.

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OF THE GREAT HYPOSTYLE HALL

Luxor Temple (East bank of the Nile in Luxor)

The entryway to The Luxor Temple flanked by two statues of Ramses II.

Madame Ragaa holding up her Nefertiti cane, trying to gather our group.

A large statue of Ramses II.

Teri at The Luxor Temple.

Roman paintings that have been restored. You can see two faces.

The remains of an early Coptic Orthodox church built into a wall of The Luxor Temple.

A mosque built just inside the entryway of The Luxor Temple. It is still in use to this day.

Ramses II's gigantic bust.

The Luxor Temple at night.

Back on our boat, Teri poses with our waiter that made sure to feed her vegetarian meals.