Another long day in the car. One thing about Egypt and the lack of tourists, flights are grounded and we are subjected to 3 hour car rides, EACH way. I personally hate car trips so I'm getting pretty sick of riding in a car without Wi-fi. I should have prepared better with more music and videos to watch. On the bright side, at least I had an external battery pack so I could snap away on my iPhone to post on Facebook that night when I got to the hotel and had Wifi. Small miracles that make me happy.
After another breakfast of scrambled eggs, foul (Egyptian beans) and hash browns, we set off for Alexandria. It is the northern most city in Egypt and in Africa. From the coastline you are supposed to be able to see Europe. I can't wait to enjoy some fresh ocean air.
Our first stop was the Kom Al Shokafa which are catacombs (tombs). Be prepared with a flashlight and bug repellent. After walking down a set of stairs for about 6 flights you reach the bottom. You walk on precarious wooden planks over very stagnant water that are full of hungry mosquitos. Be extremely careful walking esp. close to the actual tombs which are in much deeper water. Also if you see a group of people, wait until they leave as the boards are unable to support a lot of weight. Inside the catacombs, you will see a lot of Christian influenced art as well as a prayer area that is predominant in Muslim culture. There used to be an alternative exit, however due to safety reasons it has been closed so the only way up, is the way you came down. Needless to say, it's a good workout, think of it as Stairmaster BC. And oh yah, no cameras.
An interesting side note, when you drive through Alexandria, each section has a designed product that they are selling or fixing. For instance one street only sells used car parts. Another street only sells wooden planks. It's like a home depot but spread out in the city. If you can have your driver point it out and take you to some of the more interesting streets.
Second stop on the tour was Pomey's Pillar. This was the only remaining Greek column and showed how the Greek influenced Egyptian architecture and of course, it also had 2 small sphinx's at the base. It wasn't that exciting but it was nice to able to climb onto the sphinx for a picture if you so chose to.
By the time we finished our tour, we were starving. We were taken to a local seafood restaurant (I forgot to get the name) overlooking the water. I am deathly allergic to seafood so we had our guide convey to the restaurant to use a fresh pan to cook my food. We were given a variety of dips which were absolutely amazing and spicy. I was so happy to finally have something with a kick. Yum! I had a ton of dip with bread. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, I had a small reaction to the fish as I think it was grilled in a pan that had residual shellfish remnants. Bummer cause it tasted pretty good. During lunch, our guide Rahed was so kind and went out to find me a few of my beloved Cadbury Eclairs which are caramels with soft chocolate inside. I love these candies and they helped with my carsickness.
Last stop before the long drive home was to Alexandria Library which has been around since 300 BC. The library was packed so we only took a few pictures outside before heading back to Cairo. At our pit stop, I picked up a bag of Lay's potato chips. Something about buying chips in a foreign country makes it always taste better.
This was our final night in Egypt and I was very sad. The hospitality the Egyptian people showed towards me was very warm. Despite having reservations about coming to Egypt with the revolution, Egypt is a safe country and it needs more open minded and willing visitors to help support the economy. We took a picture in our hotel with Rahed in our hotel so we won't forget that women in Egypt are smart and just as good as the male guides if not better. Thank you Memphis Tours for arranging a trip of a lifetime.
After another breakfast of scrambled eggs, foul (Egyptian beans) and hash browns, we set off for Alexandria. It is the northern most city in Egypt and in Africa. From the coastline you are supposed to be able to see Europe. I can't wait to enjoy some fresh ocean air.
Our first stop was the Kom Al Shokafa which are catacombs (tombs). Be prepared with a flashlight and bug repellent. After walking down a set of stairs for about 6 flights you reach the bottom. You walk on precarious wooden planks over very stagnant water that are full of hungry mosquitos. Be extremely careful walking esp. close to the actual tombs which are in much deeper water. Also if you see a group of people, wait until they leave as the boards are unable to support a lot of weight. Inside the catacombs, you will see a lot of Christian influenced art as well as a prayer area that is predominant in Muslim culture. There used to be an alternative exit, however due to safety reasons it has been closed so the only way up, is the way you came down. Needless to say, it's a good workout, think of it as Stairmaster BC. And oh yah, no cameras.
An interesting side note, when you drive through Alexandria, each section has a designed product that they are selling or fixing. For instance one street only sells used car parts. Another street only sells wooden planks. It's like a home depot but spread out in the city. If you can have your driver point it out and take you to some of the more interesting streets.
Second stop on the tour was Pomey's Pillar. This was the only remaining Greek column and showed how the Greek influenced Egyptian architecture and of course, it also had 2 small sphinx's at the base. It wasn't that exciting but it was nice to able to climb onto the sphinx for a picture if you so chose to.
Next stop and the highlight of the trip was Qaitbay Citadel. In houses Alexandria's ancient lighthouse and over looks the Mediterranean Sea. The weather and view was absolutely amazing. It had a light breeze and smelled clean unlike Cairo which was so smoggy and dusty. We saw locals fishing my the waters edge, artists painting on the rocks and young couples cozying up with each other. It was an absolute treat to sit and take in the view.
By the time we finished our tour, we were starving. We were taken to a local seafood restaurant (I forgot to get the name) overlooking the water. I am deathly allergic to seafood so we had our guide convey to the restaurant to use a fresh pan to cook my food. We were given a variety of dips which were absolutely amazing and spicy. I was so happy to finally have something with a kick. Yum! I had a ton of dip with bread. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, I had a small reaction to the fish as I think it was grilled in a pan that had residual shellfish remnants. Bummer cause it tasted pretty good. During lunch, our guide Rahed was so kind and went out to find me a few of my beloved Cadbury Eclairs which are caramels with soft chocolate inside. I love these candies and they helped with my carsickness.
Last stop before the long drive home was to Alexandria Library which has been around since 300 BC. The library was packed so we only took a few pictures outside before heading back to Cairo. At our pit stop, I picked up a bag of Lay's potato chips. Something about buying chips in a foreign country makes it always taste better.
This was our final night in Egypt and I was very sad. The hospitality the Egyptian people showed towards me was very warm. Despite having reservations about coming to Egypt with the revolution, Egypt is a safe country and it needs more open minded and willing visitors to help support the economy. We took a picture in our hotel with Rahed in our hotel so we won't forget that women in Egypt are smart and just as good as the male guides if not better. Thank you Memphis Tours for arranging a trip of a lifetime.
