Tunisia - 15 October 2010

Homeward Bound

After breakfast, when I enjoyed the cake but not much else, I sat in the foyer.  While I waited for the others, I chatted to Amina and her little sister Darak.  They were from Morocco and had arrived with their mother the day before.  Barry and Caroline appeared and went back to the medina to look for souvenirs.  When the others arrived, we headed off down the Avenue Habib Bourguiba until we reached the Horloge Obélisque.  Then we turned back and sat in one of the many cafés.  We ordered coffees, milkshakes and a citronade.  It was so much cheaper than the previous evening in the café at the other end of the avenue and we had enough dinar to go round.  Caroline and Barry found us.  They had had a successful shopping expedition.

I had to dash back to the hotel again.  Then I finished packing and managed to get downstairs eventually.  The temperamental lift refused to stop at our floor and went straight past several times.  Amina was in the lobby again, so I spoke to her.  When the others got back, Caroline asked whether Darak would like her umbrella, but when she appeared, Darak shook her head.  So I had to put it in my suitcase because Caroline’s bag was too small and the umbrella might have been considered a dangerous weapon if she had tried to carry it on the plane.

Amina and Darak

In the event, Lotfi arrived at 10.30.  I said goodbye to Amina and she gave me a small present – a tiny plastic shoe with a piece of fake fur attached.  I thought that was a very sweet gesture.  When we got to the airport, Ruth gave us all a jasmine flower.  We had seen boys making them on our first day as we headed for the TGM to visit Carthage.  Small flower heads are tied together on a stick and are used as a modern day version of the nosegay.  They smelt very nice indeed.  We said goodbye and I gave Ruth my surplus forex.

We headed through all the airport formalities and found a coffee shop.  I spent time in duty free, looking at perfumes and found that I had been missed.  In my absence they had had to pay for their coffees with dollars.  That was a shame, because I had kept some dinar back for a coffee and, as the prices in Tunis airport were so much lower than in Cairo airport, I would have had enough for everyone.

When it was time to get on the plane, Barry and I were in the second bus.  We waited for the last passengers, who looked very flustered.  They were sitting in row one on the plane, so must have missed their call when enjoying the first class lounge.

This time there were no problems with French air traffic control.  In the daylight, I could see why their dispute had caused so much delay on the way out.  After crossing the Mediterranean, we hit land above the French Riviera and so most of the flight was over France.   There were good views of the Alps but then it all clouded over and we could not see anything.

Back in Heathrow, we cleared immigration and our luggage appeared fairly quickly.  We went through customs and all that was left was to give Caroline her umbrella, say our goodbyes and then head off, promising to stay in touch.

It had been a good holiday, but, as I write this in April, having just been told that I still have salmonella, one I will definitely not forget for a long time.

Above all, my hope is for the continuing health and, above all in these unsettled times, safety of all the guides, drivers, hoteliers, waiters, chemists, stall holders, shopkeepers and anyone else who helped us during the tour.  Thank you everyone and take care.

Tunisia - 14 October 2010 (2)

Back in Tunis

We loaded our cases through the bus windows and set off for Tunis.  We reached the hotel very quickly.  Lotfi stopped as close as he could and then told us to be quick as he passed the cases back out through the window while drivers leant on their horns in the cars behind.

So, here we were, back at the Maison D’Orée, with its horrible musty smells and lurid red satin bedcovers.  Anne and Robin were quite adamant that they did not want a room at the back of the hotel again.  We were not so canny.  Caroline was first to reach the room.  She took one look and locked it up again.  They had given us a double bed.  Ruth appeared just as we turned to head back down to the lobby and we swapped rooms because she had twin beds in hers.

During the ride to the hotel, Ruth gave us a pick up time for the next morning, but Lotfi immediately changed it to 10.30 or even 11.00.  The flight was at 13.25 and this seemed far too late, even despite our experiences in Heathrow.  We were not happy that Ruth had given in so easily and started to think about getting taxis to make sure we arrived in time.

Green Dome in Tunis Medina

After dumping our stuff, we headed off en masse to the medina to do some souvenir shopping.  Compared with Cairo, it was lovely and cool as the sky was overcast.  We set off at a cracking pace.  We stopped for drinks just before we reached the medina and were definitely overcharged.  The waiter said it would be D27.000 for the seven of us!  We stupidly did not ask for a detailed bill and just scraped together D4.000 each and paid up.

