November, 2016 - Cascadian Abroad

Ukraine’s Pirogovo Open Air Museum

November 26, 2016 by Viktoria Haddan

Earlier this November, I had a chance to visit my family in Kiev, Ukraine. The last and only time I returned to my country of birth was 12 years ago in 2004, when I was a college student. From Cairo, Kiev is only about a five-hour flight so I knew I had to take advantage of the proximity.

During the week, my mom (hi, Cascadian Val!) and I stayed with my aunt and uncle and their three children. One of our tourist outings was to the small town of Pirogovo (Pyrohiv) outside of Kiev to see the Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine.

According to the introductory sign when we entered, the open air museum contains an outstanding collection of traditional Ukrainian farmsteads of the 1960s-1970s representing every region of Ukraine. We walked from one region to another.

To the left, there is an Orthodox church, the Dniprov region and the Carpathian region. To the right, is the singing field and mid-20th century village.

Each area has a different type of architecture reflecting the climate of the area—Polissia, Carpathian Mountains, Western forests, Central forests, Eastern forests and Southern Ukraine. In total, there are 47 homes or structures that were reconstructed post-war and brought to this museum. Some of the structures include the main residences, garages, summer kitchens, barns, sheds, cellars, storehouses, chicken coops, wells, etc.

The green-domed Zarubincy village church is from the Cherkassy region and was built in 1742.

Construction of the buildings on the museum territory was carried out by local craftsmen from the regions in order to preserve building features authentic to each place. All of the structures are located along a central road, depicting the appearance of a traditional street in post-war, Socialist Ukraine.

This 19th century home has kalyna hung over the doorway. Kalyna is a red berry similar to cranberries and is a national symbol of Ukraine.

A sign explaining the origins of the home. The home and a kalyna tree are in the background.

We were able to see into the interior of some of the homes. This is the kitchen and main living area. It has the traditional red embroidered linens and flowers and herbs drying on the walls.

A caretaker sweeps the front of one of the village homes. This one had a fresh wheat thatched roof.

More village houses with thatched roofs.

As we walked around, we spotted some snack stands, beer gardens and restaurants. Admittedly, in November, there was not a lot of activity. My aunt says that it is a very popular place to come in the summer with a picnic. There are many festivals and weddings held on the museum grounds. You can also rent a bike and ride through each of the villages.

The restaurant “Shynok” boasts home-cooked meals.

On top one of the hills, near the “Carpathian region,” stand several windmills.

View of all the windmills on the hilltop.

This windmill reminded me of the story “Baba Yaga,” a Slavic folktale about a witch who lives in a chicken-legged hut.

It was a fun day spent wandering through the grounds from one village to another. My mom and aunt reminisced about what their parents and grandparents house looked like during this time. At the end of the trip, my mom said this was one of her favorite experiences.

Can you guess what these are? My aunt says they are bee hives.

The last of the fall flowers and foliage.

Abou Tarek Koshari

November 23, 2016 by Viktoria Haddan

The exterior of Abou Tarek Koshary in downtown Cairo. It is the one and only location. The sign states "We have no other branches."

I was really excited to try the koshari at Abou Tarek, one of the most well-known restaurants in Cairo.

The koshary dish at Abou Tarek. This is a small portion and I had a hard time finishing it.

Koshari (koshary / kushari) is a typical Egyptian dish. It’s very filling and is originally a peasant/lower class food. It is still very inexpensive (think $1 USD or less) with giant portions. It has rice, macaroni and vermicelli noodles as a base with cooked lentils and chickpeas on top. On top of that is a light, red sauce and fried onions. You can also add a lemon garlic sauce and/or hot sauce. I like both. And koshari is vegan so how exciting is that?

The restaurant is located in a busy area. I took this picture from the second floor looking down at the street where these men were enjoying the national pastime of people watching.

My first koshari was delivered to my house from Zooba; the restaurant also makes a whole grain version with wheat pasta and crushed wheat that I’d like to try. I’ve also had it from the local chain Koshary El Tahrir. But the one at Abou Tarek in downtown Cairo is the best because they make everything fresh, including frying the onions. The crispy onions make it magical.

Takeout from Koshary El Tahrir. This was dinner and then breakfast the next day.

