Day 4: Revisiting Tahrir Square and Food Poisoning

I've had to come back to reality these past few days.  Cairo is still the amazing, exciting city that it has always been to me, but that isn't to say that I haven't discovered at least a few things that tend to upset me.

First of all I now officially have food poisoning.  As if the unending stomach cramps aren't enough to tell me that I have now been prescribed three different medications to help me get through it.  Darn you Egyptian food!!!  You we're supposed to be tasty AND safe!  

Not that I was deluding myself into thinking that Egyptian food wasn't unsanitary sometimes, but I was so convinced by my generally healthy state last time that I thought I wouldn't get full on food poisoning this semester until it actually happened.

Second of all I had my first trip to Tahrir Square since the revolution.  A few places that I visited were ones I didn't get the chance to see before there.  For the rest I have before and after pictures.  Long story short I saw a lot more police (and secret police for that matter) than I would have liked.  If Egypt was a police state before I'm not sure whats changed between then and now just by looking.

We walked down to Tahrir square, which means crossing over the bridge from Zamalek to Dowtown Cairo.    Here's the view of the Nile that we got while crossing over.

Entering Tahrir Square.  The lions are on the side of the bridge entering Tahrir.  Revolutionary graffiti is still on them. Although it looks like someone threw paint on one of the "leave Mubarak" ones.

 Hardee's in Tahrir.  It also has a KFC and a McDonalds.

The downtown campus AUC bookstore we visited.  the campus is located about a block away from the square.

Inside the campus.  Believe it or not the police hid in here during the revolution since both AUC campuses are not under Egyptian but rather American law and act as a safe haven.

Kitties!!!  On campus taking a nap in the shade.

 Here are the before and after pictures.

A wall along the edge of the square during the revolution.

Same area this semester.

 McDonalds on the Square after the Day of Rage protest.

Same McDonalds now.  New window and all.

The circle in the center of the Square.  During the revolution.

The square now.  I couldn't take a picture close-up of the police that stood all around it with shields and batons at their feet.  There was a risk of them taking my camera. However if you look closely you can see about five men in black uniforms.  That's them.

A burnt police truck after The Day of Rage.  It looks like people were filling it with trash that they were cleaning up from the square.

 Police trucks lining the square now....

This is actually a picture of the subway station.  After taking this picture the secret police came and told me I couldn't take pictures of the place.  The last encounter I had with them was when they told me I couldn't enter the square on The Day of Rage.  I didn't even realize that they still existed.

A picture of the street in Tahrir Square after The Day of Rage.

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The square now.  Looks like just another busy thoroughfare.  We'll have to see if it stays the same once Ramadan is over.