Cairo, Egypt

From Springtime in the New Egypt

The first thing I loved about Cairo was its flora. After all that time in Jordan, it was so refreshing to live with towering old trees and big bright hibiscus flowers and all sorts of other greens and colors. Now that the gardens of Zamalek line my route to school and are awash in spring blooms, I’ve been carrying my camera with me everywhere I go.

My route to class also follows along the banks of Zamalek Island over looking the gardens that line the Nile. In particular are some shallow waters, docks and moorings under the 15 May Bridge that attract a selection of water birds that I’ve been stalking for weeks now.

Now, not only is it springtime in the literal sense of the word, but commentators are beginning to speak of an “Arab Spring” as a collective term for the rash of revolutions across the region. In that spirit, let me also share my images of the Egyptian Spring, as portrayed by the youth in murals across downtown Cairo.