Another Green Dome in Tunis Medina

Unfortunately, we continued our cracking pace when we got inside the medina and did not have time to browse if we were to keep up with the others.  It was not a very successful shopping spree.  Most of the souvenirs were a bit tacky and, although I liked the pashminas, I hardly ever wear the ones I have already.  It was not long before we found ourselves on the far side of the medina, so we walked outside a short way and went back in.  We had stumbled into an area with no shops.  The houses all seemed to have blue doors, some decorated with silver studs.  This time we slowed down and allowed Vic to take photos of almost every door – or at least it seemed like that.  We were torn between wanting to head back to the shops and continuing our exploration.  Vic won out against Anne and we continued into some very untouristy territory.  As it grew dark, we came to another gate and left the medina.

We had emerged onto a very lively road, the Rue Al Jazira, which was full of normal, non-touristy shops.  We walked a long way and, after a while, Vic lost his nerve and felt that he needed to ask for directions.  I was called in to translate.  No need to worry, we were going in the right direction: we had just veered a long way to the south when we were inside the medina.

At last we reached the Bab el Bahr, the gate which stood outside the entrance to the medina and led to the Avenue de France and then the Avenue Habib Bourguiba.  Heuly said that there were more places to eat on the left, so we crossed over and walked down that side.  There were quite a few coffee houses, but we saw no restaurants, until Vic and I were called back because Heuly, Anne and Robin had spotted somewhere, which we had walked right past.  The friendly waiter sat us outside and took our order.  I went for omelette and chips with my usual citronade to drink.  They brought out some harissa paste to eat with the bread while we were waiting.  Only Vic and I were able to eat it, because it was so hot, but we really enjoyed it and tucked in.  The shortage of dinar meant that Robin had to pay with dollars.  I think the waiter offered a poor exchange rate - $21=D19.000.  My omelette was D8.000, a bit more than had been quoted on the menu, but not bad considering.  After we had paid, I had to dash to the hotel, but the others went for another walk and a coffee.

I was nearly falling asleep by the time Caroline came back.  This was quite a feat, because some of the hotel guests were very noisy and the tram line ran right next to our window.  I understood why Anne and Robin had demanded a room elsewhere after experiencing the tram on their first stay in the hotel.

I had asked at reception and they said that it was both easy and cheap to get a bus to the airport, but Caroline said that they had bumped into Ruth and an experienced guide while having coffee and he had said there was no need to worry about being late for our flight.

Caroline opened the window, but the mosquitoes must have been lining up outside and came in straight away.  These were the first mosquitoes we had encountered on our tour, which had been surprisingly free of biting insects.  She dug out her mosquito zapper, but they were already in the bathroom and I could hear one buzzing above my ear when I lay in bed.  Now there were three things to keep me awake: the mosquitos, the tram and my tummy.  Luckily the noisy guests had fallen silent, but then someone began to sing underneath the window and others revved up their motorbikes.  I pulled the sheet over my head for protection against mosquitoes, but forwent my vegetarian principles and squashed two while I was in the bathroom.   The tram stopped at 02.00 and started again at 04.00.  I found the rumble strangely comforting after a while.

Egypt - 14 October 2010 (1)

Football in the Air

The call to prayer started at 04.30 and went off again after 05.00.  This morning, our view of the pyramids was hidden by city smog, so there was no point in going up on the roof to take some more photos as I had planned.

Kim, Sue and Werner made it down to breakfast to say goodbye and Kim and Sue waved us off from outside the hotel.  They were going to stay in Egypt for a couple more days before finally returning to Australia after a long and exhausting time away.

We reached the airport surprisingly quickly and with few problems and were met by a local Explore guide who ensured we were all checked in together.  Then we had a long wait for the plane.  During check-in, we noticed a man with a lute.  While we were having a very expensive coffee, which severely depleted our reserves of Egyptian pounds, we noticed the lute at an empty table.  When we were at the departure gate, we saw it lying unattended on a seat after the first bus load of passengers had left.  We got on the second bus, which waited by the gate for a long time to wait until the computer had reported that everyone was aboard.  At the last minute, the lute came on board with its owner.

The flight back to Tunis started off by being delayed.  Anne was sitting on the other side of the plane and she said that there was a group of people having their photo taken under the wing.  Eventually they came on board, all wearing their red football strip. 

