I'm back.....and I brought 359 pictures (Spain, Portugal, Egypt)

Well I just got married about 6 weeks ago and have finally gone through the pictures we took while on our honeymoon. We spent a week in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. Then we spent a week in Madeira, Portugal. Then we spent two days in Lisbon, Portugal and finally we spent 8 days in Egypt. It was definitely the trip of a lifetime and my wife and I had a blast.

I thought I would throw some pictures up there for everybody in case anyone wanted to see them. I have also added some notes to go along with the pictures to help you know what you're looking at. I thought it may make it more interesting.

1-54 are in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.

1. The first three are the views out of our bedroom window in the place we stayed.


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4. This is the exterior of our resort.


5. The next two are the balcony view and the resort pool.


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8. Panomara of the island


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15. Huge agricultural valley up the hill from our resort.


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18. Panorama of the island at night.


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21. We took a tour up Mount Teide and stopped in this local shop with samples of preserves, jam, liquors, etc. All of it was very good.


Mount Teide
- Last Eruption in 1909
- Third Largest Volcano in the world @ 3718m

22. We took a bus up to this point (~2500m) where a cable car must take you the rest of the way up. The ride in the cable car takes 8 minutes. I am afraid of heights, so I was not excited about the cable car ride.


23. Mount Teide summit


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29. A shop we stopped in on the way down has tons of bills from all over the world.


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31. Here's Playa De Las Americas. Nearby to the shopping center where we bought most of our souvenirs.


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33. At night it was often cooler outside than inside our room so sometimes we camped out on the balcony using couch cushions. Ha.


34. We took a bus ride to Santa Cruz, the capital of Tenerife. It was on the north shore. Santa Cruz is a very old city.
- Occupied by Guanches 2000 years ago
- After a volcano destroyed Port Garachico in 18th century, S.C. became the first major port on the island.
- Was considered one of the most important ports in the Atlantic, and still is today


35. Tenerife Concert Hall/Opera House
- Architect Santiago Calatrava
- Visited by Bill Clinton
- Has become symbol of Tenerife, most photographed building on island


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41. A few locals resting under the palm trees. What a hard life.


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44. I'm an Apple guy, lol.


45. Everything was so intricate and detailed, even the doors to random buildings.


46. There was graffiti everywhere. Seriously, everywhere.


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52. This was the street that ran from downtown all the way to the coast with shops all along the way.


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54. We had a little picnic on the balcony of a building that had not been moved into yet. Wine and pizza, how romantic right?

55-131 are in Madeira, Portugal

55. This is the hotel we stayed in. The Pestana Grand. 5 star resort, very nice, great view.


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58. These are lava rocks in the ocean outside the back of our hotel. We climbed down them and took some pictures.


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63. It may be hard to tell from the picture, but the peak of the rock I am on top of is at least 125 feet high.


64. This is called terrace farming and they do all the work by hand because there is no way to get machines out there.


65. Downtown Funchal in Madeira.


66. This is Cabo Girao, the third highest sea cliff in Europe at 580m


67. Local women selling handmade jewelry at the lookout for the cliff.


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70. This is Igreja De Sao Pedro
- Started in 1590, not finished until the 18th century
- Interior decorations from 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries


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74. We stopped in a local place known for making the best Poncha on the island. They use al fresh ingredients. The full name is Poncha (a pescador) → Fisherman’s Punch
- Originated in India brought by the British and adapted by Madeirans
- Made with honey, lemon juice, orange juice and rum
- Was used by sailors going out to sea because it was strong
- Became popular because it was considered a good drink to heal a sore throat


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78. There were walls covered in business cards from all over the world


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81. We were literally in the clouds


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83. We stopped in Sao Vincente to see the lava tubes.
- Caves are a result of lava tubes from an eruption 400 thousand years ago
- Complex volcanic tunnels over 1000m in length, longest known in Madeira. 700m are walkable by the public


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86. This is what we saw leaving! Ha, just kidding. There was a room with information about how the island formed and what volcanos mean to different cultures. This was just a picture in that room


87. They had a room simulating lava and the center of the earth


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89. We also saw a 3D movie showing the formation of Madeira and describing its history.


90. Some flowers outside the lava tubes.


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94. There were falling rocks all over the roads.


