Day 12 - Alexandria

We sleep in a little and then go downstairs for breakfast in the lobby area.  Mister has requested just croissants and jam and by golly, that is what we get -- 4 rolls each -- too funny.  The television is on and we watch it with amusement. An Egyptian soap opera comes on and we giggle during the rest of our breakfast as we watch it.  It is time to start walking and our first stop of the day is at the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria.

We walk up to the gates and ask permission to enter to take pictures of the exterior.  As we are doing so, another gentleman comes up and tells us that it is open and we are able to enter through the side door.  The church is beautiful inside and very well-maintained.  Around the corner is St. Catherines Roman Catholic Church and the gates are open so we go in and notice the grounds and that they are being worked on and kept nicely.

 

We enter the Church and notice the simplicity of it even though it is in need of repair.  Note to Pope:  Send money to St. Catherines.  From here, we head across town on foot and explore many small neighborhoods where we are definitely standing out. An old tram is still operating, but it looks slower than walking, and we have no idea how to tell which train to take.


More than once, Mister gets asked if he is a journalist.  People ask for their pictures to be taken again and are so friendly and warm in their sincere joy that we are there.  Our destination is the Catacombs of Kom al-Shoqofa, an ancient burial ground that was found quite by accident when a donkey fell through a chamber ceiling on a building construction site.  We think we're going the correct way, but the road is getting very narrow.

Locals in the tea shops and stores smile at us and point the way without us even asking. We can tell most tourists are shuttled here in their vans and tour buses.  It becomes quite comical to us.  No cameras in the catacombs, which is a shame because there are three levels of catacombs, all dug into the ground.around a center air/light shaft. At one time they were highly decorated as were all the tombs and temples.  We find that the images on the walls contain a mixture of Pharaonic and Greek details.  From the tombs, we walk down the street and grab a cab out to El Anfushi, a suburb of Alexandria, to visit Fort Qayt Bay - a citadel built on the site of Alexandria's Pharos Lighthouse. The lighthouse is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, but the only thing that remains are the foundation stones used by the fort. 

The lower level looks out toward the Mediterranean Sea and the East Harbor and has the most wonderful cool breeze blowing through it.  I love it -- love the windows, the rooms, and the breeze.  From there, we go to the very top and look out over the sea where you can see miles and miles of coastline and serves as a place for couples to grab a few romantic moments.

The interior of the fort is dull and basic with the exception of a Mosque within the walls.  We start our journey back along the Corniche on the lookout for a restaurant that Mister read about and wants to try.  We spot Kadoura and head in for lunch. We are escorted to the fish display where you select which one you want to eat.


 Mister orders sea bass for both of us. We are sent upstairs with a wooden number to put on our table. The server brings a nice salad, soda, water, and, of course, the required bread that comes in abundance at each meal

It is all delicious and we are ready to start out again.  As we walk along the Corniche, I spot people lowering baskets from several floors up in the buildings and a person on the ground places something in them and then they are raised back up.  Is it the mail?  I am not sure.  Also, you have to watch where you  walk or you will have water from laundry hanging on lines way above you drip all over your head.  Across the road, on the shore side, the beaches are packed and it is a festive atmosphere with umbrellas and cotton candy vendors everywhere.  About two blocks from Kadoura, we come across a place called El Koubeze, a juice stand, that looks wonderful.

The place is packed, with people stopping their cars in the street and servers running out to take their orders. Mister has coconut and I order a combo of mango and peach. We sit outside and enjoy them.

  As we are drinking, we notice another drink being served and determine to come back later and get one.  It is funny to me that in this country of such abundance of fresh fruit, that it is rarely served for our meals either in the hostels or restaurants, but you find lots of fruit juices stands. We return to the hotel to cool off and rest for awhile before making a trip to the train station to buy the day after tomorrow's train tickets back to Cairo.  We walk the Corniche again after dark and soak up the romance and atmosphere and relative quiet that we did not find in other places in Egypt.  We stop back in at El Koubeze to have the Fruit "Salat", fresh fruit juice with chunks of fruit overfilling the glass.

Oh my, how good is this.  So yummy.  Then it is back to the hostel for a good night's sleep.