Ramez was there eagerly awaiting our arrival at Cairo airport – the poor lad had missed us so. Our hotel was located by the Nile and a short walk into the downtown area so we dropped off our things and headed off to the mall, accompanied by our faithful tour guide. It is amazing the difference between walking with an Egyptian and walking on your own – he was like our personal bodyguard as the hissing and pestering was reduced to a minimum, unlike our return journey! Crossing the busy streets never ceases to entertain us – you take your life in your hands every time, weaving your way through the traffic that does not follow any kind of rule of the road. And yet it seems to work and we managed to do it all by ourselves. The reason for the trip to the shopping mall – so I could buy another bag. Oh yes. Not enough room in the one I have – what a shocker!
That evening Ramez took us out for koshary, a popular Egyptian meal that proved to be quite delicious. It is a combination of spaghetti, noodles, lentils, chick peas, onions topped with tomato sauce, lemon and spice. We got to see a part of Cairo that we would not have on our own, a most enjoyable evening cut short because of a touch of the Nile Pile!!
An early rise and off to Alexandria, a city that has boasted being the capital of Egypt at some point in its colourful history….just one of many that has had that honour bestowed upon it. It took a while to get there as we experienced some trouble with our van and then we had to switch to a car with a new driver, Mohammad. He was hilarious!!! And true to Egyptian hospitality, he treated us as his guests and bought us falafel that was cooked in front of us on the street – and it was delicious! We put it in Egyptian bread, otherwise known as pita but so incredibly fresh compared to the tasteless bits of cardboard we get at home, that was also bought on the street. Our guide, Marawy (not sure of the spelling) was excellent and a lot of fun too so we spent the day laughing as we learned more of the history of this incredible country. At one point Errin got out of the car to take a photo and Mohammad jumped in to the spot she vacated in the back of the car......so, cool as a cucumber, she jumps into the driver's seat and drives off!! Much to the delight of our Egyptian friends, she did an excellent job (mind you, three times round the roundabout was a bit much!) even though she never made it out of the park! Driving in the streets of Alexandria is just as crazy as Cairo and not an experience Errin wanted to sample.
It appears that having jump worthy locations is not confined to us and Marawy was also a proponent of this activity. Much to the amusement of the palace guards, the group of us proceeded to execute many jumps trying to get the perfect one!!
We visited the Alexandria National Museum, the Acropolis, the catacombs (where maybe Cleopatra’s body was….Errin was pumped about that) and the Alexandria Library. All of the sites were great but the library was incredible. A beautiful design and a very functional building without looking austere. Our tour was also filmed by some Japanese film group so we could be famous in Japan!
One of the intriguing facts about this city is that a large number of the temples and artifacts are actually submerged in the harbour. Can you imagine scuba diving and being able to swim amongst the relics of Cleopatra’s Palace? Too bad we were not certified divers (snorkeling was enough for me!!). They are unable to bring the artifacts up as the statues would crack due to the crystallization of the salt. However, there is talk about building an underwater museum – that would be a must to visit if it is ever done. It is believed that Alexander the Great is buried under the main crossroads of the city but the Egyptians will not excavate them due to the disruption to the city infrastructure and the possibility of being wrong. Alexandria has more of a cosmopolitan feel, much cleaner and prettier than Cairo and has therefore won the award as our Favourite Egyptian City. Errin says it reminds her of Nice due to its 32km sea wall along the Mediterranean Sea. A great way to end our time in Egypt.
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