95. Hard to tell from the picture but this waterfall was at least 150 feet high.


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98. The port at Porto Moniz
- Known for it’s natural pools, formed by lava rocks and filled by the tide with crystal clear water
- Main industry is fishing and winemaking
- Recently added a promenade with a few restaurants, view points, and the Living Science Center


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102. Natural pools at Porto Moniz


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107. This is a Levada
- Irrigation channel, or aquaduct
- Created to bring water from the wet west and northwest areas of the island to the much drier southeast
- Southeast is more conducive to habitation and agriculture
- Today they also supply hydro-electric power
- There are over 1350 miles of levadas on the island and many have been turned into beautiful walks
Unfortunately we did not have the chance to do a levada walk but that is at the top of the list if we ever get to go back.


108. This was the view out of our hotel room at night.


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112. We walked to downtown Funchal, the capital of Madeira. The walk was beautiful.


113. We stopped inside Casa Du Turista
- Most famous shop in Madeira
- Best place for handmade embroideries, tapestries, wickerwork, Portugues pottery and ceramics, Madeiran wines, fruit and flowers


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117. Embroidery factory. Everything was handmade and apparently embroidery is what Madeira is so well known for.


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121. This is Se Cathedral
- First church built in Madeira
- Expanded twice in 1438 and 1450 but still considered too small for the population
- In 1485 a new church began construction but suffered several setbacks
- In 1500 King Manuel insisted the big church be finished and it was consecrated in 1517
- Distinct Manueline architecture, which is Portuguese late Gothic
- Named after King Manuel I (1495-1521) whose reign coincided with its development
- Marked the transition from Late Gothic to the Renaissance


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126. Snuck a couple of a woman at confession


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132-209 are in Lisbon, Portugal

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133. Once again, graffiti everywhere.


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139. Even graffiti on the benches, lol.


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141. All the sidewalks were beautiful stone with designs.


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146. Even graffiti on the electric trolley. They have electric trollies as well as electric trams. This trolley just goes up and down hills as Lisbon is full of steep hills. The trams have a route all over the city that they travel as public transportation.


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148. We never could figure out what the name of this cathedral was but it was very pretty inside.


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154. This is outside Hard Rock Cafe Lisbon.


155. Hard Rock and live performance inside.


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165. The most incredible thing we saw was Jeronimos Monastery
- Construction began in 1502 and took 50 years to complete
- South portal 32m high 12m wide, considered the most magnificent of its time
- Above the doors on the left depicts St Jerome removing a thorn from a lion’s paw, after which the lion became his best friend
- Above the doors on the right depicts St Jerome in the desert
- The spandrel in the middle shows the coat of arms of King Manuel I
- The man in center with the sword is Henry the Navigator
o Important figure of Portuguese Empire and responsible for the beginning of the European worldwide explorations
o Directed the design of a new, lighter ship able to sail further, faster and more efficiently
- Funded by 5% tax on Eastern spices, except pepper, cinnamon, and cloves
- Tax went straight to the Crown


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173. Manueline tomb of Vasco Da Gama
o Immediately followed in the footsteps of Henry The Navigator
o One of the most successful Portuguese explorers
o Commanded the first ships sailed directly from Europe to India


174. Upper choir room.


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177. Local woman selling her scarves.


178. Courtyard of Jeronimos Monastery.


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186. This was a museum we saw. Had sculptures of many Portuguese explorers on the outside.


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188. We also saw Torre De Belem
- Built between 1515 and 1521
- Built as ceremonial gateway to Lisbon and as part of a defensive system
- Originally the tower stood on an island near the right bank of Tagus, but with the southward creep of the shoreline now it is basically moored to the bank itself
- Prisoner chamber below ground with overhead gate
- 17 cannons in the bastion
- Tower is four stories and 35m high
- Water level is powder magazine (ammunition storage)
- First story was the commander’s room
- Second story had covered balcony posts on each side
- Third story is a chapel
- Top story is a oratory (prayer room)


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194. Drawbridge mechanism.


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203. This is Se Cathedral By the time we arrived here it was closed so we only have a couple pics of the outside
- Built in 1147
- Modified several times and survived many earthquakes
- Drastically damaged in the 1755 Earthquake
o Destroyed the main gothic chapel and royal pantheon (circular temple)
o Also ruined many cloisters and chapels
o Cathedral was partially rebuilt, and in 20th century was given the appearance it has today after a extensive renovation


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206. At night down this street they had nets with lights all in the shape on constellations. There must have been 50 down the whole street.


