When we were deciding what to do while I was here in Egypt... one of the options was to come to Alexandria. So after deciding how to get there and what day worked for everybody's schedule....we decided to take the train on Tuesday. We were blessed with a beautiful day and even though the forecast called for 40 % chance of rain... there was not a cloud in the sky!
We left the house at 6:45am and took the metro to the train station to catch an 8am train... arrived in Alexandria a little over 2 hours later. We walked from the train station to see the Roman theatre ruins and the bird villa. It is amazing how these areas are literally built on top of over time... and they uncover different time periods the deeper they go. Many of the ruins here were also found in the Mediterranean delta. The Roman amphitheatre was really cool because you could stand at the bottom and be heard clearly all the way up.
The bird villa would have been a dwelling of a family. The tiles on the floor are mosaics of birds. There were people in there restoring the edges. One lady has been working on this project for 40 years! What a legacy!
We then walked through the streets and markets to Pompei's pillar at Amud El-Sawari. In most movies that reference Alexandria... this is where they would say the library of Alexandria was located but the exact location is unknown...after that we walked to the catacombs where a donkey "accidently" found these ruins. It is where the the dead would be lowered down through a shaft then the mourners would go down to honor their loved ones. It was filled with tunnels with holes in the wall where the dead would be laid to rest. Definitely a mixture of Egyptian art with a Roman twist.
From there Magdi got us a cab that took us to the Citadel of Qaitbay. The cabs here are much smaller than in the US... think Geo Metro 4 door... three of us squeezed into the back seat while Magdi sat up front with the driver. The citadel was used to defend Alexandria from attacking ships! It stands where the lighthouse of Alexandria once stood. Historians say that an earthquake distroyed to lighthouse but the citadel was built with its remains.
Oh to live in an area with such a long lasting history... something you do not find in America!
All of this is right on the Mediterranean so I had to dip my feet in! The water was quite cold and the sand... nothing like Hawaiian sand that you can brush off. Needless to say... my feet have had a nice pumicing with all the walking afterwards!
Had a lovely supper at the fish market. Got to pick out our fish for dinner and then had the typical Egyptian spread with all the salads and pita bread... (hummus, tihina, etc)... I think I was filled before the fish even arrived... but oh so good and we did walk a lot today!
Had some time before walking back to the train station so we stopped for tea. Lori and I discussed accreditation. Then as we left we needed to cross several lanes of heavy traffic... Magdi grabbed my hand and led me across the street. This started a ritual that occured every time we needed to cross the street. To give you an idea of how crazy it is to cross the road... there are no such things as crosswallks here and it is like crossing I-85 or H1... like a giant real life game of frogger...
Magdi says if I move to Egypt... he will escort me across the street for three months... after that I am on my own. Too funny!
Well we made it to the train safe and sound...currently sitting in first class riding back to Cairo. After riding a camel for almost an hour yesterday and all the activity today... my body is rather tired and achy... I truly have camel-back from muscles used yesterday! Think I may have to take some pain meds before going to bed tonight.
Can't believe tomorrow is my last day in Egypt. It has truly been a good trip and I hope to return in the near future!
