The day did not start well for me….5.30am I am woken up by what sounded like a crowd of angry people shouting in the street outside….I wait about 10 mins and instead of fading away in the distance it had become louder…so I hopped out of bed, grabbed a jacket, unlocked doors and rushed to the balcony to see what was the matter…??  About 70 – SEVENTY, just SEVENTY – 70 IDIOTS were walking ever so slowly up the street (which is why it got louder and lasted long enough to get me out of bed!), ever so slooooowwllyyy shouting about “Tantawi”  I can say that my mentality was not good at that time being woken up by a bunch of IDIOTS….I really wanted to throw eggs at them but they were gone too far.  This photo is very bad – it was misty and they had really gone too far away by the time I got the phone on!

I surmised that they were from Tahrir and had spent a wet night in the rain and mud!  Obviously the turn out had not been fantastic during the night and now they were out trying to wake up the streets and encourage them to go to Tahrir!  However, other than myself and the doormen of the various buildings in the street – nobody had gotten out of bed to investigate!

I went on Twitter to see the updates on Tahrir….not much but someone was circulating a photo that was supposed to be taken in Tahrir at 3am – someone not even in the country!!!  A photo with blue banners which looked familiar…..hmmmm To cut a long story short I headed to Tahrir at 10am and took the following photos there between 10 and 11am when I left – didn’t feel any atmosphere there apart from the guys on 3 different platforms who were doing their best to whip up the crowd – wasn’t working very well at that time of the morning.  As I left the streets going to Tahrir had started to fill up whereas they had been empty an hour earlier.  The sun was now shining and more encouraging!

Oh, that photo with the blue banner on Twitter – it was from last year.  I had a good look around for it this morning – not there, neither were the crowds it portrayed – maybe the banners and the ppl had gone for breakfast…who knows?

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Hi there! I’m Mara, the heart and soul behind Mara House Luxor. I’m a firm believer that life’s too short for ordinary vacations—great holidays are like a reset button for the soul! My love affair with Egypt started over 20 years ago when I took a leap from Ireland for my first trip here. It was a standard tour package, and honestly, I didn’t know much about this incredible country back then. It was fun, but it wasn’t the magical, life-changing adventure I dreamed of. Today, that’s exactly what I’m here to create for you.

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Whether it’s finding the perfect hotel in Cairo, setting up a dreamy Nile cruise, or designing a custom itinerary that’s just right for you, I’ll be the one rolling up my sleeves to make it happen. Your Egyptian adventure deserves to feel personal, effortless, and totally unforgettable—and I’m here to sprinkle a little magic on every detail.

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