The walk down, now in daylight, is infinitely easier and the air much warmer. A picnic breakfast, packed for you at the Four Seasons, awaits in the café outside the walls of St. Catherine's. Put your feet up, take in the polyglot crowd of travelers and pilgrims all around you (and, curiously, hundreds of cats), and rest until the monastery's doors open at 9 A.M. Much of the monastery is closed to the public-which, given your climb and largely sleepless night, I can guarantee you won't mind. Nevertheless, figure on spending about 90 minutes inside. Built in the sixth century by the emperor Justinian to encompass a chapel dating back to A.D. 330, the monastery is one of the world's few extant early Christian sites. It's remarkable for the treasures in its museum and for its eclectic architecture (there's even a tenth-century mosque within the walls, built as a sign of allegiance to the Muslim powers that had promised to protect it). But what struck me most was its sheer ancientness, especially palpable-inhalable, almost-in the small but ornately decorated Church of the Transfiguration, where the wooden doors date from A.D. 527. You will need to decide for yourself if the giant bush within the monastery's walls is really a descendant of the burning bush from which God spoke to Moses (some contend that it's the original bush), but there are two other must-sees: The collection of icons in the monastery's museum and, immediately outside the site's walls, the memento mori ossuary where the skulls and bones-dating back centuries-of the monastery's deceased Greek Orthodox monks are displayed for all to see.

You will be back at the Four Seasons in Sharm el-Sheikh by lunchtime. What next? Recover on the beach or by the pool-you leave for Cairo in the morning.

Traveling with Kids
Egypt is a rich and rewarding family destination. You can easily structure your days for a child-friendly combination of sightseeing and pool time; the de rigueur buffet breakfasts are not only fun and filling but allow you to stock up on fruit and other snacks for later in the day (bring along a supply of sealable plastic bags for just this purpose); and the inexpensive knickknacks in the souks make great gifts and party favors for friends back home. I would advise, however, that children be at least 12 or 13 years old-they will better appreciate what they're seeing if they've had some ancient history in school; plus, you want them to remember this trip. One caveat: It is often very difficult to get extra beds or cots placed in Egyptian hotel rooms; you may need to book a separate room for the children. Ask for one adjoining yours, with, if possible, a connecting door between the two.

If your kids are budding artists, be sure to stop by the Diwan bookstore on Cairo's Zamalek Island (see Day 2) and buy them a copy of How to Write Hieroglyphics.

Shopping
The roads around the Pyramids of Giza are lined with low cement structures advertised as "carpet schools," and most guides will want to steer you to them, since they will get a cut if you buy a carpet. Children who should otherwise be in school work on giant looms, weaving carpets. These exploitative commercial operations are riding the coattails of one well-known and worthy project, the Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Centre, which a Cairo artist-cum-philanthropist founded in 1952 on the principle that illiterate villagers had untapped artistic vision related to their relationship with nature and the agrarian way of life. That school is on the Sakkara Road between Giza and the village of Harrania, and is easy to visit on the way to or from Sakkara. The tapestries are remarkable-finely woven scenes of rural life. Embassies in Cairo display them, and they are famous among textile connoisseurs, but they are pricey ($150 for a piece the size of a place mat). The school and art center are open daily from 9:30 to five, and the weavers work from 9:30 to noon and from two to five every day except Friday (20-2-381-5746; wissa-wassef-arts.com).