We ended our adventures back in Alexandria, but getting there was a bit of an adventure itself.
We left in fog. Fog like we have here in Liwa. Though it was a little better on the actual roads. Apparently not great though. We saw nine accidents along the way. I was sleeping for a while, but when I woke up and saw the accidents, there was no going back to sleep. As I write this, I cannot help but think of those killed in an accident on that same road. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those victims.
Thank God, we arrived in Alexandria safe and sound. The fog cleared and we were able to tour the city. The tour places in Alexandria were much shorter stops than the ones in Cairo so it still took all day, but we saw a little bit more.
One of our stops was the ruins of the Roman Theater. It was really interesting to see these ruins that are right in the center of the city. They city has grown up around them. The catacombs were the same way. These were our first stops. The catacombs, is a burial area that has a mix of Greek/Roman and Egyptian influences. You walk down 90 steps and find the burial chamber of a king and queen. The interesting thing about the catacombs discovery was it was done by a donkey. Yes, you read correctly, a donkey. He fell into the catacombs, therefore discovering the area below. It is dark and wet down in the catacombs. The elements have washed away any evidence of human burial having occurring in the tombs. It was interesting to view, but when you are down there you are on wooden boards. I was happy to get up and back onto solid ground.
We were able to drive up to the Citadel. The building was interesting, but I was more excited to be close to the sea. There was an area of vendors, so we walked and explored what wares they were selling. It was very similar to the bazars in Cairo, but the background was more scenic. I was not able to climb down and put my feet in the Mediterranean, so I will have to do that from another shore on another visit.
Another one of our stops was the Alexandria Library. It is the largest library in the world. The design is the most unique that I have every seen. It has a stone semicircle that is decorated with language characters from over 120 languages. The architecture alone is interesting, but then you enter it and its has various areas of art and, of course, books. I was not able to go into the actual area with the books, but I still enjoyed the various exhibitions set up throughout the building.
After the library, we headed for Montazah Gardens, unfortunately it was dark by then so we were unable to see that much. We were able to drive up to the palace and take pictures though. It was a gorgeous structure architecturally. At this point I was fairly tired, so I would love to say that I have more exciting things to share, but I was ready for bed and wanting to get to the hotel.
Our hotel was conveniently located around a shopping area. As if we hadn't spent enough money in Cairo already. Our last day in Egypt was a free day. After sleeping in and having a relaxing breakfast, we set off to explore a little. I found a suitcase to put my souvenirs in a "dress" to wear to more formal occasions. Others explored and shopped longer, but I choose to take the afternoon to relax before we went out for Christmas dinner. I chose to wear my new outfit to Christmas dinner. Our hotel was having a dinner, but on their explorations earlier they found a place with a better menu for a better price. It was a lot of food and really delicious too! The first course was Cream of Mushroom Soup, Second was Chicken Pot Pie--it was in a pastry and that is not what it was called, but that is what it reminded us of, Turkey, rice, and potatoes, and then desert. I was stuffed. By the third course I was not able to eat a lot. If we weren't leaving the next day I would have taken it to go, but unfortunately I had enough to drag to the airport already. It was not the same as being home, but it was really nice to be with good friends and have a nice meal on Christmas. Though it may not have felt that way.
The next morning we headed back to the tiny airport. Navigated our way through the hoards of people and after some fog delays, managed to get on our flight home.
The experience was one that I will never forget. I do have to give a shout out to Mrs. Reagen Dinelli here because she helped prepare me for the trip in a lot of ways. I was never without money for the bathroom thanks to her advice. ; )
I am not sure if I will get the chance to go back, but if the opportunity arises, there is plenty more to see.
We left in fog. Fog like we have here in Liwa. Though it was a little better on the actual roads. Apparently not great though. We saw nine accidents along the way. I was sleeping for a while, but when I woke up and saw the accidents, there was no going back to sleep. As I write this, I cannot help but think of those killed in an accident on that same road. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those victims.
Thank God, we arrived in Alexandria safe and sound. The fog cleared and we were able to tour the city. The tour places in Alexandria were much shorter stops than the ones in Cairo so it still took all day, but we saw a little bit more.
One of our stops was the ruins of the Roman Theater. It was really interesting to see these ruins that are right in the center of the city. They city has grown up around them. The catacombs were the same way. These were our first stops. The catacombs, is a burial area that has a mix of Greek/Roman and Egyptian influences. You walk down 90 steps and find the burial chamber of a king and queen. The interesting thing about the catacombs discovery was it was done by a donkey. Yes, you read correctly, a donkey. He fell into the catacombs, therefore discovering the area below. It is dark and wet down in the catacombs. The elements have washed away any evidence of human burial having occurring in the tombs. It was interesting to view, but when you are down there you are on wooden boards. I was happy to get up and back onto solid ground.
We were able to drive up to the Citadel. The building was interesting, but I was more excited to be close to the sea. There was an area of vendors, so we walked and explored what wares they were selling. It was very similar to the bazars in Cairo, but the background was more scenic. I was not able to climb down and put my feet in the Mediterranean, so I will have to do that from another shore on another visit.
Another one of our stops was the Alexandria Library. It is the largest library in the world. The design is the most unique that I have every seen. It has a stone semicircle that is decorated with language characters from over 120 languages. The architecture alone is interesting, but then you enter it and its has various areas of art and, of course, books. I was not able to go into the actual area with the books, but I still enjoyed the various exhibitions set up throughout the building.
After the library, we headed for Montazah Gardens, unfortunately it was dark by then so we were unable to see that much. We were able to drive up to the palace and take pictures though. It was a gorgeous structure architecturally. At this point I was fairly tired, so I would love to say that I have more exciting things to share, but I was ready for bed and wanting to get to the hotel.
Our hotel was conveniently located around a shopping area. As if we hadn't spent enough money in Cairo already. Our last day in Egypt was a free day. After sleeping in and having a relaxing breakfast, we set off to explore a little. I found a suitcase to put my souvenirs in a "dress" to wear to more formal occasions. Others explored and shopped longer, but I choose to take the afternoon to relax before we went out for Christmas dinner. I chose to wear my new outfit to Christmas dinner. Our hotel was having a dinner, but on their explorations earlier they found a place with a better menu for a better price. It was a lot of food and really delicious too! The first course was Cream of Mushroom Soup, Second was Chicken Pot Pie--it was in a pastry and that is not what it was called, but that is what it reminded us of, Turkey, rice, and potatoes, and then desert. I was stuffed. By the third course I was not able to eat a lot. If we weren't leaving the next day I would have taken it to go, but unfortunately I had enough to drag to the airport already. It was not the same as being home, but it was really nice to be with good friends and have a nice meal on Christmas. Though it may not have felt that way.
The next morning we headed back to the tiny airport. Navigated our way through the hoards of people and after some fog delays, managed to get on our flight home.
The experience was one that I will never forget. I do have to give a shout out to Mrs. Reagen Dinelli here because she helped prepare me for the trip in a lot of ways. I was never without money for the bathroom thanks to her advice. ; )
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