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Alexandria

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    • Egyptian and Jordan Adventure
      11
      Day 5

      Beautiful Alexandria

      May 19, 2023 in Egypt

      Another early start and onward to Alexandria on the Mediterranean. First stop the Catacombs of Com el Shuqafa which has a labyrinth of burial chambers 1-4 AD. Then on to Fort Qaibey on the harbour. A delicious lunch of seafood at the Blue and White Greek restaurant. A walk along the waterfront was a relaxing end to the day.Read more

    • TravelerEgypt & Morocco
      1
      Day 5

      Alexandria

      April 23 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 42 °C

      Today we left Cairo for Alexandria. We visited the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa. These amazing catacombs are vertical, unlike the Roman ones and a circular staircase takes you down into the depths. They date back to about the second century. From there we went to Fort Qaitbay, a 15th century limestone fortress with great views of the Mediterranean. The trip itself was an exercise in defensive driving. There seems to be very few road rules over here and nobody seems to obey them. And the horn is everyone’s friend. Fortunately, we have a skilled driver behind the wheel. And it appears Alexandria is where beer is served in wine glasses 🍻🤣Read more

    • Egypt 2024
      Day 10

      Ägypten

      October 9 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

      Ägypten ist ein tolles Land. Die Menschen sind sehr freundlich und hilfsbereit. Sie sind nicht so aufdringlich wie in anderen afrikanischen Ländern. Wenn sie beim Parkieren helfen oder den Weg zum WC zeigen, erwarten sie Trinkgeld 😅 Für uns ist das Leben sehr günstig hier. So haben wir fürs Zmittag heute - 4mal Falaffel mit Pommes, Humus, Gemüse, viel Brot und 6 Getränken- im Ganzen 7.- bezahlt. Ein grosser Teil des Landes ist wüstenähnlich, nur links und rechts vom Nil und vor allem im Nildelta gibt es Vegetation.
      An manchen Orten ist es recht sauber, dann aber gibt es wieder Müll überall. Da wimmeln die streunenden Hunde, Katzen und Ziegen. Es gibt halb abgebaute oder zerfallene Hochhäuser mitten im belebten Quartier. Auf den Strassen wird alles mögliche feilgeboten. Daneben tummeln sich viele gelb schwarze Taxis, Tuk Tuks, Autos, kleine Busse, Mofas… ein wildes, aber doch anständiges Durcheinander 😊      Read more

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    • TravelerEgypt & Türkiye
      Day 15

      Trek to the Mediterranean

      October 9 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

      Today we travelled north to Alexandria, stopping off first at the military museum in El Alamein. I felt pretty proud as an Aussie and reading about our contributions to WWII here. We didn’t stay all that long inside because ironically it was cooler outside 🤷‍♀️…..maybe I’m becoming Egyptian? Ahmed was telling us how all the beaches are closed now due to the cold weather. WTH?? He even brought his jacket as it might drop to 25°C tonight. Bring it on, I say !!!
      Next we paid a visit to the Commonwealth cemetery which was pretty moving and very much like the ones I visited in Belgium; just a little drier and warmer (especially as I visited those ones in European winter).
      The conditions that these soldiers fought in would have been hellish. I barely make it through the day as a tourist and I’m in and out of AC. They would’ve had no relief whatsoever!! AC certainly wasn’t around. I always knew the conditions of war were shocking but I have a whole new respect for those poor soldiers now. Not only were they facing and living in the horrors of war, but add to that the relentless dry and heat……wow!
      Our hotel in Alexandria concerned us initially as it looked and felt like an abandoned building, but up on the 10th floor, where our room was, was a different story. The views over the Mediterranean are just spectacular. We have a gorgeous balcony and very “Arabian Night” lights
      We explored the local area and got ourselves some ice cream to eat on the sea wall. Crossing the roads here is a death defying challenge every time. This time however, I asked a policeman about a tunnel (which apparently exist for tourists somewhere) and he understood my sign language promptly ushering us across 6 lanes of traffic like an absolute pro!!
      Getting back was another story though 😂😂😂
      We sat on the wall for a good hour, watching the fishermen as the sun slowly set.
      On our way to dinner we did a little shopping at the dessert place Ahmed had recommended. Ooooh la la! £30EGY = $1 and that’s how much it was for the most decadent chocolate tarts, eclairs, massive donuts and all sorts of traditional cakes. Platters of baklava were £70EGY = $2!!!!
      We had dinner at an Egyptian restaurant and had 3 dishes between us as well as 4 cans of soft drink. It came to $15…… crazy!! And it was soooooo delicious. We couldn’t eat it all either.
      Now we’ve slumped back to our room and crashed in a food coma.      Read more

