Papyrus Institute, Citadel-?

[teacherman]

Several one day Cairo tours mention a stop at the Papyrus Institute. If you have experienced this, was it "worth" the time given to it? Or was it basically a shopping stop? Also, has anyone visited the Citadel in Cairo? Enjoyable? With only one day, it is difficult to know where to spend those few precious hours. The trip suggested to us by DeCastro is Pyramids, Sphinx, lunch, Citadel, and Cairo Museum. Any advice/info is welcome.

[paul929207]

The papyrus institute is a shopping opportunity. They do demostrate how papyrus was made. Then they give you time to shop. With only one day in Cairo, skip it if you possibly can. Take an extra hour at the Cairo Museum.

[Sekhmet]

Have to agree with Paul; in fact, I would skip lunch as well to get the extra time in the museum! The Citadel is worth seeing, but there is a limit to what you can cram in to just one day.

[cherylakers]

Just returned from Egypt and I agree with Paul too. We wish we had spent more time in the Cairo museum. Seeing the pyramids, the sphinx and the museum is a full day in itself. With Cairo traffic it took ups 45 minutes to 1 hour just to get to the pyramids from downtown Cairo. Then you need to go back to the downtown area to the museum. We spent about 3 hours in the museum and that was not enough. It can get very crowded in there.

 

Cheryl

[tomko2]

Our stop at the Institute was mainly a restroom stop (restrooms were clean and free), a 10 minute demonstration of paper-making and going to the adjacent jewellry shop to shop and/or pick-up orders placed on the bus trip in to Cairo. It was our last stop before we returned to the ship and it lasted half an hour; most of us on the bus had placed orders and it was chaotic as we went through the process of receiving, checking and paying for our items. I am glad of two things: one, the comfort stop before the long trip back to the ship and two, my cartouche pendent which I will treasure always.

Kathy:)

[KateDen]

Does anyone have a photo of a cartouche pendant? We will be in Egypt in May and would like to know what they look like and how much they cost.

 

Thanks!

Kate

[smeyer418]

Does anyone have a photo of a cartouche pendant? We will be in Egypt in May and would like to know what they look like and how much they cost.

 

Thanks!

Kate

 

 

They will vary based on the blank you choose and whether the letters are gold or sliver and how much your guide gets. You can see ours being made at http://www.youtube.com/smeyer418

 

There is a short movie...

 

hope that helps....

[CruiseOs]

They will vary based on the blank you choose and whether the letters are gold or sliver and how much your guide gets. You can see ours being made at www.youtube.com/smeyer418

 

There is a short movie...

 

hope that helps....

Hi Smeyer418. Can you give us an idea of price based on what you saw in Egypt? We watched your video but still are curious. Thanks.

[smeyer418]

Hi Smeyer418. Can you give us an idea of price based on what you saw in Egypt? We watched your video but still are curious. Thanks.

 

I bought 10 for $100.00 but that was in Luxor that is less expensive than Cairo. Also I bought a lot so the price was negotiated and the guide relented on some of his commission, Mine has gold lettering and the blank was not the least expensive one...in any case they aren't expensive. The chain is extra....

 

There is always someone who paid less....and paid more too.

[CruiseOs]

I bought 10 for $100.00 but that was in Luxor that is less expensive than Cairo. Also I bought a lot so the price was negotiated and the guide relented on some of his commission, Mine has gold lettering and the blank was not the least expensive one...in any case they aren't expensive. The chain is extra....

 

There is always someone who paid less....and paid more too.

 

 

Thanks! That is so helpful! We try for the best and don't worry that someone else may have gotten a better deal under different circumstances -- the joy is in our own memories! Your memories just helped everyone who views this post! We all appreciate your experience and information! Thanks for sharing!

CruiseOs

[tomko2]

My cartouche pendant was $50.00; the prices varied by size and metal.

We also bought two golf shirts with our names in symbols printed on them; I believe they were about $15.00 each.

The only other thing we bought in Egypt was some postcards.

Have fun.

Kathy

[cruisemom42]

Regarding the Citadel, I wouldn't say it's a "must see". The main thing most tours show you is the Alabaster Mosque (Mohammed Ali mosque), and it was probably the least favorite of the 4 or 5 mosques I went to in Cairo. You also get a panoramic view of Cairo and (if you're lucky) the pyramids in the distance, but the Cairo air is often not clear enough for good views. If you want more of a feel of Islamic Cairo, I'd recommend Ibn Tulun mosque or Sultan Hassan mosque and a walk through the Khan el Khalili bazaar.

 

I completely agree the Papyrus institutes are a shopping stop. Spend as much time as you can in the Museum. After 3 half days I still have not seen enough of it.

[susie2shoes]

My cartouche pendant was $50.00; the prices varied by size and metal.

We also bought two golf shirts with our names in symbols printed on them; I believe they were about $15.00 each.

The only other thing we bought in Egypt was some postcards.

Have fun.

Kathy

 

Hi Kathy,

Can you please tell me how you paid for your cartouche pendant? Euros, US$, credit card or Eygptian pounds?

Thanks for this information.

[tomko2]

Hi Kathy,

Can you please tell me how you paid for your cartouche pendant? Euros, US$, credit card or Eygptian pounds?

Thanks for this information.

 

We used US $; we were a little reluctant to use our credit card and did not get any Egyptian money. No problem with US$.

Kathy:)

[susie2shoes]

We used US $; we were a little reluctant to use our credit card and did not get any Egyptian money. No problem with US$.

Kathy:)

 

Thanks Kathy. I thought they might take US$. We didn't want to buy Egyptian pounds.