Alexandria
No way, say the kids. We just want to stay on the boat today.
Fine by us, we say. They are all happy to spend the day with their friends at the kids club and Randall and I are thrilled to have the day to ourselves. When was the last time we could be tourists, just the two of us? 2001.......?
Alexandria is relatively young when it comes to Egypt. It was the brain child of none other than Alexander the Great in 332BC and has been a hub for industry and learning ever since. When Alexander died his general Ptolemy Soter took control of Egypt and under his rule, and that of his descendants, the city became a major trade centre and focal point of learning. Today it is Egypt's second largest city and it's main port.
Randall and I head out, hand in hand, looking to take a bit of a tour of the city, but avoiding buses and cars if at all possible. Coming off the ship first we have to run the gauntlet of shops and hawkers. Then there are the taxi drivers. "Mr, Mr, I give you good rate."
Then we head over the long foot bridge and through the security gates and we are out into the smelly, dirty, crazy city. Ahead of us are horses and carriages and their fixers. They swarm us as well. We decide to just go for it and keep walking. One fixer latches on to Randall and follows us nearly three city blocks. Randall: "Do you speak English?" Him "Yes, very well." Randall "Then leave us ALONE!".... he doesn't, but gets a good walk for his time.
The man who tried to pick my pocket got a good downward block and a bruised hand for his time. I gave him a nice smile and he melted back into the crowd. It's always good to be prepared.
After stepping in filth, being touched and prodded, and not enjoying what we are seeing, we decide to take a horse and 1800's hansom cab for a drive of the city. It's well oiled and looks sturdy enough. Randall negotiates a rate of 5$ US for two hours (which included two Arab men to shoo away unwanted attention) and we are suddenly up off the street and clip clopping past some dilapidated but beautiful 18th century buildings.
Here is a great tip, if you ever make it to Alexandria: Horse and carriages have the rite of way on the streets. City traffic? No worries, they all have to move for the horse. SWEET! While Randall and I cosy up in turn-of-the-century style the taxi's stall in congestion all around us.
After clopping along the East Harbour we make a stop at the Mosque of Abu Al-Abbas Al-Mursi (yes, I had to write that down to remember the name!) for a peek at the cities largest mosque. Randall is allowed to go up the front steps where he washes himself and prays in the ornate and stunningly lovely mosque, while I am led around the side and shown the woman's viewing area. I take off my shoes and head inside, but get a tense shush shushing when I try to look over the lattice that separates our area from the mosque proper. (At least in Oman the Sultan built the women their own exclusive mosque so they could feel equal in their separatism!) Then I am given an armful of literature about converting to Islam and find my way back to the front of the Mosque. Oh, sorry, my husband has all the money so I can't give the shoe holder a baksheesh (tip). So sorry.... not.....
As I am waiting for Randall to reemerge from the Mosque the muezzins begging their songs to bring the faithful to the mid day prayers. It brings the already beautiful building alive with purpose. The ornate carvings seem to be a bit happier and it does feel nice to be seeing a building that is still alive in it's usage. Still a current being, if you will, and not just something that one gawks at because it is old.
Once my oh-so-holy husband comes back out we clip clop our way to the end of the East Harbour where the Fort Qait Bey was built on the foundations of one of the seven wonders of the world, the Pharos lighthouse. The 400 foot tall lighthouse was constructed in 279 BC and stood until it was destroyed by earthquake in the thirteenth century AD. The fort was built in the 1400's and has been expanded and worked on by the powers that be until the final expansion by King Muhammad Ali in the 19th century. The result is beautiful indeed.
I spend my last Egyptian pound to get tickets to go inside and this seems the thing for all young Egyptian people to do. It is crowded by tourists, but tourists from within Egypt. I seem to be the only woman with hair uncovered and and it causes a stir (even if it is tied up). We pose for quite a few photos, the girls all want photos with Randall and the guys with me. I'm pretty sure we are on faicebooook Arabic many times by now as they are all using camera phones and uploading their "celebrity shots" to their respective pages. Classic!
The Mediterranean sea still pounds on the thick walls of fort. It's hard to believe anything could ever breach these walls, and to my knowledge nothing ever did. Most of the plaques telling the history of the fort are in Arabic, so I have little chance of making out it's history, so my mind is free to imagine all sorts of exciting sea battles won and lost here, but then my imagination can get a little crazy....
Back to the carriage.
The next stop our little horse take us to is the newly rebuilt Library of Alexandria. It is an immense modern building. I'm not sure when it was opened but I would say fairly recently. In it Egypt is attempting to rebuild the fame of the ancient library of Alexandria which housed over 500,000 volumes in ancient times and was a mecca for scholars. It was here the Euclid invented geometry. The modern day building is Egypt's way of coming into the modern world with a presence that ties it also to its illustrious past.
Out front there is a political rally. Randall jokes that he is going to become part of "the revolution" and stands amongst the crowd on the step. There are news camera's and different people shouting into the microphone, but from what I can tell it was pretty peaceful. Disgruntled citizens who want to get their points across would be my best guess.