    • Opération Harissa Volante
      1
      2
      Day 110

      Alexandrie 2

      November 22, 2019 in Egypt ⋅ 🌙 16 °C

      Sans aucun doute possible, Alexandrie est la ville la plus cool qu'on ait visité en Egypte. On se promène en admirant les vues sur la baie. Petites curiosités au fil de la balade : d'antiques ascenseurs, des chiens curieux, des portes à la Numérobis et des graffitis en grec ancien. Un garçon demande à Khalid si par hasard il ne serait pas un acteur turc?Read more

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    • LadyandtrampEgypt for 1 Month, then Mexico

      The Rest of Our Time in Alexandria

      January 7, 2023 in Egypt ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

      Our driver took us to a seafood restaurant, The Fish Market, that had a great view of the harbour. We think that tour guides take their groups there. Not our pick for a restaurant but not expensive
      $15 and that good view.

      On the whole, the fish dinner was served very quickly and was not the tastiest. Lukewarm and rubbery fish with undercooked rice and an okay salad. The best part of it for me was the lemon juice and the freshly baked Naan bread with 4 different dips. Overall, it wouldn’t have been a place that I would return to.

      For dessert, the driver took us to an ice cream place. He loved ice cream so he once again treated us to mango cones, sold in front of the mosque.

      We drove along the popular 10 mile waterfront corniche, or promenade, with its healthy looking horses pulling caleches. Everything that tourists see looks so clean and well-taken care of. But behind this facade, there are poorly-built, dilapidated high rises and garbage-strewn, rough streets. Lori, our cottage neighbour, wrote to us of a collapsed roof that killed 2 people in Alexandria today. We can believe it.

      We went on to the new Alexandria Library that we found out was closed due to today being a Coptic Christmas holiday. The new library is built near where the ancient library was. Along the Mediterranean shore, the modern circular, glass-covered library overlooks the same sea where Cleopatra first laid eyes on Julius Caesar.

      Most historians believe that Julius Cesar burned 101 ships that were landing on the Mediterranean Sea shore in front of Alexandria in the year 48 BC. This great fire reached the library and caused huge damage to the building of the library and its books.

      We would have liked to have had a tour of this building as it really is impressive but we can easily do a Utube video tour. The library is considered to be the first digital library in the whole world and it contains a place to include 8 million books, six specialized libraries, three museums, research centers, two permanent galleries, six halls to host art exhibitions, an internet archive, audio and visual library, a special library for blind people, a library for children, a library for teenagers, a microfilm library, a library of rare books and a conference center. It is massive!

      By now, we had seen enough and headed back to Cairo with its pyramids, the Nile, the Cairo Tower and crazy traffic. It had been a full day.      Read more

    • TravelerDie Schätze Ägyptens/Türkeis
      Day 7

      Alexandria

      April 7, 2023 in Egypt ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

      6 Uhr klingelt mein Wecker für die Fahrt nach Alexandria, endlich lerne ich diesen historischen Ort mal kennenlernen! Die Fahrt dauerte ca. 3,5h und vor Ort lernen wir (noch ein Pärchen aus den USA und ein Mexikaner) unseren Reiseführer kennen, er zeigt uns die Bibliothek von Alexandria (natürlich die neu gebaute) und führt uns ins die Katakomben von Kom El Shoqafa, wo einige römische Herrscher begeben sind. Weiter ging es zum römischen Amphitheater und zur Säule des Pompeji (wie so oft haben auch hier die Römer ihre Spuren hinterlassen). Ein Besuch auf dem lokalen Markt mit sehr leckerem Essen und der Besuch der St. Mark Kirche und Abo El-Abbas Moschee rundeten den Besuch ab, bevor wir zum Schluss noch die Qāitbāy-Zitadelle, welche von den Osmanen als Festung erbaut wurden besuchten. Ein toller Tag mit viel Programm, sehr lohnenswert. Ab geht es zurück nach Kairo, hier wartet eine lange Partynacht auf mich, einer aus dem Hostel feiert seinen 26. Geburtstag, fast das ganze Hostel feiert mit, erst am morgen geht es nach Hause 🥳.Read more