This was Al-Ahly, a football team from Cairo, who were off to play in the semi-final of the African league against Esperance Sportif de Tunis.  Unlike their British counterparts, these guys travelled with the common people in economy class and were happy to mix with the other passengers. 

Once we had taken off, the whole plane took on a party atmosphere as the footballers moved up and down the plane.  Most of the passengers were men and most seemed to be fans (not surprising if wikipedia is to be believed when it says that they have 50 million fans in Egypt [pop 83m]).  They shook hands with the passing footballers, sometimes hugging them, as Arab men often do.  Fellow passengers were turfed out of their seats, so the footballers could sit down, pose for photos and chat with their new friends.  The people in the seats next to Heuly scarcely sat down at all as they were busy mingling.  One of the passengers had a huge TV camera with him and other people must have been from the press. 

The in flight service was slow, but that was to be expected as the two stewards took their time, laughing and joking with everyone.  I felt sorry for the single stewardess, who was looking very frazzled as she had to do most of the work.  All in all, I think that this flight was probably more fun than any other I have ever been on – and I don’t even like football!

Once we had got through all the Tunis airport formalities, we met another Lotfi, who was our new driver.  We noticed a lot of police when we went outside.  As we walked to our bus, we saw that the police were surrounding a coach with the football team on board.  All this security seemed excessive after the friendly informality of the flight.  Lotfi got excited and took a photo of the coach with his mobile.

P.S.  When I got home, I went online to look at the result.  Sadly, I have to report that Al-Ahly lost their match in Tunis.

Egypt - 13 October 2010 (3)

An Evening in Cairo

The maid was cleaning our room when I got in.  Caroline had complained that the floor was dirty, especially the bit behind the television, so the maid was washing the floor.  Wet floors and sandy sandals do not mix and, by the time Caroline came in, the floor was dirty again.  I dived into a cold shower to cool off and then donned my tankini and headed up to the roof.  It was finally time for a swim.

As usual, it took a long time to fully immerse myself in the cold pool, but once in, it was nice.  Kim was also in the pool, but not really exerting himself.  He spent most of the time standing against the side and drinking his usual beer.  I did a few lengths and floated for a while and then came out for a citronade.

Quite a few of us sat on the roof until the sun went down and the call to prayer was announced.  I went back to the room until our 19.00 briefing.  The bad news was that Ruth had been sick and did not feel at all well, so she left us to go to the restaurant on our own.  The good news is that she had organised for our driver to take us there for E£5 each.  According to Ruth, the restaurant was quite close, but we seemed to drive a very long way to get there.

My Friend, Squawky

Mahmoud came in to eat with us, but, like all our guides and drivers, did not sit with us.  Once again, they started bringing out all the stuff for a set meal, which caused problems when I said that I did not want it.  Anne started to tut again, which finally made me explode.  In the end, I only had hummus and a mango juice.  I spent the rest of the evening chatting to a new friend, Squawky, the African Grey Parrot.  He was fantastic and seemed to understand me.  He came to the side of his cage for a tickle and, when I told him to go lower so I could reach him more easily, he obligingly moved to the bottom of his cage.  I spent ages tickling him behind his ears.  He obviously enjoyed it.  I was glad that someone liked me.  Squawky could talk a bit, but mostly he liked doing suggestive whistles, which is how I realised he was there.

The journey back seemed a bit quicker and, once back in the hotel, Vic, Heuly, Barry, Caroline and I  went for a coffee.  By this time some people were running out of Egyptian pounds, but Vic and I had enough to be able to act as bankers.  I enjoyed an Arabic coffee.

Egypt - 13 October 2010 (2)

The Pyramids

Policeman on Camel

Solar Boat

The pyramids were exceedingly touristy and security was high.  We had to get off the bus and pass through a metal detector while our bags were x-rayed.  I was not that impressed as there was nothing to stop us leaving things on the bus and taking them with us the next time we got off.  As it was, the intense heat meant that I gradually left more and more on the bus each time I got off.  By the end, I was taking a real risk by leaving my money belt and handbag and only carrying my camera.

Solar Boat

Great Pyramid of Khufu from Solar Boathouse

Most of us wanted to see the Solar Boat, built to allow the Pharaoh to sail the solar currents to take him to the afterlife.  Moaw took us to the entrance where, for E£50, we were treated to a pair of enormous slippers, air-conditioning and a view of a huge wooden boat which had been found under large slabs of limestone just beside the pyramid.  The building housing the solar boat is made of glass and is right next to the Great Pyramid of Khufu, which dominates the view from the window as you proceed along the walkways around the boat.  The walkways allow you to walk the length of the boat and around the back.  Unfortunately, the viewing point at the far end is not quite far enough away to get a photo of the whole of the boat.

