Ice skating in Egypt

So it's not the Olympic Village at Lake Placid but Family Land in Maadi is one of Cairo's best kept secrets. It is a complex with an 8 screen movie theater, squash court, arcade games and rides for the kids, cafes and restaurants to hold your wedding, and last but not least - AN ICE SKATING RINK! S and I have been several times to see movies. The last time we went we decided to try out the ice rink that we had discovered on our first trip there. For a mere 25 LE per hour (which includes skate rental if needed) you can ice skate. Or in my case attempt to do so. I used to skate 2 or 3 times a week in New York, but sadly made the decision to leave my skates behind in the States when I moved to Egypt. "It's Egypt" I told myself, "there won't be anywhere to ice skate there." But I was wrong.

And it seems that not many people in Egypt know about Family Land either. Every time I have been there the place is practically empty. S and I had the ice rink to ourselves for the first half hour. After that a handful of others ranging in age from children to adults joined us.

If you go don't expect a high quality smooth ice surface. The ice was extremely bumpy - most likely due to the fact that it is used by an ice hockey team and the facility does not have a Zamboni (or plow) to smooth the surface. We also had to be careful not to fall into the big melted spot in the middle. However, what you will have there is a great time and a chance to get out of Cairo's heat and do something different.