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    • Egypt 2024
      Day 10

      Autonummern

      October 9 in Egypt ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

      Regelmässig sehen wir hier unter den ägyptischen Autonummern, noch solche aus Deutschland. Diese dienen hier als Zierde. Sie sind sogar ein Statussymbol! Auf die Lesbarkeit kommt es nicht an - Hauptsache, das „D“ ist gut zu sehen. Dem Vernehmen nach sagt dieses "D" über den Fahrer, dass er zuverlässig ist, gut organisiert und "mit Leidenschaft" ausgeführte Arbeit leistet. Eigenschaften, die Ägypter anscheinend mit deutschen Autofahrern verbinden.Read more

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    • TravelerEgypt & Türkiye
      Day 16

      From Catacombs to Castles

      October 10 in Egypt ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

      The city of Alexandria, which is a bit cooler than other cities in Egypt and reminds us a lot of Malta, was founded by Alexander the Great when he conquered ancient Egypt in 332 bce. For hundreds of years it was Egypt’s capital. It lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea northwest of Cairo.
      The Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa that we visited today, are an ancient burial site that was built under Roman rule in the 2nd Century AD. The Catacombs are carved out of bedrock. You could easily get lost in the labyrinth that lies under the city and goes down 3 levels. Once again I am in awe of the architecture and actual building of this place. Keeping in mind there was no electricity so this was all done in the dark with some sort of candles or something. Well, maybe they did have electricity - at this point nothing would surprise me. There were rooms where feasts were held too. The blend of ancient Egyptian and Roman is very obvious.
      Next stop was Alexandria Library; the biggest in the world. What a magnificent structure and how tragic that in 400CE the original building burnt down destroying all the contents as well, including ancient scrolls ☹️☹️☹️
      We had a tour and saw old printing presses and all sorts of statues. There are apparently nearly 2 million books here and about ¼ have been digitalised and made available to everyone on their website. What a laborious job…..
      Finally we visited the biggest mosque in Alexandria and I learned so, so much about Islam (the “s” is pronounced “ssss” meaning light, and not “zzz” as that means darkness)
      Same with Muslim.
      Jim and I then ventured out to a big shopping centre just to mosey around before heading to the old fortress. It was a bit of a fiasco getting in but we figured it out and enjoyed exploring the site as the sunset. Tonight we had our last dinner with the group (tomorrow we are catching up with Aunty Vicky). Such a great group of people and I’ve particularly enjoyed Ahmed as our leader.
      Back to Cairo tomorrow.      Read more

    • Opération Harissa Volante
      Day 109

      Alexandrie 1

      November 21, 2019 in Egypt ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

      En arrivant à la gare, on monte dans un train blindé pour Alexandrie. On reste assis dans le couloir en attendant d'avoir une place, mais bon ça va, surtout par rapport à d'autres trains qui passent avec des gens allongés dans les porte-bagages...

      Enfin on arrive, l'hôtel est complètement vintage 1930, la poussière des ans en prime. En revanche la nouvelle Bibliotheca Alexandrina est flambant neuve, magnifique, elle donne (presque) envie de travailler !

      Fin de journée dans un bar difficile à trouver mais bien fourni dont les ornements art déco jurent avec la playlist schizophrénique déroulant un motif récurrent Céline Dion / Sean Paul / Jazz manouche et flamenco. Quand on commande un whisky on nous sert un truc bizarre, coupé, qui sort d'une bouteille de Johnny WAKER. Ha, ha. Khalid râle et le serveur sort une autre bouteille de dessous le comptoir et on a un vrai whisky (enfin, ca reste du Black Label...).

      Rencontre avec Ramzi, un prof de chimie qui fait partie de la minorité copte. Il parle un français incroyable. On lui fait goûter la harissa mais nous sommes maintenant arrivés dans une région où les gens connaissent ! On sent que la mission touche à sa fin...

      Avant de rentrer, Ramzi nous emmène chez Kibda el Fallah manger des sandwichs au foie et au piment. C'est très bon! Manifestement c'est LE truc à faire à Alexandrie à 1h du matin, car le resto est pris d'assaut.

      Opération Harissa phase 5 : completed
      #HarissingTheWorld      Read more

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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Muḩāfaz̧at al Iskandarīyah, Muhafazat al Iskandariyah, Alexandria, اسكندرية, Alexandría

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