Day 11 - Alexandria

I slept like a rock again --- love being rocked all night on the train.  Breakfast of bread and jam while watching out the windows until we slowly come to a stop.  We sit in the middle of farm land for an hour with what is explained as a "problem with the rails". Our train is late getting into Cairo, which causes me some dismay as we want to do a quick transfer and grab an early train to Alexandria.  The train station in Cairo is very nice and very large, but the first one we have been in that has absolutely no English anywhere and so we are struggling to find our way from our train to the station, and where to get our tickets.

We finally find a ticket window and with the help of two men waiting behind Mister, are told that the trains are all sold out until 3:30 in the afternoon. We find a tourist information office (just a room with a couple of chairs and cardboard boxes) and after explaining our dilemma, the man asks us to please sit (Egypt's solution to everything) and he will see what can be done. A few minutes later a tourist policeman (the guys in white uniforms) says he can get us seats on the 11am train. I stay and wait in the information room while Mister and the police officer leave.


The officer takes Mister to the same ticket window we just went to (Mister is not looking forward to dealing with the lady again, this time with police in tow) but another officer pulls him aside and has him ... sit and wait for a few minutes. He returns with two tickets for the sold-out 11am train. Mister does not ask how he got them, he just pays the officer (the stated price has a small tip included), and Mister also tips the other officer that walked around and sat with him.  We head back into the terminal and after a few friendly people point us in the right direction, a porter shows us the platform and leads us to where we need to stand to get in our designated car --- then asks for baksheesh --- ah Egypt.

We board the train and Mister calls the hotel to let them know when we will be in.  We arrive in Alexandria to much cooler weather and are walking along the platform while keeping an eye out for our driver, thinking he will have a sign.

We are approached by a man who says he is our driver -- ah yes, two pale redheads stand out like sore thumbs. He grabs our bags and we race to keep up with him as we snake through the lobby and out to his car. We get to the Alexander the Great Hostel and check in.

The room is spacious although basic and we drop our things off and decide to head out and explore right away.  We turn a couple of corners and are suddenly in a local souk and walk through the entire place slowly, soaking in the atmosphere.

There are no other tourists here and the people are incredibly friendly, welcoming us, thanking us for coming, and asking us to take their pictures.  Not a single shopkeeper hassles us and we are never asked for baksheesh. Are we in a different country?  It is so nice -- we relax and begin to enjoy Alexandria.

Yep, that's me weaving through the cars to cross the street.  This is how it is done in Egypt.

We head for the Corniche (coast) so that we can view the Mediterranean Sea.  People are strolling everywhere as it is the weekend in Egypt (Friday and Saturday are their days off and it is Thursday night).  The air is full of mist and although it is cooler here, it is humid and my hair is starting to do it's thing.   We walk along the Corniche and come upon the Nasser Cafe (popular name in Egypt) and stop in for a snack and drink.

It is also a hookah (water pipe) bar and I am surprised to see women smoking. Alexandria is more European and has a lot of Greek history. It is also the vacation spot for Egyptians, so things are more relaxed here. Upon leaving the Nasser, we go to the Grand Trianon Hotel where there is this delightful pastry shop from the 1920's.


It's dark wood interior is beautiful and the treats most tempting.  I select a chocolate pastry and as I am getting ready to pay, the power goes out and all is dark and quiet in the shop.  The saleslady gives Mister and I a scrumptious dark chocolate candy as a sampler, we pay for the pastry, and head out the door just as the power returns.  The next stop is just down the street and it is the Brazilian Coffee Store, a great little stand-up espresso bar where Mister gets a coffee and I savor my little chocolate pastry.

The ancient roasters are right in the room and the walls are covered with a very antiquated map of South America.  As we leave the store, our next stop is Kom-al-Dikka or Roman Theater, but we get there too late and it is closed.  We peek through the gates and try to snap a picture, but it is dark and the guard is not happy with us.  We start back towards our hostel and come upon another local market.  This time it is a produce market and it is all lit up.

The place is packed as always; Egypt comes alive after dark.  It is a quiet country during the day, but at night --- wow, everyone is out until at least 10 and sometimes much later.  You can hear the horns honking way into the late hours throughout the country.  As we continue on towards the hostel, we come upon a man making small doughnut-type treats and I stop to watch.  He scoops out a few from the fryer, dusts them with sugar, and hands them to me, refusing any money for them -- once again I wonder if I have gone to a different country.


We are now all turned around in the city and cannot figure out how to get back to the hotel.  I am hot and tired and it feels like we just keep going in circles.  We ask for directions, but no one really seems to know where we need to go and just want us to sit down and have tea.

 It is frustrating to me, but I am sure I will look back on it and laugh after I am home.  Finally, we circle in on the hostel like a couple of vultures and head inside to take much needed showers (we are soaked with sweat again) and head to bed.