Philae temple is another beautiful temple, built similarly to Edfu. This one is dedicated to Isis. It has a beautiful setting, but it is still too crowded. From Aswan, you take a ferry across the Nile to the island where the temple has been moved. It's previous island is underwater now, but the spot is still visible from its new location. It looks so natural in its new location that it's hard to imagine that it was moved so recently! Having it on an island means no noisy tour buses cluttering up the view, and a lovely ride across the Nile.
I really got annoyed with the giant Japanese tour group that showed up. My group of 15 waited patiently to enter the small inner sanctum so that we could learn about it. After another group left, we filed in. A Japanese tour group started to push and bang past us - one little old lady actually knocked me back a few feet. They all pushed into the inner sanctum so that we had no room to breathe. I had to run out because i was getting claustrophobic. I was so angry at them for being impolite (and although I won't write a whole entry about it here, I actually got into a fight with a similarly composed tour group of Japanesesenior citizens at the airport check-in a few days later - when they pushed past me in a line to check in, including rolling heavy suitcase over my foot, until I physically stood between me and one of them - who started to yell at me and push me and I just kept saying "No, not acceptable, not okay. You have to wait your turn.")
Anyway, the cafe at Philae temple is the best. The cappuccino is delicious and you can sip it while looking out at the Nile. It was a nice day when we were there. I highly recommend going out here, seeing the temple, and then kicking back for a while in the cafe. Relaxation can be hard to come by in Egypt.
From journal Nepenthe in the Nile