Blogs from Mediterranean, Egypt, Africa - page 10

Alexandria can be viewed in 3 days. We came by bus on Thursday evening and went directly to KADOURA fish restaurant. After we went to sleep in a FOUAD HOTEL (40 Egyptian pounds per night), it's in the downtown, but not that much good and comfortable (no toilet in the room). Next day we woke up at 8am, first we visited Greek-roman amphitheater on foot, then we took a taxi to Pompey's Pillar, then on foot to see Catacombs. Next place was The Citadel - Fort Qaitbey, don't miss this!! We went there by taxi (don't allow them to still you, it's enough 5-7 eg. pounds for that ride!!). After we had a lunch in TIKKA GRILL (very good and clean place, but not that much cheap). In the afternoon we visited Alexandrian library by taxi ... read more

Yesterday we got back from our first school sponsored trip, it was to Alexandria. The bus ride was about 3 hours, most of which was through the dessert therefore there was not much to see; surprisingly, there is a lot of real estate...who would want to live in the middle of the desert!? when we made a rest stop as "Masters"- toilet, convenient store, restaurant, gas station, clothing store, ect.- I was going to buy a little hazelnut chocolate bar until the cashier, Wadgy, told me it was LE 7...no go. i found something to satisfy my sweet tooth for a mere LE2 (about 50 cents) it was a deal. Wadgy chatted with the girls and I in some Arabic and Enlish, showing us his passport saying "my name Wadgy, see Egyptian"- which we later decided ... read more

Salaam a'aleykoum from quiet Marsa Matrouh where we've been lounging by the beach for the last four days. After surviving our first week in Cairo, Dad, Caitie and I decided to treat ourselves to a vacation from our vacation, stopping first in the desert oasis, Siwa, and again here to break up the trip to Alexandria. At this very moment it is 9:40pm. A cool breeze is blowing and the imam has just started another call to prayer. We're just stopping in at this net cafe for me to finish my blog entry then we'll be off to find a nice ahwa (cafe) to sip Turkish coffee and maybe smoke some sheesha...It's a good life! When we first started planning this trip, I hardly thought there would be any relaxation involved. I was sure Dad, Caitie ... read more

Pompey's Pillar exemplifies the continuous urban renewal at Alexandria. The massive 30m-high pink granite column was give it's name by travellers remembering the murder of the Roman general Pompey by Cleopatra's brother. Under the current base of granite facade they have uncovered the original base with heiroglyphic text. The area around the pillar has been made into a modern outdoor exhibit recently opened to the public. Part of the exhibit includes the undergroud library that housed many of the old papyrus scrolls dating back to AD300 and was used by Christians to escape Roman persecution. The most recent urban renewal is the spectacular four seasons hotel with a Starbucks coffee store servicing a large street front courtyard. Across the frontage street they are constructing several piers to protect the newly imported sand from displacement wave action. ... read more

Getting lost is all part of the exploration process and finding yourself is also part of the fun of travel. We decided to set off on our own this morning to buy train tickets for our trip back to Cairo on Sunday. Having great foresight, we had the hotel desk clerk write down the address for the train station in Arabic. However some of the taxi drivers cannot read. so having a written address is of no help. When you finally get to the station and buy the ticket there is no way of knowing if you have the right one. It's all arabic to me!! We will find out on Sunday if we have bought the right ticket. We found the Graeco Roman Museum no problem, but it was closed so on to the Alexandria ... read more