Liefke and Alex visit... Al Azhar Park

Al Azhar park is a tiny piece of heaven within smoggy, crowded and gritty Cairo. You may recognize the name as the same as the university and mosque and all three are in the same general area of Cairo. The park was inaugurated in May 2005. I would not compare it to Central Park, as it is more of a botanical garden without the greenhouses and focus on various plant life.

I cannot believe it has taken me this long to actually walk around this park during the day. From now it will be a habit and I am waiting for warmer weather to pack up a picnic, get stared at by other families and enjoy the sun.

Liefke, Kaite, Alex and I visited the park near noon on a Friday. Arriving close to noon we were greeted by dozens of mosques' calls to prayer, somehow harmonizing. Other tourists, families having picnics, and couples strolled through the idyllic park paths. We stopped for a late breakfast at one of the two cafes inside. Our crepes and coffees were compliment by the views of old Cairo and the Citadel. Most amazing though was the absence of traffic noise and the abundance of green.

Man I miss the color green.

View of Old Cairo

Looking down from the top of the park at the lakeside cafe.

The entrance from the top of the park.

The restaurant where we ate crepes and drank coffee. We actually sat in the sort of tower on the left at the middle window, to be exact.

The "lake" at the Lakeside Cafe.