A cat nap is a little miracle, and after an hour’s sleep Aurel and I are again ready for fun. Outside the hotel our guide, Said, and driver Sasa await, but we need a hearty meal before we continue. No problem. (nothing we request is a problem) They leave us at Restaurant Sofra, hidden on a small side street, and promise to return in 2 hours.
Sofra’s foyer is small and unassuming, but upstairs we enter a terraced dining area that is of a bygone era with dark, carved furniture, copper lanterns and low, round brass tables. We’re seated near the open, curtained windows and for a while are the only patrons. Strains of Om Kalsoum waft over us and soon the diva sings alongside the muezzins’ calls to prayer. For the second time since arriving in Luxor I feel peaceful and happy.
The menu is extensive, featuring traditional Egyptian fare. We
finally decide on a large sample mezza of four cold/four hot appetizers. Everything looks so good (or we’re so hungry) that we each also order a meal to follow. A Kanina and Aurel feast! No alcohol is served here, instead, we order ‘chai bil nana,’ tea with mint, and fresh squeezed juice. The night air is cool and soon, copper charcoal braziers are set up throughout the room to dispel the evening chill.
I peek through the curtains to the outside world when I notice, I kid you not, chickens living on the third floor of the building across the street. The building seems to be occupied because the windows on the lower floors have louvered shutters. But upstairs roost the chickens, lounging in empty windows and watching the world go by. One fluffy white guy with a huge plumed tail seems to be the head honcho. I dub it the Chicken Hotel and hope I’m not having one of these fellows for dinner. ;-) The incongruity of it all sets us laughing, a daily occurrence since we’ve arrived in Egypt.
Time passes too quickly, and we’re in some sort of food reverie, when Said pays a visit...it’s time to move along. The Temple of Luxor is open during the evening and that is our destination.
Earlier in the day Said mentioned several times that Luxor Temple at night was very special. I have visions of a touristy, Disney-esque light show so am not particularly enthused. The reality is completely different, though, and hard to capture in words.
The Avenue of Sphinxes leads to the temple in two long rows and at on
e time connected Luxor
and Karnak. Like Karnak’s ram-headed sphinxes, these also have sweet faces but they are human. When lit at night, they come to life as if they have a secret they might be inclined to divulge. The temple itself, with its two massive Ramsesses statues guarding the gate, is like a scene from an Indiana Jones movie. These huge statues, so impressive during the day, seem otherworldly now, as though the special lighting allows the pharaoh’s personality to emerge. A nearby sculpture, the head of Ramses I think, is ground-level and benignly gazes at me.
Our guide, Said, has an amazing capacity to succinctly convey a large amount of information then step back as we absorb the glory of what we are seeing. He encourages us to explore the temple on our own. Once inside, we wander through monolithic columns and statues and I stop taking photos. I simply cannot capture the majesty of what I am experiencing. Aurel and I also stop
speaking. There seem no appropriate words other than ‘O my god!’ or ‘Do you believe this?’
After a while Said collects us and it’s time to move on. Neither Aurel nor I realize he and Sasa have a big surprise for us.
Sofra’s foyer is small and unassuming, but upstairs we enter a terraced dining area that is of a bygone era with dark, carved furniture, copper lanterns and low, round brass tables. We’re seated near the open, curtained windows and for a while are the only patrons. Strains of Om Kalsoum waft over us and soon the diva sings alongside the muezzins’ calls to prayer. For the second time since arriving in Luxor I feel peaceful and happy.The menu is extensive, featuring traditional Egyptian fare. We
finally decide on a large sample mezza of four cold/four hot appetizers. Everything looks so good (or we’re so hungry) that we each also order a meal to follow. A Kanina and Aurel feast! No alcohol is served here, instead, we order ‘chai bil nana,’ tea with mint, and fresh squeezed juice. The night air is cool and soon, copper charcoal braziers are set up throughout the room to dispel the evening chill.
I peek through the curtains to the outside world when I notice, I kid you not, chickens living on the third floor of the building across the street. The building seems to be occupied because the windows on the lower floors have louvered shutters. But upstairs roost the chickens, lounging in empty windows and watching the world go by. One fluffy white guy with a huge plumed tail seems to be the head honcho. I dub it the Chicken Hotel and hope I’m not having one of these fellows for dinner. ;-) The incongruity of it all sets us laughing, a daily occurrence since we’ve arrived in Egypt.
Time passes too quickly, and we’re in some sort of food reverie, when Said pays a visit...it’s time to move along. The Temple of Luxor is open during the evening and that is our destination.
Earlier in the day Said mentioned several times that Luxor Temple at night was very special. I have visions of a touristy, Disney-esque light show so am not particularly enthused. The reality is completely different, though, and hard to capture in words.
The Avenue of Sphinxes leads to the temple in two long rows and at on
e time connected Luxorand Karnak. Like Karnak’s ram-headed sphinxes, these also have sweet faces but they are human. When lit at night, they come to life as if they have a secret they might be inclined to divulge. The temple itself, with its two massive Ramsesses statues guarding the gate, is like a scene from an Indiana Jones movie. These huge statues, so impressive during the day, seem otherworldly now, as though the special lighting allows the pharaoh’s personality to emerge. A nearby sculpture, the head of Ramses I think, is ground-level and benignly gazes at me.
Our guide, Said, has an amazing capacity to succinctly convey a large amount of information then step back as we absorb the glory of what we are seeing. He encourages us to explore the temple on our own. Once inside, we wander through monolithic columns and statues and I stop taking photos. I simply cannot capture the majesty of what I am experiencing. Aurel and I also stopspeaking. There seem no appropriate words other than ‘O my god!’ or ‘Do you believe this?’
After a while Said collects us and it’s time to move on. Neither Aurel nor I realize he and Sasa have a big surprise for us.
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