So, what I really was here for was searching for the traces of the revolution. Entering my hotel I smelled the scent of fire as well as when first heading for Tahrir. In the lobby of the hotel some windows are crashed, near the egyptian museum the building of the ruling party was burnt. After a bit, I did not smell the agone fires anymore - habituation works...
What I see and hear instead is the proudness of most Egyptians. At Tahrir the do not only sell t-shirts that say "I love Egypt" but also lots of theses badges that remind of the start of the revolution.

At Tahrir I also found a single remaining leaflet showing the wishes of the angry demonstrators.

If I did not know better I would have thought: "Well Egypt is a third world country, it is normal that the streets are broken, even downtown."

 

 But I know better. These are the traces of the fierce battles between the demonstrators and their counterparts paid by the regime. A friend of mine spent his nights at Tahrir and told me how they removed the pavers, crashed them and prepared this way for the attacks they knew would happen. We all know the pictures of the people of Tahrir who tried to protect themselves. To walk where formerly the street was neat if not tidy feels weird, especially because you find broken spots all around the square and in the neigbouring streets and know you are walking a battlefield.

I came also across a very touching gesture: All around Tahrir people had hung little plastic baskets at lampposts and other pickets to say "We wil keep our country clean - now and for the rest of time." Rubbish very often just lies at the ground because the is no convenient number of dustbins all around. And although my best fried in Egypt told me: "Well people did this but I do not think that keeping the streets clean is our business." I think the little coloured buckets are not only a try to keep the streets clean but are clear political claim.