A mere twenty-four hours in Alexandria was far, far too little, but I managed to cram in some intense sea food, night shopping, a complimentary breakfast fit for a queen, a morning walk along the Mediterranean, plenty of shopping, a walk along the beach near the palace of the last king of Egypt, a Greek buffet, the magical library of Alexandria, and a brief visit to the Citadel. So it was a busy twenty-four hours if nothing else!
The Mediterranean is beautiful everywhere, though. I woke up early Friday morning to walk along the wall separating the city and the sea, and it was absolutely blissful. Friday is a weekend here, so Friday morning found the city peacefully quiet and empty, except for the fishermen and a few passerby. It was so nice to take a break from all the hustle and bustle of Cairo and Egyptian life and all our work here to have some reflection time in the sea breeze, and I even got rained on! Egyptian rain is a rare thing, so it was a special occasion.
It was also nice to play tourist again after a few weeks of non-stop work. Shopping for souvenirs and gifts was really cool, and I bought myself a new skirt to wear here (and sunglasses since mine broke last week).
And the library! I know, I'm a bit of a book nerd (only a bit?), but I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen. And for it to be an open, public library as well as a museum and attraction and everything else is absolutely amazing. It was just SO cool.
Anyway, long story short, the respite was wonderful and completely necessary. The city comes highly recommended to anyone traveling to Egypt - don't miss it. I hope someday to bring some of you guys here! Especially you, 'rents. I couldn't stop thinking about our Euro trip, Madre, or how much you'd like the history here, Dad. In shah Allah!
Also, my parents proved today that it is possible to send a package to Egypt from America with surprisingly little trouble! Don't know how you guys pulled it off, but it seriously made my day.
The Mediterranean is beautiful everywhere, though. I woke up early Friday morning to walk along the wall separating the city and the sea, and it was absolutely blissful. Friday is a weekend here, so Friday morning found the city peacefully quiet and empty, except for the fishermen and a few passerby. It was so nice to take a break from all the hustle and bustle of Cairo and Egyptian life and all our work here to have some reflection time in the sea breeze, and I even got rained on! Egyptian rain is a rare thing, so it was a special occasion.
It was also nice to play tourist again after a few weeks of non-stop work. Shopping for souvenirs and gifts was really cool, and I bought myself a new skirt to wear here (and sunglasses since mine broke last week).
And the library! I know, I'm a bit of a book nerd (only a bit?), but I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen. And for it to be an open, public library as well as a museum and attraction and everything else is absolutely amazing. It was just SO cool.
Anyway, long story short, the respite was wonderful and completely necessary. The city comes highly recommended to anyone traveling to Egypt - don't miss it. I hope someday to bring some of you guys here! Especially you, 'rents. I couldn't stop thinking about our Euro trip, Madre, or how much you'd like the history here, Dad. In shah Allah!
Also, my parents proved today that it is possible to send a package to Egypt from America with surprisingly little trouble! Don't know how you guys pulled it off, but it seriously made my day.
No comments:
Post a Comment