Things to do, places to go, people to irritate...

Okay, so maybe irritating people in Egypt would be bad...hence the reason for me leaving my Infidel shirt behind. But there are more places to go. So here's my addition to Kaitlynn's list--most of which are in Cairo. And since I got a digital camera for Christmas, I can now take pictures of all of these new and interesting places.

Cairo Opera House--The complex also houses the Museum of Egyptian Modern Art. If it's as silly as American modern art, I'm sure I'll have no shortage of things to make fun of.

Cairo Tower--From the top, most of the city is visible.

Greater Cairo Library--I bet a I spend a lot of time here...

Khan al-Khalili--I see many souvenirs being bought here.

al-Azhar Mosque--The center of Islamic learning-back when such a thing was popular.

The Citadel, Cairo--Built by Saladin in the 12th century.

The Mosque of Ibn Tulun--The minaret has an exposed spiral staircase.

The Hanging Church--Said to be the most beautiful of Cairo's churches.

The Church of St. Sergius--Oldest church in Old Cairo.

Convent of the Holy Virgin--Built into the cliffs where Copts believe Joseph, Mary, and Jesus reportedly hid from King Herod.

Hatshepsut's Temple--Girl Power!

St. Katherine's Monastery--Greek Orthodox monastery at the foot of Mt. Sinai.

Greetings from not-Cairo

Okay, so I'm not there yet. But things are falling into place--tuition, plane ticket, housing...all starting to come together. So we'll call this an introduction. First of all, the title. Yeah, it's a little goofy. Let me explain. Dr. Strangelove is a nickname I have acquired for my occasional cynicism regarding the situation in the Middle East. You can all thank Art for this one. As for the subtitle, I hope my colleagues at Baylor will recognize where I shamelessly appropriated it from. Bonus points to whoever figures it out.

Now, onto business. I made a deal with my little sister when we were matched through Big Brothers Big Sisters in February that when I got ready to go to Egypt, she could make me a list of all of the places she thought I ought to visit and I would then be bound to go see and take pictures of all of them. So here is the list. It is now everyone's job to make sure that I make it to all of these. The accountability starts now.

• Cleopatra's Beach, Marsa Matruh--Served as the port for Antony and Cleopatra. That didn't end so well for them.
• Montazah Palace--The gardens are the real draw here.
• The Greco-Roman Museum in Alexadria--History from the founding of the city to the Arab conquests.
• Battlefield memorials at el-Alamein--Site of a watershed battle during the North Africa campaign during World War II.
• St. Anthony's Monastery--The oldest Coptic monastery in Egypt.
• The Crusader Castle on Pharaoh's Island--Maybe by the end of this trip, I'll actually be able to spell "pharoah" correctly without the benefit of spell check.
• Ras Mohammed National Park--Egypt's first marine national park, off the southern tip of the Sinai.
• Ain Musa--"The Springs of Moses," where God commanded Moses to throw a branch into a spring to yield fresh water for the Israelites escaping Pharoah.
• Abu Simbel--Built to honor Ramses II.
• Kitchner's Island, Aswan--Known for its lush botanical gardens.
• Lake Nasser--The largest man-made lake in the world, it was created by the building of the High Dam.
• King Tut's Tomb in the Valley of the Kings, Thebes--Does this one really need much explanation?
• The Sacred Lake at Karnak--Priests purified themselves before entering the Temple of Amun.
• Luxor Museum--Collection of artifacts from ancient Egypt including statues and funerary goods.
• Luxor Temple--Prime example of Pharaonic architecture.
• Mummification Museum, Luxor--Kind of self-explanatory, no?
• Giza--The Sphinx and the Pyramids.
• Fayoum--Egypt's largest oasis.
• Siwa--Egypt's most secluded oasis town. Hey, Kaitlynn--how do you propose I get there?
• The Egyptian Museum, Cairo--This might be an all day project.
• Bibliotheca Alexandria, Alexandria--The famed library of Alexandria. Or what's left of it, anyhow.
• Temple of Kom Ombo--Massive Greco-Roman temple. Hey, did you know there is a crocodile god?
• Badr's Museum, Farafra--Features a local artist's sculptures of oasis life.

Give me a couple of days and I'll add my list of places I hope to visit.