Small Pyramid

Small Pyramid

After enjoying the boathouse, I had to head out into the heat to see the pyramids.  Pyramids are just too big to be photographed.  Too close and you do not get the full view; too far and there is nothing to give perspective to show just how big they are.  After a few attempts, I satisfied myself with the small pyramids which lie around the Great Pyramid of Khufu.  I also used my zoom lens to sneak a few shots of camels.

Ruins of Ancient Temple

Young Girls

I went behind the small pyramids and walked down to the site of an ancient temple.  There was rubble all around.  At the bottom, I encountered a group of very young girls, all wearing headscarves.  They seemed so proud, as if they were only just considered old enough to do so.  They did get annoying as one of them kept trying to touch my hair.

Camel Ride Anyone?

Pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure plus One

Even more annoying were the camel riders, trying to entice us to fork out for a camel ride.  Even if I had wanted to, I would not have had enough time, but they were so persistent.  I tried the accepted wisdom of ignoring them and just walked on, but one followed me past the Pyramid of Khafre and almost to the Pyramid of Menkaure.

Pyramid of Menkaure plus One

Great Pyramid of Khofu & Pyramid of Khafre

I finally shook him off and then hit a problem because a security guard would not allow me to take the shortest route back to the bus because it passed too near to Menkaure.  So I had to retrace my steps and scramble over some rubble.  My sandals, which had previously been so wonderful, were starting to cause problems and I had to keep shaking the sand out.  I finally made it back to the bus, but I was the last person to do so.

3 Small Pyramids beyond Menkaure

Great Sphinx

Our next stop was a viewing point where we got good views of no less than six pyramids – the three large ones plus three smaller ones beyond Menkaure.  Unfortunately, the view also included the tour buses making their way up to the view point.  All the usual stalls and souvenir sellers were there and it was difficult to get to the front row to take photos.  I was really starting to appreciate the emptiness of the sites in Libya and Tunisia!

Great Sphinx & Pyramid of Khafre

We were back on the bus again to see the Great Sphinx.  By this time, the sun was behind the Sphinx, so its face was in shadow.  The Sphinx is approached through a temple.  This meant that the viewing place was quite a confined space and it was exceedingly difficult to get a good, unobstructed view.

When we left the Sphinx, we found that the bus had moved on.  There was quite a long walk to reach it, but at last we got on board and headed to the hotel.

Egypt - 13 October 2010 (1)

Cairo Museum

Today was the last day of sight-seeing and what a day!  Moaw, our young guide, arrived in the hotel, dressed in western clothes.  She was wearing a shortish skirt and no headscarf.

The bus took us across the Nile to the museum.  It was already very hot outside and did not get much better when we got inside.  The museum was huge and full of exhibits.  It had two floors with side rooms along every wall.  There was no way we could see everything in the time we had there.  The layout was old-fashioned and the exhibits were not well labelled.  A new museum is being constructed near to the pyramids.  Perhaps they will take the opportunity to improve the layout and update the presentation.

Moaw took us around a selection of the exhibits and pointed out the main items.  She told us how to recognise that a statue, carving or painting was a Pharaoh by the five signs of a king.  She pointed out how representations of even the most humble peasants had eyeliner, which everyone wore to protect their eyes from the sun.  When she described the statues of the ancient gods, they reminded me of the Goa’uld who bear their names.  It made them so much easier to remember.  In one side room, we saw the treasures of the Queen Mother’s pyramid, which included the only surviving statue of Cheops which, unlike his pyramid, is tiny.

We went upstairs to see the Tutankhamun exhibits.  Some, such as chariots and walking sticks, were in the main hall, but we had to queue to enter the room at the back with the most important items.  The queue was not too bad and it did not take long before I was face to face with the iconic blue and gold death mask.  The pressure of the people behind drove me on and it was not long before I found myself out of the room and back in the main hall.

