Egypt travels part two

Well have done a bit since my last post when I got here.
On the 26th travelled from Cairo to Ain Sokna. We drove to Coptic Cairo before leaving the city and visited the Hanging church which was named this as it was built on the top of a Roman Gatehouse.
Coptic services were still being held when we visited so it was a really funny feeling to be able to enter church and take photos.

Hanging Church out and inside

We also visited a Jewish Synagogue in this area that had been bought off the Coptic church and converted to a synagogue.
Travelling to Ain Sokna we went through the Eastern Desert stopping on the out skirts of Cairo for a rest and snack stop.
Much of the Eastern Desert has been claimed now by the Army and used by them.

Eastern Desert

On arriving at Hotel in Ain Sokna we were shown to our rooms. Rest of afternoon was free so I went for a wander down to the beach and around the hotel grounds.

Main building and pool at Ain Sokna

That night we were lucky enough to see a belly dancer performing, she was very good and I had to drag my self away at about 10.00pm as we had an early start the next day when we were to visit two Coptic monasteries.

Two Monasteries we visited were Saint Paul and Saint Antony, both are situated in the Eastern Desert on the Red Sea coast and amazingly both have water supplies that seem to come from nowhere.

As it is heading in Easter season we were lucky to see one of Monastery churches being decorated for Palm Sunday.

Old dining room and church being decorated at Coptic monastery

Our journey the next day took us to Alexandria via Cairo and El Alamein.

At El Alamein we visited military museum and the Commonwealth cemetery. It is at this site that my Great Uncle who died in WWII is buried so I was looking forward to finding his grave. On getting there it turned out that book had been stolen that gave you locations of graves and it turned out in to quite a mission to find Uncle Allan's grave, but thanks to the persistence to our tour director we finally did and I was able to place NZ flag and poppy on it.

Commonwealth cemetery