Day 5

6/16/10

Today we took the train to Alexandria. We traeled first class, but the train station looked like it belonged in the At&t commercials where everything is covered in tarps, only much dirtier. The place was a mess. Thankfully the train was on time and we could board right away. We traveled in this fashion for the next three hours. I read, looked out the window, and slept.

When we got there, we met our buses that were driven down earlier that morning. We almost didn't need them right away though, because our first stop was only three minutes away. We stopped at a Roman Amphitheatre discovered when a bank wanted to build on the lot. It is the only one of its kind found in Egypt. There was also an open-air museum of artifacts found in the Mediterranean from old Alexandria that were lost during the earthquake. It was very big and very beautiful.

Next we went to the Library of Alexandria. History Lesson- the old Library of Alexandria was a mecca of learning and a repository of ancient text and rare manuscripts. Unfortunately all was lost in a great fire. So, the library is a point of pride for every Alexandrian and this new one is very high tech and well funded. We toured the library and received access to the library's website and was given a quick tutorial. It is amazing and I wish I had known about it before all three years of history fair had past. But it was wonderful. On the lowest level, there were several museums and exhibits. One section was old and rare books including sections of the Book of the Dead of Ani! And now I have pictues of it!! Happy!

We also stopped in the gift shop. I bought a Sekhmet statue (lioness goddess) and a blue scarab for Austin. Karin and Mark had a hard time buying what they wanted. The proprietors could not find a box for their candle holder and took forever to resolve the issue. We were almost late for the bus. Thankfully we walk faster than everyone else so we were not very last. I was having anxiety attacks the entire time because i absolutely HATE to be late.

After the library we drove out to the summer palace on the Mediterranean. It has since been transformed into a hotel for very privileged guests. Bill Clinton stayed here when he was visiting the Egyptian President one summer. It was beautiful as you can see.

There is a restaurant in a hotel right next to it in a beautiful garden complex. This is where we had lunch. The view was beautiful. Mom would have loved it. Karin loved the desserts. There was this chocolate mousse pudding thing that she was almost writing poetry about after trying it. lol.

We then drove to the seaside and walked down to the beach; which was full not of sand but of tiny sea shells. It was very rough but my feet were nice and soft after that. Hehehe. We all stuck our feet in the Mediterranean, and it was so clear and clean and warm!. Its also the first time i've stuck my feet in an ocean or a sea in many many years, so I took a picture as proof for mom that I actually got my feet wet.

After drying off, we continued to drive up the coast with beautiful beaches and clear water. We drove to the site of the old Pharaohs lighthouse which was one a wonder of the world. It was destoryed and a fort was built on the site and used some of the blocks to build in the 14th century. There was a small bazaar there. I found a blue pyramid set I though Aus would like, but I didn't like the price, so I walked away. The vendor continued to follow me and lower the price while I was saying I really didn't want it. I wasn't trying to bargain I truely didn't want it. After watching grandma and Karin buy Aunt Marcy a scarf, I mentioned the funny affair, and grandma went to look at the pyramids. She decided to buy them, and the vendor gave her the lowest price he had offered me, and she didn't need to bargain! She hates bargaining.

We returned to the bus and prepared for a long trip back to Cairo. I slept until our rest stop where nearly everyone bought an ice cream pop of some sort, Iwas no exception. Traffic was not bad, but Sam filled the time answering questions that had built up during the trip. We learned an awful lot about her. She is divorced, has two older teenaged boys, and lives in Heliopolis. (Heliopolis is right next to Cairo airport). She was very open and honest with all of her answers and is generally really great.

As we were nearing Cairo, the traffic became really bad and we saw true Cairo traffic with total disregard for any traffic laws. We also saw an Alex Bank sign for the Bank of Alexandria. Karin asked me to take a picture so she could take it home to her son, Alex.

By the time we got back we were so tired we really just went to our rooms and went to bed to prepare for the next day.