Today was the first day of my theoretical travels!
I decided my first stop would be Egypt. Pyramids, mummies, crowded outdoor bazaars, hookah...what's not to like?
Things got off to a shaky start
My first stop was the D.C Farmer's Market, which promised to be as close as I could get to the atmosphere of an Egyptian bazaar. However, upon arrival this is what I found...
Notice anything wrong with this picture?
This is not quite the hectic market I was expecting. That was until I discovered it is CLOSED on Mondays.
Deciding that I would not let this get my spirits down, I continued my trek onto my next destination, Khan el Khalili. Not quite the famous Cairo bazaar, but rather a more low key hookah shop. So I hop on the bus and follow my map down 7th st...
then back up 7th st...
and then back down one more time just to confirm the fact that...IT WASN'T THERE.
My spirits began to slightly d
r
o
p.
But not enough to send me home.
Next stop was the Egyptian mummies exhibit museum of natural history.
At least it was there.
Or rather part of it was there. As I soon came to discover, it was only a PREVIEW of the exhibit. This consisted of 2 small glass cases in a dimly lit back hallway. There was a mummy, a sarcophagus, some amulets and a refresher course in some 6th grade history, including this fun fact:
(I guess those new boots were worth the splurge.)
After a quick stop in the mammal hall in hopes of finding a Camel (I didn't) I decided to stop by the Freer and Sackler galleries since they were advertising ancient Iranian pottery. It's no Egypt, but I figured it was close enough to theme.
After a morning of disappointments, my luck had finally turned around. It turns out that Charles Lang Freer had traveled to Egypt to expand his personal art collection, which is on display in the Freer gallery!
Isn't it beautiful?
Of course I still had to see the ancient Iranian pottery.
Turns out they were very inspired by birds. Combining birds and pottery, this is definitely something I will be looking more into.
It was time to head to the Cairo Condominiums. This was more for the name than the sight itself,
but it was quite a sight.
It had gargoyles, carved elephant heads on the window frames, this arch entry, and intricate carvings. I was captivated. Which made it even harder when I discovered the architectural travesty that had occurred. Apparently when a building is deemed a historical landmark, only the facade is really protected, leaving the rest of the building in danger of this:
so sad. But better this than no Cairo.
By this point I was starting to get a little hungry. As tempting as
the sign at Trio was,
I decided I would hold out for some good Shawarma.
So I began my journey to Columbia Heights, home of DC's Shawarma King. After missing my first transfer point, I decided to ride until the next one instead of backtracking. Turns out this was a good decision, and I ended up meeting the sweetest Peruvian woman who had just moved to DC. We had a nice conversation as she walked with me to the restaurant since she knew her way around the neighborhood better than me. She sent me off with a kiss on the cheek and well wishes for my future. I wish I had at least gotten her name.
But now, it was Shawarma time.
YUM
Tired, tan, and full of Shawarma, I began my 5 mile walk home. Sure I could have taken the bus, but why not explore a little more? Turns out there wasn't much to see, but I did pass enough time until I was meeting my friend for hookah.
(He's still working on his smoke tricks.)
And so my day came to a close. It wasn't quite the worldly adventure I had hoped for, but it was only the first try. Maybe I'll have better luck next time.
For more (and better) pictures check out my Tumblr !
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