May December: March 2010

The Pyramids & Sphinx

We took a day trip outside Cairo to see the pyramids, the Sphinx, and the surrounding sites -- it was extraordinary. The scale and precision of the pyramids are so remarkable and the Sphinx is beautiful and majestic in person. This was one of my favorite outings of the trip.

In front of the Step Pyramid of Djoser:

The pyramids on the Giza Plateau:

They're even better in person.

With Sue, my friend and traveling partner for this trip, in front of the pyramids:

It was so windy and the sand was blowing everywhere, but we were thrilled to see these awesome buildings.

A close-up of the Pyramid of Khafre:

We were able to climb down into the burial chamber of the Pyramid of Khafre. Here I am on my way in:

You weren't allowed to take photos inside, but you can sort of see the long, steep, small passageway to the center of the pyramid in the pic above. You have to duck your head the entire way down, and there's little light (natural or otherwise) down there, so if you're claustrophobic I'd skip this part of the excursion.

The crowds on the way to the Sphinx:

Up close:

It's *giant* in person. All smiles with the Sphinx:

(And yes, I wore that big hat and 50 layers of sunscreen for the whole trip. I definitely needed it in the heat and bright sunshine.)

We also stopped to see the Colossus of Ramesses II, a 34 ft long limestone statue:

and the Solar Boat Museum that houses the 141 ft long funerary boat of King Cheops:

A snap of the busy streets of Giza:

We stopped for an afternoon treat at the Mena House Oberoi hotel. This was the most delicious fig cake ever:

Cairo

Cairo is a massive city. With 20 million residents and over one million+ cars on the roads it's active, noisy, and energetic around the clock. The weather is hot, the air is dusty, and there's always a traffic jam, but I totally loved my time there. I explored the city's markets, peeked into mosques, and just enjoyed being a part of the everyday bustle.

Here are some snaps from Cairo....

Khan El-Khalili, the busy souk in Old Cairo:

A small food market in Islamic Cairo:

Street scene, mid-day in Islamic Cairo:

A market vendor's attractive silver lamps:

They make these shades by hand, cutting small holes in the metal for the light to pass through.

Inside one of the many beautiful, old mosques in Islamic Cairo:

Google in Arabic:

Shisha -- we went for the apple flavor, a delicious indulgence after dinner:

Just like The Bangles said, Foreign types at the hookah pipes...:

The leafy streets and colonial buildings of Zamalek, an especially pretty suburban section of Cairo:

The Mosque of Muhammad Ali at the Citadel, perched high atop a hillside overlooking the city:

Inside the Ottoman-style Mosque of Muhammad Ali:

A local policeman surveying the scene:

Late night at Sequoia, a hip, breezy lounge/restaurant on the water:

More photos from Egypt and my cruise down the Nile River to follow...

Monty Monday - Room Service

I'm on the road again -- having a lovely time, but missing my little Monty so much!

Here are some snaps of Monty eyeing my room service breakfast at the Mandarin Oriental after last week's wedding...

Monty checking out what was on my plate. He zeroed in on the bacon:

The dog did not respond to my 'Monty, please let me eat my toast in peace' look. He pressed on and had his full attention on the food:

He thought long and hard about that toast as I ate it. I think he decided if he couldn't have the bacon then perhaps the toast was a good fall back position.

Alas, there was no need to fret; I finished my meal and then gave the dog a small piece of bacon (he LOVED it). A superb morning was had by all.

Hotel Views

The view from my hotel room:

Name that city.... UPDATE: It's Cairo - you guys guessed correctly.

Liz and Michael's wedding

My friends Liz and Michael got married last weekend at the Mandarin Oriental. Congrats and best wishes to the happy couple! It was such a great wedding - lots of smiles, dancing, and fun. Here are some pics from their big day...

Here's Liz, the beautiful bride (and my dear friend since grade school), in her room getting ready beforehand:

All the bridesmaids and Liz before the wedding. I love the way I looked in those pink rollers:

Liz, ready for her close-up. Check out that snazzy monogrammed handbag:

The place cards for the wedding were hung from monogrammed roses. So pretty:

Liz and Michael posing for photos in front of their lace chuppah. Awwww:

With Liz. My bridesmaid dress was floor-length gunmetal silk - very elegant:

Her 'something blue' - blue Swarovski crystals that say 'I do' on the bottom of Liz's shoes:

The ketubah, ready for signing:

The ballroom during the hopping reception. Those flowers were exquisite:

All smiles with my handsome man. Chappy was a hit on the dance floor:

The wedding cake - it was all flowery and white on the outside and colorful like a rainbow cookie on the inside:

The happy couple, looking great as Mr. & Mrs.:

The reception was followed by a rockin' after-party. The band packed up and a DJ came in. We danced barefoot to the Black Eyed Peas and ate take-out from McDonald's:

At 2am I went for a warm apple pie while the bride enjoyed a Big Mac after her big night:

Cheers to an awesome wedding and to Liz and Michael - wishing you two much love and happiness in your life together!

Pisces B-day Party

An evening at John Demsey's super fun birthday party earlier this week landed us in my favorite gossip column, Page Six:

Lauder Group President John Demsey had to repair a ceiling that collapsed in the deluge before he could celebrate his birthday Monday night with two fellow Pisces, CNN's Alina Cho and Marilyn Gaulthier -- who brought a limo-load of her exquisite fashion models to his East 61st Street townhouse. Admiring his huge photography collection were Geraldo Rivera and his wife Erica, who hails from Demsey's hometown of Cleveland, Harvey Weinstein and Georgina Chapman, Carmen Dell'Orefice, scented-candle king Harry Slatkin, Democratic bigwig Robert Zimmerman, Liliana Cavendish, Ch. 5's Rosanna Scotto, Chappy and Melissa Morris, and fashion designers Rachel Roy and Douglas Hannant.