Maybe it's the history - from Alexander the Great (founder of the city in the 330s BC), through Cleopatra and the different Roman Emperors, with a brief dose of Napoleon and later Nazi Germany, to the more modern Nasser and Sadat. Or maybe it's the gorgeous architecture, with ruins from the Greco-Roman period surviving among the more recent, Europeanized buildings.Perhaps I like its location best - right on the Mediterranean Sea, with its beatiful Corniche lining the azure waters, extending its widescreen welcome to surreal tangerine sunsets (I'm inspired by Cavafy, who lived most of his life in Alexandria). I don't know... I just know I love this place.
We arrived here yesterday morning, on the 8 hour overnight bus from Siwa. Overnight means you don't get to sleep much, as stiff necks ally with blasting Quran tapes and crazy driving to keep your eyes dutifully open. So in our state of exhaustion, we chose to nap through the morning. Once we'd recharged our batteries, we set out on our afternoon tour.
Alexandria feels like a European city. Most of the buildings in the Midan Ramla and Center City look 19th and 20th century European, and a tram traverses the main road in the city. Parks line the "Corniche" - an avenue with a seaside walkway that traces the whole Alexandrian bay. And trees line most of the major streets.
We walked from our hotel to the National Museum of Alexandria. The museum has three floors. On the first we found statues, coffins and other artifacts from the Egyptians. The second floor covers the Roman and Greek period, with some masterful busts. On the third level, more modern times come to life, from Coptic Christianity to Islam. I think this is the nicest museum we've visited in Egypt. Although the Cairo museum certainly contains the largest collection of Egyptian and Greco-Roman art, the Alexandrian museum is much better organized and marked, and the quality of the sample is on par with the Cairo one.
From the museum we moved on to the Library of Alexandria. During Greek and Roman times, Alexandria was famous for its Great Library, the midwife of much of our current knowledge. Although the Great Library was destroyed by earthquakes, floods and Christians, a modern version is now open to the public. The library is very popular, and is also home to a few museums and a planetarium. We visited to museums: one dedicated to the modern history of Alexandria from around the 1700s to the present; and another one dedicated to Sadat, the late Egyptian leader. The modern history of Alexandria museum had some interesting maps of the city (old and new) and a few pictures from Napoleon's time here, which I enjoyed. As for the Sadat museum, it was amazing to see how they even had the bloodied military uniform he was wearing in 1981, when he was shot dead. It was a very informative visit.
From the museum we headed over to a place serving some of the best seafood I've ever had. This place deserves a special description. It's located in a little alleyway adjacent to a mosque. For those of you who've been to Havana, the alleyway reminded me of those in Havana Vieja - in fact, Kimmie and I have commented several times on how Alexandria (its old streets and alleyways, its waterfront, its outside life) reminds us of Havana. But anyway, this seafood place is literally on the street. They have mounds of fried calamari, grilled shrimp, breaded fish, spicy clams - all fresh and perfectly cooked. Tables are set on the street and in a three story building right next to the mosque. Waiters come to you immediately as you approach, taking your order, offering tastes of the different items on the menu - but these waiters are nice, not like the penny-sucking ones you often find in Cairo. Long story short, we feasted for about $10 total. Each of us had a cup of "caldo de mariscos", a bowl of rice, a massive seafood plate with everything on the menu, a plate of salad (to help with digestion) and a few drinks. We rolled out of there with our bellies food and our hearts happy (panza llena, corazon contento). And we had leftovers to take back to our hotel!
Today we continued with our site tour. First, we made it to what used to be a Roman Amphitheater, situated next to the ruins of some old Roman baths. The site also features an old villa, dating back to the 1st century A.D., where the main attraction is a floor mosaic depicting birds ad intricate patterns. The place provided a glimpse into what must have been a relatively wealthy city life in Alexandria during Roman times.
From there we traversed the city by foot - we prefer to walk rather than take taxis, as it allows us to really get a feel for what the city is like - to the famous Pompey Pillar, a huge column carved out of red stone in around 300 A.D. At the top, the colum has some interesting carvings - the Lonely Planet calls them "Corinthian."
From there we continued west for about five minutes, through the crowded streets of a middle class neighborhood resembling the Turkish Quarters, to my favorite site of the day: the Catacombs. Supposedly the largest Roman burial site in Egypt, the catacombs extend downward to a depth of over 35 meters and had room for over 300 bodies. In addition to teh burial sites, this underground construction had a wake area, where people mourned their dead over abundant food and drink. Visiting the catacombs truly gave us an Indiana Jones experience - we were free to explore every room and every tomb (all the bones have long been removed, though) as we pleased. We even pulled out our little flashlight. Unfortunately, the deepest rooms were flooded with underwater water, so we could get to them. Furthermore, no pics are available, as cameras are not allowed inside.
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