Alexandria; or, Under the Mediterranean Sun

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My apologies for the dealy in publishing this. Here is an account of my weekend in Alexandria. Most of this was written on Saturday night, but this is the first chance I've had to get it out. -MG



5 June 2010
1927 (GMT +3)
Alexandria, Egypt

That’s right. I’ve ventured outside the confines of Cairo and am reporting to you now from a spot overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Alexandria is definitely a city with history, even more so than Cairo. As we all know, it was founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BC, during the Macedonian king’s campaign against the Persian Empire. (Cairo was not founded until the 10th Century AD.) In fact, the Persians at the time controlled Egypt, and their rule is considered the 31st and final Egyptian dynasty. (We did all know that, right? Good.) After Alexander’s death, his top four generals all vied for power and the empire was divided among them. Ptolemy, one of these generals, took Egypt and set up his capital at Alexandria.

The last Ptolemy to control Egypt was Cleopatra. We know that she and Julius Caesar had a close, yet complicated relationship. At this time Egypt was not a part of Rome, but the two powers were on friendly terms. Cleopatra played politics as best she could to keep Egypt sovereign but friendly toward Rome so that the Romans would not feel the need to incorporate Egypt completely. She had the good sense to side with Caesar during the Roman Civil War, against Caesar's nemesis, Pompey, a popular plebian general. The story goes that when Pompey’s army was defeated, he fled to Egypt to seek Cleopatra’s protection. She had him killed on arrival and presented his head to Caesar when he arrived shortly thereafter. Unfortunately for her, she did not have such good luck after Caesar’s assassination, however, and took the side of Mark Anthony over Octavius, Caesar’s adopted son, and the future Caesar Augustus. I’m sure we all remember the result. Anthony and Cleopatra were defeated, and tradition holds that she committed suicide by having an asp (very dangerous) smuggled into her room.

Of course, we've discussed before the influence of Christianity in Alexandria. For centuries before the Islamic conquest, Alexandria was second only to Rome as the seat of Christianity.

Alexandria popped up again in the late 1700s, when Napoleon Bonaparte led an expedition into Egypt, taking the city in 1799. This was part of a grander strategy against Great Britain, who was beginning to gain a foothold in Syria-Palestine. Later, in 1942, a battle took place at a town about 50 km east of here called el-Alamein. Here, Rommel and the German Afrika Corps won a significant victory against the Allies, eventually driving them out of North Africa, and paving the way for the Germans to go on and win the war. (At least, that’s how I like to tease my German friends here.) Like I said, there’s a lot of history here.

I left Cairo Friday at noon on my very first train ride (Yes, my European friends like to tease me about that). There are several trains every day between the two cities. Tourists can only purchase tickets in 1st or 2nd class on certain trains. I went first class, which was 50 LE. The ride took about two and a half hours, and dropped off near downtown Alexandria. I had no idea where I was, so I just started walking north. (Here’s where having a compass comes in handy. I think Les Stroud would be proud.) There’s only so far I can go. I knew that my hotel was on the Corniche, running along the sea, all the way at the very eastern end of the road, just before you hit the Montazah Gardens. I had some general directions to go on. Making my way north along some unknown road, I knew instinctively that I was getting close. Two things: first, you notice that there are no more big buildings after a certain point. Second, that salty sea breeze is unmistakable. I’ve always been a fan of large bodies of water. Perhaps this comes from living pretty much my whole life near one.

Having made it to the sea, and after a moment to take it all in, I turned east and started walking along the Corniche. I wasn’t sure how far it would be, but I was in no hurry and was simply enjoying the view and the cool sea breeze.

The coastline is dotted with cafés and private beaches, many of which charge an entrance fee, as well as fees for renting umbrellas, tables and chairs. Notably missing were the chicks in bikinis. The women were definitely there, hijab and all. Many of them, in fact, waded right into the water, hijab and all. I found a place to climb down and wash my hands in the water. Unfortunately, I was carrying my camera in the back pocket of my 5.11 pants, and happened to sit the wrong way on the wrong rock. The screen cracked and is now useless. The camera still records pictures, but I can’t tell what I’m shooting at. (It is at this point, I’m sure, that my dad is saying to himself, “That’s why I told you to get a camera with a viewfinder as well as a screen.) So, like a rifle without a sight, it’s a best guess sort of thing now. While the cropping feature in Microsoft Office will be useful, figuring out how to turn the flash off and performing other detailed tasks will be a bit more of a challenge. (Note to self: In the future, do not sit on camera.)

Eventually - about two and a half hours later - I arrived at my hotel. As it happened, it turned out to be a longer walk than I’d expected, but I made it. It was a nice walk, save for the camera, with a better view and much cooler than in Cairo. I checked in, sat for a bit, made my way down to a local shop for a couple bottles of water, and then sat down for dinner at the hotel restaurant. It was an Italian place, with pretty decent food. I then retired to my room where I took it easy for the rest of the night.

I woke up Saturday, had breakfast at the hotel, and then set off in search of adventure. I walked across the street and caught a taxi to take me downtown. Do you ever, sometimes, have to re-learn a lesson that you should have learned once, twice, or even three times before? This is what happened to me. The taxi system is different here. The yellow, black, and white designators that I described before do not seem to apply. I’ve noticed only three white taxis here in Alexandria. The majority are painted black and yellow, and either do not have a meter or do not use the meter they have.

