Another cemetery in Cairo

Some of my patients are from Cairo, they've left but they still go back to visit. The disappointing thing with talking to them is they have no clue about what to see and do in Cairo. They live in Heliopolis, near Cairo airport. Heliopolis is dubbed the new Cairo, it is a self contained city with everything and no one needs ever to be in Cairo proper. I've come to conclude that I know more about Cairo than they do. I've other friends who are from Alexandria, they are afraid of going to Cairo, period. I don't blame them, Cairo proper is very different, the culture shock is so great but underneath this is a fascinating city. If you are able to get over the initial discomfort and learn their ways, it is very navigable. My Alexandria friend is visiting Egypt this summer and I've been giving her pointers about how to get around Cairo. She is scared to death, she hails from Alexandria but has moved to the USA years ago. She still returns to Alexandria but won't touch Cairo, she won't have anything to do with Cairo. Her US born daughter wants to see Egypt and now she has no choice. It is so noisy in Cairo and crowded. This cemetery, another one, offers a little respite from the noise and the crowds. It's hard to imagine that one would find a spot like this in Cairo, so clean and peaceful. This cemetery is being maintained by the Greek Orthodox church of Alexandria and is in better shape than other cemeteries. It is almost beautiful. We met some visitors from Giza, local Giza residents, they were the loveliest Egyptians I've ever met. They were warm and friendly, not grabby like Cairo residents. I've come not to blame them, tourism brings in the needed income. I'm preparing my psyche for my next visit to Egypt, to Luxor and beyond and back to the Egyptian museum.

The grounds of St George that leads to the cemetery. It was one of the most pleasant of days.

From outside these walls, I can still hear the faint sounds of traffic and the call to pray.

This is a beautiful cemetery. I was taken to visit the cemetery in Los Angeles where the movie stars were buried, people like Natalie Wood and others. People do visit cemeteries, like the one in Paris where Jim Morrison was buried. Egypt is one big cemetery beginning with the Pharaohs down to modern times. These are fascinating cemeteries.

I was at a flea market last Sunday and I thought about buying an alabaster angel for my house...the Bible does say, 'we have a host of angels encamped around us....' Maybe that is enough, it is enough to know that there are angels encamped around us, though invisible.