207. This is Rossio fountain, downtown.


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210-359 are in Egypt We had two days in Cairo, then flew to Aswan an took a cruise up the Nile river and ended with three more days in Cairo.

210. Panorama of the the view out of our first hotel room on the Nile River.


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219. This is the Door to Old Cairo
- Old Cairo is situated so the buildings form a barrier with the only entrances through doors in the alleys between buildings. They could be closed to seal off the city
- When Napoleon invaded Egypt in 1798m he had the doors destroyed, only this one remains


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225. The is Mosque & School Of Sultan Hassan
- Ramadan lantern (Fanouz) carries by small children while singing a traditional song
- They are rewarded with nuts and candies
- Constructed in the Mamluk style architecture
- Considered stylistically the most compact and unified of all Cairo monuments
- Constructed as a mosque and school with four separate sections for each of the four schools of Sunni Islam thought: Shafi, Maliki, Hanafi, and Hanbali
- Construction started in 1356 and took 7 years
- During construction a minaret collapsed killing 300 people
- The Sultan was assassinated before completion and his body was never recovered
- The burial chamber intended for him instead holds his two sons
- This mosque is featured on the Egyptian 100 Pound note


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238. This is where the Koran would be placed in the "V" and someone would kneel on the flat surface to read it.


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240. These are inside Al Rafa’I Mosque
- Built to complement the Mosque Of Sultan Hassan next to it
- Built during 19th century Egypt as an attempt by Egyptian rulers to associate themselves with the perceived glory of earlier periods in Egypt’s Islamic history and modernize the city
- Constructed in two phases between 1869 and 1912
- Resting place of Khushyar Hanim and her son Isma’il Pasha, as well as King Farouk, Egypt’s last reigning king.
- Shah of Iran (Mohammad Reza Pahlavi) has gallbladder stones and sought treatment in the USA in 1979 (Carter). This angered the revolutionary movement in Iran. He returned to Iran only to be exiled. After this the Shah sought support of Anwar Sadat who gave him permanent residence in Egypt as well as medical treatment. Nevertheless he still dies and was given a state funeral and buried in this mosque.
- Tomb of King Farouk
o Last king of Egypr
o Brother in law to Shah of Iran
o Was overthrown during Egyptian Revolution in 1952


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246. The staircase on the right leads to the Minbar
o Pulpit used to deliver sermons
o Sermons delivered by the Imam (leader of prayer)
The place cut out of the wall to the left of it is a Mihrab
o Notch in wall to indicate the direction of Mecca
o All Muslims kneel and face this during prayer
o Decorated with stone with interference fit: no glue, nails etc.


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249. Cairo at sunset


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252. The Nile River
- Longest river on earth (4160 miles)
- Two tributaries, The Blue Nile & The White Nile
o Blue Nile determines volume of water in the Nile and contributes more than 50% of the Nile River water
o Blue Nile originates in Lake Tana in Ethiopia
o White Nile earns its name from the presence of silt which makes it appear white
o White Nile originates in Lake Victoria in Kenya, Uganda & Tanzania


253. The Aswan Dam
- Low dam built from 1889 to 1902 with help from British
- Initial height of the dam was inadequate and the height was raised twice (1907-1912) and (1929-1933)
- When it still almost overflowed in 1946 the decision for a new dam was made
- Russia funded construction of high dam from 1960-1970
- Contains 43 million cubic meters of material
- Can pass 11,000 cubic meters of water a second a full capacity


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256. We visited Temple Philae
- Accessed by boat
- Coptic cross
o Three points at each end represent the Holy Trinity
o Total of 12 points represent the 12 apostles
o Many Copts have the cross tattooed inside their right arm
o One form referred to as the Ethiopian Coptic Cross was worn by SRV
- Wings are symbol of protection
- First discoteque


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260. Coptic cross


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267. Egyptian Oils: Used for healing, perfumes, cologne