Now, I know that in a taxi with no meter, you have to negotiate your price before you get in the car. I know this. But, I got in the car anyway. The guy seemed nice enough, and he was more than happy to speak Arabic with me. I was pleased to find that, even though I didn’t understand every word he said, I could get the gist of what he was saying. (When you understand the context, and what certain people are likely to say to Western tourists in certain situations, it becomes easier. In other words, he's unlikely to be asking me about my position on Greek relations with the EU.) I’m pretty sure that he was offering his services to take me around to all the different sights. I politely declined, telling him that I prefer to walk. I had him drop me off at the Alexandria Library, which was in the neighborhood of where I wanted to be. He stopped the car, then turned and looked at me. I asked him for the total, and he invited me to kick off negotiations. I didn’t know, this was my first taxi ride in Alexandria. I offered 10 LE. He came back with 50 LE. Fifty pounds? Surely you must be joking. There’s no way that this ride could cost fifty pounds. It couldn’t be more than fifteen miles. I offer twenty pounds, then thirty, but he’s insistent. He tried to tell me that it was an 88 km trip, as though I would have no idea how long a kilometer was. I don’t think so. I walked most of this yesterday and, while I admit that I’m sometimes prone to walking un-Godly distances, I know that I didn’t walk 88 km. (Note: I later found out that the trip from the hotel to the library is 17 km.) It is at this point that I realized my mistake. I was not in a strong place to negotiate. The ride was already over. I seemed to have two options: either pay the 50 EGP, or dine and dash, so to speak. I was fairly certain that the latter option was not ideal, for as a general principle I’m trying to avoid legal problems here in Egypt. So, eventually I folded and gave him his 50 EGP (About $9.00). Harami. I felt somewhat violated by this driver, even though I realize I was mostly to blame. Always negotiate your price before you get in the car. The ability to walk away is your most important bargaining chip. (Note: Later I asked at the reception desk about how much one should expect to pay for a taxi ride to the library. As I expected, they recommended 20-25 LE.)

I tried not to let the taxi driver get to me, so I continued walking along the sea, around to the north end of the Eastern Harbor. This area is the heart of Alexandria. In this area, a few blocks inland, you will find the ruins of an ancient Roman amphitheater and bath, as well as the sole remaining column from a Roman temple. This column is known as Pompey’s Pillar, even though the temple was built in honor of the Emperor Diocletian in the 4th Century AD, nearly four hundred years after Pompey’s death. The mistake comes from early 19th Century European tourists who mistakenly believed that the structure was built by Pompey. In fact, there is also a legend that Pompey is buried somewhere here in the city, as it was here that he was killed. Of course, there is also a legend that Alexander himself is buried here, his body being stolen by Ptolemy and brought here. Neither grave has yet been discovered. In the last fifteen years or so, however, there has been an increased interest in underwater archeology, specifically around the Eastern Harbor.

In any event, I bypassed the inland attractions and stuck to the sea for the day. I was still very much enjoying the view. I followed the Corniche until it became 26 July Street, out to the north end of the harbor. At the north end there is the Citadel of Quait-Bey, built in the 15th Century atop the ruins of the ancient pharaonic lighthouse - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Many of the stones from the lighthouse were used in the construction of the Citadel. For foreigners, there is a 25 LE entrance fee (yes, if you’re not Egyptian, you can expect to pay two to three times more for various things), but the view from the top is impressive. You get a good look at the harbor, the city, and the coastline.

I left the Citadel a little after one, and started heading back into town. I wanted to walk for a ways, partly because I was very much enjoying the sea, and partly because I was still sore over the taxi thing. Regardless, it was a nice day and I was not pressed for time. I stopped along the way for lunch, and just kept walking and walking and walking. At a certain point it became a mission. I’d walked this far, why not just keep going. So I did. I walked a grand total of about 20 km from the library to the Citadel and back to the hotel I arrived right at evening prayer, 1700. This is definitely not for the feint of heart.

Back at the hotel, and a few bottles of water later, I decided to cap off my day with something that I haven’t done in a long time. I went to the beach. I’ve been swimming in the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico, and now, the Mediterranean. The hotel I stayed at had a private beach right across the street, so I put on my shorts and headed out. I got a towel, found a shady spot to use as a base of operations, and waded into the sea. I found the water quite chilly at first, which was a welcome change to the heat and humidity that exists in Alexandria. I didn’t go out far, just enough to immerse myself. As I floated there, I allowed my mind to drift and think about the millennia of history that has surrounded this body of water, how it both divided and united the old world, all the people that have sailed across or through it, the effect that it has had on the history of the world…

As I floated there, soaking up the fading rays under the Mediterranean sun, I could not help but think of the words of the prophet Ice Cube: Today was a good day.

-MG



On Sunday I took a cab to the train station (20 LE) a few hours early, and spent some time exploring the Roman ruins nearby. Unfortunately I didn't make it to el-Alamein or Pompey's Pillar, but I imagine I will be up at least once more before I leave. It's close enough that one could come up just for the day and see most of the sites. I returned to Cairo at about 1800 on Sunday evening. -MG

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Photos

The Big Fellow Himself
...as it were.

The Corniche
Walking east.

The Citadel
Across the Eastern Harbor

Roman Ruins
Off to the left there are ruins of an old Roman bath, with what looked like an ongoing dig.

Comments

[Ben]

Pyramids?
I've heard they have something called pyramids in Egypt....Im just trying to figure out what kind of JOKER goes to Egypt for four months and does not go to the pyramids! Sincerly, Disappointed