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.

Day 10 - Luxor

Mahmoud serves us breakfast on the roof again and it is a repeat of yesterday but with banana juice. We go downstairs to meet the new guide and discover that Ragab is going to take us anyway.  We walk down to the Nile again and ferry over to Luxor.


Ragab hires a cab and we go to the Temple of Karnak

This place is huge -- it is incredibly complex and impressive and covers a space of 1 mile by 2 miles (247 acres).  It was constructed over a vast amount of time and was the center of government for Egypt.  It is here that we see an amazing amount of columns and even some standing obelisks.

 Even with all the exposure to the elements, there is still color visible on columns and we are able to take pictures throughout the entire complex.  We could get lost here for days and absolutely love the beauty of the Sacred Lake within it's walls.  Oh to be able to see what it truly would have been like in it's full glory and filled with activity. Adobe bricks making ramps can be seen against one wall of the temple that was never finished by the Egyptians. This is a rare look into how they raised the stones to such heights.

From here, we go to the Temple of Luxor which sits smack dab in the middle of the city along the Nile.

The Temple of Karnak and the Temple of Luxor are 2 miles apart and the Avenue of Sphinxes will one day once again go the entire distance between them.

There is a statue here of Ramses II (Ramses the Great) that is in very good condition (still has the serpent head) and accurately depicts what he looked like.

Ramses certainly did like his own image as he made sure to put it everywhere -- the logic falls apart to me though in that they are always in places where the general population cannot see them.  One would think he would have wanted it the other way around.  Hmmn.  This temple is also unique in that it has been used throughout time for religious purposes, including a Mosque built on top of the temple walls 

as well as a Christian church. The plaster and paintings that covered the Egyptian carvings are still visible. 

I am very warm and ready for a break so we ask the driver to take us to Tutti-Fuitti, a quiet little English tearoom with great scones and pastries.

After a nice break and snack, I am ready to go again.  The cab returns and we head back to the dock to grab a ferry and cross the river once again.  We return to the hotel to shower, rest for awhile, and then pack. We make arrangements for our hotel in Alexandria and head up to the roof to have some fruit and just relax.  Mister goes to settle up and the cab arrives to take us back into Luxor for our train.  The train is waiting when we arrive and we board instantly and make ourselves comfortable for the evening.  Dinner is served shortly after we leave and we climb into our bunks and crash.

Day 9 - Luxor - Dendera

It is a beautiful day and we take a few moments on our balcony to just look around and enjoy before leaving the room.

Breakfast is on the deck with Mahmoud and Ragab.  It is scrambled egg, bread, yogurt, cheese, and juice.  I am a bit disappointed that it doesn't include any of the fruit we bought yesterday. Mister asks for some mango to go along with it and Mahmoud returns with a plate full of the best mango we've had.  Time to go downstairs and meet up with the girls and Ragab for the trip into Dendera.  The girls have decided to stay behind today and Ragab is not feeling well and so I give him a DayQuil and hope that he will be able to make it through the day.  The van is ready for us and we head out.  It is about a 45 minute drive so we visit with Ali, the driver, while Ragab sleeps in the back seat. Mister asks about the breakfast Ali is eating, so Ali gives him the third falafel sandwich he had. Mister said it was wonderful.

In a few minutes, we are at the Temple of Hathor.
 

Hathor of Dendera was the goddess of love, beauty, music, and birth.  As a result, there are many images of fertility throughout the temple and the building itself is one of grace and style. The colors of this temple, especially the ceiling, are fantastic.  How do they last for so long with all of their exposure to the elements?  Now that is a question that today's paint manufacturer's should be asking. 

This temple is unique in that it has an underground crypt with images that are still intact (complete with faces) as it had not been found during the Coptic time.  One of the images is believed to be that of an electric lamp -- something way beyond it's time.

On the upper level, carved into the ceiling is  the zodiak, complete with all signs and a place for looking into the night sky.

On the outside of the temple, there is a carving of Cleopatra with her child Julius and it is believed to be the only surviving carving of her.

As we finish up here, we are so glad that we came to this temple.  We had it pretty much to ourselves and enjoyed the peaceful feeling here.  We load back into the van and make a quick stop at a gas station so Mister can get change for the large bills the ATM always gives us (no one will take them). We are soon on our way back to the hostel for a nice shower (see a pattern?).  Mister goes up on the roof to enjoy the view and visit and I walk down to a little local store just around the corner from the hostel.  This adorable little girl comes in and starts picking out what I would call "penny candy" and soon the shopkeeper, a gentle older man, helps her out and she hands over her money and patiently waits for her change.  She is all of about 5 years old, but handles herself well.  I get a juice for Mister, some chips and an ice cream cone and go back to the roof to sit with Mister.  The ice cream is soooo good and I enjoy it entirely. I take a nap and Mister goes for a walk.

The area is very rustic; dirt streets and adobe houses with kids and animals running around. The local motorcycle merchant was very nice. So were the kids that followed him around.

We decide to walk down to the river and take the ferry over into Luxor to get tickets for tomorrow night's train back to Cairo.  The ferry costs 1.5LE each way and so we pay 6LE and receive a piece of paper with a 2x2 written on it. It's our "ticket" for the return trip.

We cross the Nile in a matter of minutes and are soon walking into Luxor, passing horse carriages all along the way. Every driver wants us to use them, and they cannot understand that we WANT to walk.  I remember that we need cash and start looking for an ATM, so I stop in at a tourist information office for directions.  There are people at both machines and they are taking forever, trying over and over again.  They tell us that they are not working and we finally get a chance to use one -- no problems.  With cash in hand we head to get our tickets for the overnight train the next night and then wander the streets of Luxor.  We come across a great little bakery and Mister picks out an assortment of cookies to take back to the hostel and share.The owner leaned in to make sure he was in the picture.

As we are walking around, this young man comes up and starts talking with us saying he wants to practice his English.  He follows us everywhere and finally we ask him to go and yet, cannot get rid of him.  Shortly another man walking down the street yells at him and tells us that he tried to get into our backpack and sure enough the zipper is slightly open.  We send him on his way and head back to the ferry, a little more alert and thankful for the passerby.  We pass the Luxor Temple and know that we are going to visit it the next day.

We do stop and take a good look at the Avenue of the Sphinxes that is being restored. It originally connected the Luxor and Karnak temples. 

The ferry is waiting and we board with our little note, a few looks from the cashier, and me standing firm that it is a proper ticket. I am amused by the people who will run and jump onto the ferry as it is pulling away and when it comes close to arriving at the opposite dock, people are jumping off before it stops as well.  Too funny.  As we walk back towards the hostel, we meet a family with children and visit for awhile, take pictures, and turn down an offer of dinner at their home.

We have a late dinner of kofta on the roof and head for bed.  Whew, I'm beat.