Egypt day 4, etc.

Let´s start this with one of the coolest things ever...a balloon ride over Luxor! We left the hotel at 5am, and got to the sugarcane field where we took off on the West bank about 6am. Watching the balloons fill was cool. When they lit up it was REALLY cool!
There were several, as you can see. We were in a gondola, or straw basket that holds 24 people in a VERY specific order. The basket is divided into 4 sections, like one of those baskets that holds siver ware for a picnic. The tall people go in the back (facing away from center) and the shorter people go in front. The back people have to squat into a sitting position on landing, and the short people get to sit on their laps! It´s kind of fun...
Taking off..one by one!
And us up in the air just as it gets light. Sooo cooooool!

Here are some some pictures of the temple at Luxor at night. (It´s sort of a random post, but mostly I´m trying to put up picturs in this one!) It is so beautiful. And just an amazing feeling to be there at night! Wow!
Here is the goddess of writing and knowledge, with the papyrus headdresss.
the front of the temple
One of a pair of oblisks at the entrance...the other is in the Place de Concorde in Paris.

Before we go too far, I´m putting in some more pictures of Medinet Habu, one of the best preserved temples in Egypt. I think this one was my favorite. Some descriptions about the temples. They are all configured the same way. The first is the Pylons, or the entrance. It is two big slabs of stone with giant carvings.

This is the entryway to Medinet-Habu. You can still see some of the colors, but the whole thing would have been painted.

Upon entering, you enter the open court. This is as far as most people would get. Cerimonies (this word doesn´t look right, but alas, no spell check avail.), etc. were done here. After the open court, you enter the an area filled with giant colums (can´t remember the name to save my neck!) This area would have been covered, and the columns held up the ceiling. As you go further back into the temple, the floor rises and the ceiling lowers. (This is actually the column area from Hapshepsut´s temple) but you get the idea.)The final area in the temple was what in the tabernacle was called the holy of holies...or the inner sanctuary. Around this were offering rooms with alters for liquids such as the blood of animals or perfumes. Also offered were foods, such as fruits, grains etc. The priests had a hallway on the outside of the offering rooms to collect the offerings.

This is an outside view of Medinet Habu

Outside Hatshpsut´s temple. It´s built into the side of a mountain, so It´s pretty cool!

Here you can see the desert in the background.

I think I´ve run out of patience for the picture uploader. I think of what I want to say, but to get the pictures to illustrate it takes so long that when I read over what I´ve written, it doesn´t make as much sense as I had hoped :)! Hope you can get even a sense of what I´ve seen...cause it´s incredible!

Take care of yourselves...

Earline