Bibliotheca Alexandrina

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My patience has definitely grown thin since entering Egypt, but I have no choice but to bite my lip and smile. After all, the locals won't know what I'm saying if I try to make a logical case for anything obvious. The various inconveniences Rob and I have encountered are worth putting up with. Egyptian locals cutting right in front of us for train and bus tickets is just one example. Another is their concept of time, or lack thereof. Forget about printed schedules of any sort. They are mere myths. Don't cross your legs while sitting down in public either. Showing the soles of your feet in public places is very disrespectful. Most of the time we just laugh rather than get angry when faced with time/transportation/rule-based adversities.

We've done quite a bit of walking around the corniche (boardwalk by the bay) here in Alexandria. Last night, we could see the many ships in the Mediterranean harbor from our balcony. Day or Night, it's rather pleasant to walk along the corniche as the sea breeze blows. However, the downtown streets of Alexandria hold a lot of heat. The crowded streets of Cairo are similar with respect to holding in the sun's rays. Unlike Luxor, you probably wouldn't suffer from heat stroke if left without water for a few hours.

I'm writing this entry from the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Library Alexandria). This library is the largest library in the world for stature and second in the world for number of volumes. Second only to The U.S. Library of Congress. This place is very modern in design, but holds some very old works of art and literature.

We took the free tour this afternoon and it was alright. It only lasted about 30 minutes, and was a brief overview of the library's history and construction. The actual Library Alexandria was destroyed multiple times by fires since it was originally constructed (circa 48 A.D). The modern library was re-built/renovated in the late 1970's thanks to the cooperative donations of many multi-national companies (i.e. Compaq, Oracle, Microsoft) and a several governements (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emiretes, and Italy).

Rob and I attempted to see the Museum Greco-Roman twice this afternoon, but much to our dismay two barriers stood between us and the antiquities beyond; a cranky Egyptian militant and the afternoon prayers were running over. This museum is famous for it's statues and art from Alexander The Great's Reign. The guard at the front door kept telling us "No"...as in the museum was not open on Friday (Muslim Sabbath). Hopefully we can get in tomorrow before we leave town.

Not that we should be surprised anymore that places have weird hours in Egypt. Most people sleep in through the blazing hot morning, and rise late in the day, maintaining an almost narcoleptic schedule of sorts. The internet cafes for example, are open until 2 or 3 AM.

We enjoyed a seafood dinner last night at Kadoura Restaurant. Rob read that this restaurant was touted for fresh fish and reasonable prices. We walked right up and selected our own fish from a "open air" freezer. I was a little apprehensive about the refrigeration mind you. Also to be a noted, I was already suffering from some type of bacterial stomach infection. Although minor stomaches didn't effect my site-seeing, I was a little worried.

Dinner went well, but we decided to go grab some shi (Arab tea w/ mint leaves) elsewhere. We sat an outside cafe facing the Mediterranean. Countless Arab men were sqeezed inside the cafe like sardines--their eyes glued to the TV's displaying the big futbol (soccer) match. They resembled American men enthralled with the World Series or Super Bowl. Lots of hoot'n and holler'n whenever a big play happened.

As we were walking back to the hotel we noticed another Kadoura Restaurant. This one looked more like a finer dining establishment. We just laughed since Rob thought there was only one restaurant of this name to be had. So either it was a local franchise or we ate at the wrong place. Either way we were tired and ready to crash. When we got back to the hotel we were tired, but there is no A/C. Also, I saw a couple of cock roaches the size of mini-vans scooting scurrying across the bathroom floor. I told Rob he grab a saddle and ride one of those insects.

Last night's accommodations at Hotel Union were nothing short of laughable. The nightly rates sign read 55 pounds ($4.50 USD), but we got charged multiple fees and taxes; thus raising our nightly rate to 90 pounds...still only 9 dollars. I like to call this frivalous price, the American Pie Price. Only Americans get charged more than anyone over here. I guess it's because of our friendly foreign policies. The front desk clerk held our passports until we checked out this afternoon. Every time we asked him for our passports, he told us that he would deliver them to our room in five minutes. What a joker that guy was.

Did I mention we didn't have A/C. We opened our balcony door, but for some odd reason no air would enter our room. Absolutely no air flow in this b*stard of a room. We got overheated and passed out around 10:45 PM. Our balacony for was the only spot for temporary relief, which we frequented between the hours of 2 AM and 3 AM. We woke up at 6:00 AM to the blinding early morning sun.

No worries with the infection, Rob supplied me with some non-FDA approved anti-biotics he had previously purchased in Siwa. Keep in mind that Siwa is an Egyptian oasis, some 30 miles from the Libyian border. Hey, I figured that a lingering gastro-intestinal pains were the worst thing that could happen.

Tonight we will walk the corniche again, as we attempt to find a decent restaurant. The sea breeze is refreshing after the sun-baked afternoon. Tomorrow we will head to the beach very early in the morning, and then try to go to the Greco-Roman Museum for the third time. Early tomorrow night we'll be back in Hades (aka Cairo). We will attempt to see the Great Pyramids of Giza again, and possibly a belly dancing club.

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Comments

[MOM]

Hello
I guess by now you are roasted, toasted and feel like that turkey looked in "Christmas Vacation" with Chevy Chase. Is it too hot to enjoy the beach? Is Rob coming home? Please be careful and do not talk back to those that butt in line in front of you! We love you, Mom, Dad and Steph