When I told my parents I was going to travel to Cairo alone, I’m pretty sure they heard ‘SYRIA, IRAQ, TERRORISM, BOMBS,’ since this is how most Europeans visualize the Middle East once the subject comes up. With the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and the Russian airplane crash in Sinai before that, Europeans’ idea of visiting the Middle East doesn’t look like it’s changing anytime soon – and that’s a shame, for I spent the most wonderful time in Cairo.