I have to admit, the ingredient list of koshari doesn’t sound that impressive, but put all together, it works. I usually have pasta, lentils and red sauce at home so it’s easy to make my own quick version.

Check out the day tours by Emo Tours. Mine included the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, Citadel with the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, the Khan el Khalili Market and a stop at Abou Tarek Koshary.

Mosque of Muhammad Ali in the Cairo Citadel

November 20, 2016 by Viktoria Haddan

The Mosque of Muhammad Ali at the Citadel of Cairo.

One of my city tours included the Cairo Citadel. I didn’t know much about it except that the last time I drove past it was during Eid (one of the religious holidays) and it was packed with people.

I learned that the citadel used to be the city center and was fortified/walled to keep out the Crusaders, who were trying to spread Christianity through a series of religious wars. The walled complex used to be much larger, but was split in two when a major highway was built in the middle of it.

The citadel is now just a site that includes several defunct museums and three mosques, the most prominent of which is the Mosque of Muhammad Ali. It was built by Muhammad Ali Pasha in 1848 and is not related to the American boxer who took the same name. Side note: Muhammad, Mohamed and Ahmed are very popular names here; parents name boys after the Prophet himself.

It cost about $6 (more or less depending on what the dollar is doing on a given day) to enter the whole site as a foreigner. For locals, the cost is very minimal and as a result, it’s a popular gathering place. No shoes in the courtyard or interior of the mosque, obviously, but I didn’t have to cover my head. I wore long pants and a t-shirt and had no problems. It was a worthwhile trip to see the most recognizable white alabaster mosque in the “City of a Thousand Minarets.”

Thanks Wikipedia for details about the mosque.

Check out the day tours by Emo Tours. Mine included the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, Citadel with the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, the Khan el Khalili Market and a stop at Abou Tarek Koshary.

First glimpse of the mosque as it sits on top of the city. I believe there is a Holy Quran in the driver’s car as well!

Approaching the walls of the Cairo Citadel. The mosque sits at the summit of the walled city.

A group of women near the mosque. Coming to the Citadel is quite a social/spiritual event, especially during holidays and holy days.

The limestone exterior and iron windows. The mosque is built in the Ottoman/Turk style.

Looking up at one of the minarets. The mosque is one of the most easily recognizable in Cairo.

The alabaster covered courtyard of the Mosque of Muhammad Ali.

Standing in the courtyard of the mosque and the clock tower. The clock tower was a gift from King Louis Philippe of France in 1845 and my guide said it was a bad gift because the tower didn’t have lasting power and started crumbling (see the scaffolding around it?).

The interior of the mosque. My guide mentioned that it is distinctive because of its red carpet. People were relaxing and hanging out. It was in between prayer times.

The “minbar” of the mosque (center left) is where the prayer leader sits and leads prayer and service.

Walking out the door to views of the gardens and city of Cairo.

Corridor of arches along the exterior of the mosque.

Views of Cairo from the top of the Citadel. Can you spot the two largest Pyramids of Giza in the haze?

A peek of the green-domed Al-Nasir Muhammad Mosque behind Muhammad Ali.

The crescent moon and star, symbol of Islam, sits on top of one of the white domes.

Bibliotheca Alexandrina: One of the Coolest Libraries in the World

November 14, 2016 by Viktoria Haddan

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt

I had first read about the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in one of those Buzzfeed articles about beautiful libraries around the world. When I think of beautiful libraries, I imagine open yet cozy spaces with shelves of jewel toned book spines with gold script and overstuffed chairs. Even more so for a library with a location home to an ancient civilization.

But on my trip to Alexandria, I discovered an ultra-modern facility built in 2002. UNESCO supported the rebuilding of the library and held a design contest. The exterior of the building has writing from 120 different world scripts.

There was an ancient library called the Library of Alexandria, but it was destroyed in several fires and sieges by Julius Caesar and later when the Muslims invaded Egypt. It housed the ancient world’s largest collection of papyrus scrolls aimed to have all of the world’s knowledge in one place.

I wandered through the main floor of the library, where there were exhibits with vintage printing presses as well as books in Arabic, French and English. You cannot check out any books from the library, only read them while you are there. There is a university nearby so I saw many students studying and using computers.

I got my fix for ancient books in the Manuscript Museum, where I saw a piece of papyrus originally thought to be in the first library, illustrated copies of the Quran and first editions of Arabic books.