Gold's Gym: An Oasis in Cairo

I know it's a bit odd that the first picture I've posted of my life in Cairo is of the gym but, to be honest, I'm quite excited about it. It was clear as soon as I arrived that it would be impossible to run outside. The pollution makes the air unbreathable and the traffic makes it difficult to get around, but that's really all secondary to the fact that the Cairines would probably have heart attacks to see a woman running down the street (let alone a woman wearing shorts!). So after a week of feeling cloistered and sedentary, today I made my way to the Gold's Gym in Giza. As you can see from the picture, it is actually floating in the Nile.

While in the States, Gold's is sort of the bottom of the barrel as far as gyms go--with all of us who use it really wishing we could belong to WSC or Results--in Cairo it is, well, beautiful. Everything is brand new; there's a restaurant and a spa; and, best of all, I ran on a treadmill overlooking the Nile. (Alas, even here I was the only woman wearing shorts.)

And now that I've started saying happy birthdays, I can't well stop... so Happy Birthday, Lindsey!