We don't go into the library, but walk around it's large open air plaza and admire the bust of Alexander the Great, an enlightened man himself. To one side of the plaza are some very Western looking stores and we spot, of all things, a Cinnibon store! As I use the western style toilet (ahhh, luxury!) Randall gets a four pack and takes it back to our horse and two escorts. I really don't think they have ever seen Western food like these gi-normous Cinnamon roles that we bring them. I can only eat about 1/4 before I feel like puking. Randall manages to polish his whole one off, and the two Egyptian men feel compelled to compete, although I'm sure they felt sick for days after wards.... No wonder those Westerners are so doughy, they eat this stuff all the time, you can almost hear them say. Or maybe they did, I wouldn't know since I don't speak Arabic! HEHE......
We head in the general direction of the catacombs which I really want to see. We pass by the Roman amphitheatre (the only one of it's kind in Egypt), and Pompey's Pillar (an 84 foot high pillar made from Granite dedicated to the Roman Emperor Diocletian) and finally end up at the catacombs of Kom Ash-Shuqqafa.
Discovered when a donkey fell into a huge hole in the street, these catacombs date back to the second century AD and held over 300 corpses. Randall and I seem to be the only ones here. It's creepy descending the circular staircase. It's so quiet, the city is only meters above, but down here there is silence. Most of the remains have been removed, apart from that of some prized racing horses. But the fresco's on the walls are very interesting. Roman mixed with Egyptian. Anubis wearing a toga. Both cultures intertwining in these tombs for the middle class. People who were Romans, but for generations were also Egyptians. How mixed they must have felt themselves!
Back up to the surface we have a traditional tea and hookah with our horsemen, as I've started calling them. They don't speak any English, but we all seem to understand each other well.
We drive back through the many city markets of Alexandria. Me without anything to cover my hair attracting huge attention. We pull the cover up on the hansom cab and get a little less attention, and are able to enjoy the scenes. The butchers with meat hanging from the ceilings. The door makers with dozens of doors piled up. Above us laundry hung out over the dirty streets. Buildings built entirely of bricks. (Please lord, don't let there be an earthquake today!) The cotton bails waiting to be made into Egyptian cotton sheets or other textiles. Old warehouses built upon Roman ruins. Chickens waiting to go home and be someones dinner.
We ended up being in our little buggy for over five hours, but I think it was well worth it. We had such a good time together. Ancient ruins, modern city and a little hand holding too!
Back to the ship, and our babies it's time to get ready to leave our ship in two days and start the adventure of Europe in a few days time!!!!
No way, say the kids. We just want to stay on the boat today.
Fine by us, we say. They are all happy to spend the day with their friends at the kids club and Randall and I are thrilled to have the day to ourselves. When was the last time we could be tourists, just the two of us? 2001.......?
Alexandria is relatively young when it comes to Egypt. It was the brain child of none other than Alexander the Great in 332BC and has been a hub for industry and learning ever since. When Alexander died his general Ptolemy Soter took control of Egypt and under his rule, and that of his descendants, the city became a major trade centre and focal point of learning. Today it is Egypt's second largest city and it's main port.
Randall and I head out, hand in hand, looking to take a bit of a tour of the city, but avoiding buses and cars if at all possible. Coming off the ship first we have to run the gauntlet of shops and hawkers. Then there are the taxi drivers. "Mr, Mr, I give you good rate."
Then we head over the long foot bridge and through the security gates and we are out into the smelly, dirty, crazy city. Ahead of us are horses and carriages and their fixers. They swarm us as well. We decide to just go for it and keep walking. One fixer latches on to Randall and follows us nearly three city blocks. Randall: "Do you speak English?" Him "Yes, very well." Randall "Then leave us ALONE!".... he doesn't, but gets a good walk for his time.
The man who tried to pick my pocket got a good downward block and a bruised hand for his time. I gave him a nice smile and he melted back into the crowd. It's always good to be prepared.
After stepping in filth, being touched and prodded, and not enjoying what we are seeing, we decide to take a horse and 1800's hansom cab for a drive of the city. It's well oiled and looks sturdy enough. Randall negotiates a rate of 5$ US for two hours (which included two Arab men to shoo away unwanted attention) and we are suddenly up off the street and clip clopping past some dilapidated but beautiful 18th century buildings.
 |
| mosque |
Here is a great tip, if you ever make it to Alexandria: Horse and carriages have the rite of way on the streets. City traffic? No worries, they all have to move for the horse. SWEET! While Randall and I cosy up in turn-of-the-century style the taxi's stall in congestion all around us.
