Tahrir Square

If you Google Tahrir Square, Cairo you would  expect it to look like a demolition site from all the demonstrations and violent clashes between protesters and police. 

On the 23rd we decided to catch the Metro train into Tahrir and have a look for ourselves. Last time Tony tried to see it the street was blocked with tanks and razor wire but this time it was a totally different story.

The square, which is actually a circle, was typical of Downtown Cairo - bumper to bumper traffic, the odd policeman on each "corner" to direct traffic, store owners milling around outside their stores trying to draw passersby in, a line of tanks stationed outside the museum which was about 100 metres along the road, and the few tourists. The monument in the photos was opened by Government Ministers about 3 weeks ago. Sadly, the day after, demonstrators sprayed all over it with graffiti and tried to tear it apart. You can see some of the damage the steps in the photos. The eagle eyes amongst you would have spotted KFC in the background too.

While we were there hawkers approached us selling Egyptian flags, photos of General Sisi and face painting of Egyptian flags. They were not impressed with our "La Shukran" (no thank you) responses. No point getting mixed up in the politics of Egypt when you're standing across the road from a gathering of about 200 people waving flags and chanting, very peacefully though I might add.
How would I describe Tahrir Square? An important landmark in Cairo's journey towards democracy. After Googling it yourself you will probably have your own definition.