Blogs from Mediterranean, Egypt, Africa - page 8

With only one day to spare for the town of Alexandria both Kate and I agreed, history could take a side step for the all important tour of the taste bud! la Gastronomique Tour da force was the obvious choice. Drawing a long walking loop from the train station along the coastline and back we chose prudently. Of each circled on the map establishment we had to either eat, drink, smoke or inhale something from the menu. Street food was also fare game. Historically significant monuments where purely an additional bonus for the day. Museums where totally off limits - to go there would be to go against everything we where trying to achieve - the quest for the perfect day of food experiences :) Our 6am breakfast start went something like this*......... *WARNING: the following ... read more

Well we took almost 16 hrs of train to get from Luxor to Alexandria, but made it fine. Tired but fine. Found a great small hotel, 6th floor, overlooking a town square, right on the Mediterranean. Had a great Koshari lunch then lounged day away in town. Watched sunset with bottle of wine. Great night. Next day made our way to Fort Qaitbey. Not sure on history here. Took tram back into town and was pick pocketed by someone of my beloved IPOD. SOAB!!! Spent rest of day in Police station having my statement translated into Arabic for my insurance. Wished we had more time here, but back to Cairo then to Turkey!... read more

For whatever reason, the urinals at Cairo's Rameses train station are highly unpopular at 7:15 in the morning so I was able to have my pick of the three available ones while queues five-deep waited outside each of the traps. This wasn't my only relief, as I was shortly to board a train taking me away from the capital into the supposedly more refined setting of Alexandria. The city is situated on the Mediterranean coast less than three hours northwest of Cairo and, in its time, had been home to two of the ancient world's most famous buildings. I had also been led to believe that singularly excellent chocolate cake could be found there. Having lashed out $6.50 for the first class fare, I was pleased to find myself in a clean, spacious, air-conditioned carriage trundling ... read more

Last Day in Alexandria Friday, December 19th Still battling jetlag, we took a taxi to Montazah Palace, the former summer residence of the deposed Egyptian royal family, which was restored by President Sadat to a presidential residence. Royal palaces and assets, as well as property held in private hands were expropriated for the people during the Egyptian Revolution in 1952. We have spoken to many Egyptians who quietly express their disappointment with the promise that the Revolutionaries have not realized. Although the palace is not accessible to the public, the Montazah Gardens surrounding the palace offer 155 hectares (384 acres) of landscaped grounds, with flowers, palm trees, pines and lots of birds. We enjoyed wandering the gardens that overlook the sea and getting some fresh air! As we approached the gate to exit the gardens, ... read more

Alexandria, A Melding of Cultures Over Time Despite planning to tour Alexandria independently, we broke down yesterday and booked a private guide and driver for a half day tour of Graeco Roman Alexandria through the “wise” hotel concierge. We had a very early start to the day after only getting about three hours sleep! So when Mama Canuck can’t sleep, she blogs! Because we had napped earlier in the evening and missed dinner, we were starving as we watched the hours tick away until the breakfast restaurant opened at 6:30am. With no hesitation despite the buffet costs, we made a dash for the beautifully presented breakfast buffet that offered waffles, eggs benedict and wonderful Egyptian and French pastries. Tamer Zakaria, our freelance guide, met us in the lobby of the hotel at 9:00am to start our ... read more