After clopping along the East Harbour we make a stop at the Mosque of Abu Al-Abbas Al-Mursi (yes, I had to write that down to remember the name!) for a peek at the cities largest mosque. Randall is allowed to go up the front steps where he washes himself and prays in the ornate and stunningly lovely mosque, while I am led around the side and shown the woman's viewing area. I take off my shoes and head inside, but get a tense shush shushing when I try to look over the lattice that separates our area from the mosque proper. (At least in Oman the Sultan built the women their own exclusive mosque so they could feel equal in their separatism!) Then I am given an armful of literature about converting to Islam and find my way back to the front of the Mosque. Oh, sorry, my husband has all the money so I can't give the shoe holder a baksheesh (tip). So sorry.... not.....
As I am waiting for Randall to reemerge from the Mosque the muezzins begging their songs to bring the faithful to the mid day prayers. It brings the already beautiful building alive with purpose. The ornate carvings seem to be a bit happier and it does feel nice to be seeing a building that is still alive in it's usage. Still a current being, if you will, and not just something that one gawks at because it is old.Once my oh-so-holy husband comes back out we clip clop our way to the end of the East Harbour where the Fort Qait Bey was built on the foundations of one of the seven wonders of the world, the Pharos lighthouse. The 400 foot tall lighthouse was constructed in 279 BC and stood until it was destroyed by earthquake in the thirteenth century AD. The fort was built in the 1400's and has been expanded and worked on by the powers that be until the final expansion by King Muhammad Ali in the 19th century. The result is beautiful indeed.
I spend my last Egyptian pound to get tickets to go inside and this seems the thing for all young Egyptian people to do. It is crowded by tourists, but tourists from within Egypt. I seem to be the only woman with hair uncovered and and it causes a stir (even if it is tied up). We pose for quite a few photos, the girls all want photos with Randall and the guys with me. I'm pretty sure we are on faicebooook Arabic many times by now as they are all using camera phones and uploading their "celebrity shots" to their respective pages. Classic!
The Mediterranean sea still pounds on the thick walls of fort. It's hard to believe anything could ever breach these walls, and to my knowledge nothing ever did. Most of the plaques telling the history of the fort are in Arabic, so I have little chance of making out it's history, so my mind is free to imagine all sorts of exciting sea battles won and lost here, but then my imagination can get a little crazy....
Back to the carriage.
The next stop our little horse take us to is the newly rebuilt Library of Alexandria. It is an immense modern building. I'm not sure when it was opened but I would say fairly recently. In it Egypt is attempting to rebuild the fame of the ancient library of Alexandria which housed over 500,000 volumes in ancient times and was a mecca for scholars. It was here the Euclid invented geometry. The modern day building is Egypt's way of coming into the modern world with a presence that ties it also to its illustrious past.
 |
| Statue of Alexander the Great at the Library |
We don't go into the library, but walk around it's large open air plaza and admire the bust of Alexander the Great, an enlightened man himself. To one side of the plaza are some very Western looking stores and we spot, of all things, a Cinnibon store! As I use the western style toilet (ahhh, luxury!) Randall gets a four pack and takes it back to our horse and two escorts. I really don't think they have ever seen Western food like these gi-normous Cinnamon roles that we bring them. I can only eat about 1/4 before I feel like puking. Randall manages to polish his whole one off, and the two Egyptian men feel compelled to compete, although I'm sure they felt sick for days after wards.... No wonder those Westerners are so doughy, they eat this stuff all the time, you can almost hear them say. Or maybe they did, I wouldn't know since I don't speak Arabic! HEHE......
We head in the general direction of the catacombs which I really want to see. We pass by the Roman amphitheatre (the only one of it's kind in Egypt), and Pompey's Pillar (an 84 foot high pillar made from Granite dedicated to the Roman Emperor Diocletian) and finally end up at the catacombs of Kom Ash-Shuqqafa.
Discovered when a donkey fell into a huge hole in the street, these catacombs date back to the second century AD and held over 300 corpses. Randall and I seem to be the only ones here. It's creepy descending the circular staircase. It's so quiet, the city is only meters above, but down here there is silence. Most of the remains have been removed, apart from that of some prized racing horses. But the fresco's on the walls are very interesting. Roman mixed with Egyptian. Anubis wearing a toga. Both cultures intertwining in these tombs for the middle class. People who were Romans, but for generations were also Egyptians. How mixed they must have felt themselves!
 |
| Catacombs |
We drive back through the many city markets of Alexandria. Me without anything to cover my hair attracting huge attention. We pull the cover up on the hansom cab and get a little less attention, and are able to enjoy the scenes. The butchers with meat hanging from the ceilings. The door makers with dozens of doors piled up. Above us laundry hung out over the dirty streets. Buildings built entirely of bricks. (Please lord, don't let there be an earthquake today!) The cotton bails waiting to be made into Egyptian cotton sheets or other textiles. Old warehouses built upon Roman ruins. Chickens waiting to go home and be someones dinner.
We ended up being in our little buggy for over five hours, but I think it was well worth it. We had such a good time together. Ancient ruins, modern city and a little hand holding too!
Back to the ship, and our babies it's time to get ready to leave our ship in two days and start the adventure of Europe in a few days time!!!!
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