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270. This next group of pictures is from Philae Temple
- Similar to a dovetail joint
- Contains what is thought to be the first symbols of medical imstruments
o Scalpels, curettes, forceps, dilator, scissors, and medicine bottles
- Crown of upper Egypt (South) white, looks like a bowling pin
- Crown of lower Egypt (North) red, looks like a chair
- I – 1, n – 10,
- Paint
o Red and Yellow Ocre (iron oxide)
• When heated, Yellow ocre turns red
o Green (Malachite)
o Blue (Lapis Lazuil) semi precious stone
o Black (Charcoal)
o Mixed with Acacia sap, beeswax, eggs, or sometimes casein glue made from milk and limes
o Painted with brushed of reeds, hair or chewed twigs


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279. These next pictures are from Edfu Temple
- Statue of Horus
o Son of goddess Isis
o Depicted as a falcon because he god of the sky
o Protected Egyptians from Set, god of the desert
- Nilometer
o Measured water levels of the Nile River
o Allowed historic comparative records
• 1 out of 5 years the Nile either under-flooded or over-flooded
• Caused either famine, or washed away infrastructure
o Drawn from riverbank, often for a great distance, to a well or cistern with depth markings on the walls


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284. Arabic Pepsi


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288. This was the Esna Lock
- Used to allow ships to pass from different water levels
- Two watertight gates
- 2 cruise ships at a time


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290. Inside the cruise ship, at the bar/dance floor.


291. Adaptor's galore. Gotta charge the camera and send out email updates, ha!


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295. My wife thought these guys looked like Storm Troopers, lol.


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297. We took a trip to the Valley Of The Kings
- Tombs housing pharaohs from 16th century BC to 11th century BC
- Contains 62 verified royal tombs
- 63rd tomb discovered but owner is yet to be determined
- KV2 Ramses IV
o Beautifully painted and decorated
- KV14 Tausert & Setnakht
o Dual tomb, king and queen buried together
- KV16 Ramses I
o Also painted and preserved beautifully
o 30 meters underground, with very steep entrance
o Hotter than outsdie
- Average 4000-5000 tourists per day, with peaks reaching 9000 on days that Nile cruises are docked


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302. We also saw a place where they handmake alabaster and onyx pieces.


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305. We also saw the Temple Of Queen Hapshetsut
- Reigned longer than any other female Pharaoh (22 years)
- Depicted with dark skin, contrary to typical Egyptian art
o Men usually dark skinned, women usually fair skinned
o She wanted to be seen as equal in power to male pharaohs
- Re-established broken trade routes


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307. I'm as strong as a granite column....well, maybe not.


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315. And of course we saw the Pyramids Of Giza
- Three pyramids exactly align with the location of the three stars of Orion’s Belt in 10500BC
- Biggest and oldest is Khufu’s pyramid (2560BC)
o Took 20 years to build
- Was the tallest man made structure in the world for over 3800 years
- Originally about 480 feet tall (40 stories), Currently 455 feet (erosion)
- Each side is about 750 feet long ( 2.5 football fields)
- Each side is accurate to within 58mm
- Based on measurements from NE casing stones, the average gap between blocks is only 0.5mm
- Consists of over 2.3 million limestone blocks
- The largest blocks weigh upwards of 60 tons and were transported over 500 miles from Aswan
- North face is within 3 minutes of a degree of true North
- The base is horizontal a flat to within 15mm
- Has three chambers
o Lower, unfinished chamber
o Grand Gallery splits and leads to Queen’s chamber (misnomer) and antechamber which precedes the King’s chamber
- Khafre’s pyramid retains case stones near the apex
o Appears larger due to higher elevation and steeper inclinations but is actually smaller in height and volume
- Pyramid of Menkaure
o Smallest of the three pyramids


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321. Yes, we rode camels!


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325. And another obligatory tourist attraction, the Great Sphinx Of Giza
- Oldest monolith statue in the world (carved of a single piece of rock)
- 241 ft long, 20 ft wide, 65 ft high
- Commonly accepted as being built during Khafra’s reign (2520 – 2492BC)
- It is suggested that the Sphinx was originally not a lion, but a jackal, and intended as a statue of the god Anubis to guard the tombs in the pyramids


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328. We saw a rug factory and watched young children making the rugs. Each square centimeter has 144 knots and each square meter takes one month to make!


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330. We also visited Saqqara
- Ancient burial ground
- Imhotep Museum
o Architect of Djoser’s Step Pyramid
o Credited with being the founder of medicine and the first figure of a physician to stand out from the mists of antiquity
- Djoser pyramid
o Oldest stone building complex
- Funerary Complex
o Of the first stone buildings
o Imitates previous organic architecture
o Stone carved to replicate bundles of logs tied together
o Ceiling simulates logs laid down to create a roof


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338. One of the last things we saw was the Citadel of Salah Al Din
- Completed construction in 1184, but the wall did not finish until 1238
- Fortified by Salah Al Din to protect Egypt from the Crusaders


339. Inside the walls of the Citadel is the Mosque of Muhammad Ali
- Built between 1828 and 1848 in Ottoman style
- Symbolizes Muhammad Ali’s attempt to erase symbols of the Mamluk dynasty he replaced
- Mamluk lives in the southern quarter, Muhammad claimed residence in the North and opened the South to the public
- Placing the Ottoman mosque where the Mamluk’s once reigned was symbolic of the new importance and dominance of the new leader
- Often referred to as the Alabaster Mosque because of all the alabaster used in its construction. The green alabaster gives off a glow in the ceiling when illuminated.


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348. View of downtown Cairo from the Citadel


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352. Hookahs for sale!


353. People everywhere! About 25 million reside in Cairo.


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355. Trash everywhere


356. This woman was making pita bread.


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358. This is called the city of the dead. This is a graveyard and the poverty stricken live in the mausoleums. The government runs power and water to the graveyards so the people can live.


359. This is the view from our second hotel room in Giza, overlooking the pyramids.


That's it. Sorry that they are lower quality but with so many I couldn't so them at full resolution. Hopefully they are good enough to get an idea of what these areas are like.

Also, I know you always hear how Egypt isn't a safe place to visit. I feel that couldn't be more wrong. My wife and I NEVER felt in danger in any way, and as you can probably tell from some of the pictures, the locals were very friendly for the most part.

They also have tourist police whose sole responsibility is to ensure the safety of tourists. Whenever our tour guides picked us up from the resort, they would have to go inside and tell the concierge, or receptionist that they were picking up so-and-so, these are their names, and these are their passport numbers. They also told us where they were taking us for the day. When we got to our first destination, our names were on a roster held by the tourist police. Our tour guide checked us in and the tour guide called the hotel to notify them that we arrive safely. This procedure was repeated for everywhere we went. If anything I felt like we were the safest people in the country.

Anyway, hopefully you guys enjoy some of the pictures. Any comments or criticism on the pictures or anything else is welcome.

Are you serious?

Dude Im gonna have to start charging you for bandwidth/memory for my server,lmao

Seems to me your pockets are deep enough to travel like that , so how about throwing some of that cash to musclechemistry.com lmao, kidding ofcourse but Geezus brutha it took me 20 minutes to load them all,lol,

If it's too much I can edit the posts so there aren't so many pictures. Just let me know.

And BTW, my pockets are shallow like a kiddies pool. Our honeymoon was our wedding gift from my parents.

great pics! thanks for sharing. T1 baby.

Wow, some of those shots are really good. Are you a photographer? You certainly have a talent for photography from what I can see.

Awesome pics, man... you said those were low res?!? Looked great to me! I've been to quite a few of those places and my pics don't look anywhere near as good as yours. lol. Congrats on the wedding, and welcome back.

Holy Shit thats a lot of pictures. Awesome though. I'm completely jealous.

very nice man some amazing shots there, congrats on the wedding you have a beautiful bride. I learned something in the pics too haha thanks again i know that took alot of time and effort to share with us.

saudades said:

Wow, some of those shots are really good. Are you a photographer? You certainly have a talent for photography from what I can see.

Click to expand...

Not professionally but that is another one of my hobbies. My wife also enjoys photography so we share that passion. Thanks for the compliments as well. It's good to know others appreciate our perspective

Get_Swole said:

very nice man some amazing shots there, congrats on the wedding you have a beautiful bride. I learned something in the pics too haha thanks again i know that took alot of time and effort to share with us.

Click to expand...

Thanks a lot bro. It did take a while to type everything up and link to the pics, but I feel like the guys on this forum are like a family and I figured it would be worth it to share.

Thanks to everyone else for the compliments. Glad the pictures have been enjoyed.