Moaw gave us some free time to explore, but where to start?  She pointed out the room of animal mummies, so that was our first stop.  This too was full of people and the mummies looked very gruesome, so I did not stay long.  I wandered around for a while, but with no guide or guide book, it was difficult to know what I was seeing, so I decided to go out and try to find a café.  That was a problem.  I walked round for a long time trying to find the stairs.  They were well hidden to the side.  The long queue of people on the stairs put an end to any idea of using the toilets.  I looked in the bookshop at the entrance, but did not see anything I was desperate to buy, so I emerged into the heat and headed for the coffee shop.

As I went in, I passed several dozen eggs which had just been delivered and were now cooking in the sun on the hot step.  Most of the others were already in the café.  I bought a bottle of water, which was wonderful and icy cold.  Then I went out and stood with Ruth and Moaw and another guide.  They were sitting on a wall and we were absolutely stunned when a party of Japanese came up and just squeezed into the narrow gaps between them, with no murmurs of apology or anything.  It was so rude, but perhaps that is normal behaviour in Japan.

We walked outside and waited for the bus to reappear.  Anne managed to touch some wet green paint on the railings.  It was not marked and, when a group of girls came up, they got paint on their clothes, despite our warnings.

The bus arrived at last and we were dumped at a papyrus shop while Ruth went off to get some falafel for lunch.  Fortunately the shop had excellent facilities and the demonstration on how to make papyrus was interesting.  We wandered around the paintings on display but only Heuly succumbed to the hard sell.  Then we set off for the pyramids, munching falafel on the bus.  I finished some TUC biscuits I had bought earlier and some crisps, which resembled Pringles, but were immodestly called “Yummy Tummy”.

Egypt - 12 October 2010 (2)

Up on the Roof

Livestock on the Roof

Boys and Birds on the Roof

After the monasteries, we continued on into Cairo.  Just before we hit the city traffic, I caught my first sight of the pyramids.  It was quite exciting.  We continued for miles on an elevated freeway, but eventually reached our turn off.  This time Mahmoud, our driver, found the hotel without having to ask for directions.  This was his home town.

Farmyard on the Roof

Me on the Roof

Unusually for a capital city, the hotel we stayed at in Cairo, the Swiss Inn Nile Hotel, was quite nice, although Caroline was not impressed with the dirty floor in our room.  I was very pleased to discover that we had a view of the pyramids from the room.  Caroline and some of the others went into town for some sightseeing and souvenir shopping, but I went up to the hotel roof to relax.  The views from the roof were wonderful, so I got my camera out and started to take photos in every direction.  The Nile lay below us to the east and the pyramids could be seen in the west.  The roofs of the houses in between the hotel and the pyramids were fascinating.  They were used in lieu of back yards and held goats, sheep and chickens plus copious amounts of rubbish.  As well as the pool, there was a roof-top bar, so I ordered a citronade and chatted first to Ruth and then to Vic and Kim.  We watched the sun set over the pyramids.  It was magical.  As the sun dipped below the horizon, the call to prayer rose all around us from countless hidden mosques.  I stayed on the roof for a long time.  Sue arrived and showed us all her purchases.

River Nile

River Nile

When Ruth and some others joined us, we decided to eat dinner on the roof.  I went down to the room to spray myself with mosquito repellent and found Caroline having a shower in the dark.  Before she went out, I told her to look for me on the roof if I was not in the room, but she had met Anne on the way in and she had told her that I was only on the roof for a short while.  The cleaners were able to let her into the room, but she needed the key to turn the electricity on, which was why she was in the dark.

Small Boat on the River Nile

Pyramids at Sunset

We waited on the roof for a long time for someone to take our dinner order.  In the end, Caroline, Heuly, Barry and I gave up and went to the restaurant downstairs. There was quite a large menu and I ordered the pasta. They served me a huge portion, but most of the vegetables were capsicums, so I ate a fair bit of the pasta and tried to avoid the peppers.  The meal took a long time as the service was not the best and it took even longer for them to give us the bill and take payment. I was able to go back to the room eventually and I went straight to bed as my tummy was still not good.

Egypt - 12 October 2010 (1)

Monasteries of Wadi Natrun

Loading the bus next morning took slightly longer than usual.  I made sure that my case was at the front so it would be one of the first to be loaded.  I had borrowed my mum’s case and did not want to return it in a damaged state.  As it was, I did panic a bit.  It was getting a bit empty now and the weight of the case on top caused it to collapse slightly.  Luckily, when I got back to my mum’s, I was able to restore it just by rolling the top back.

We left at 08.40, during the rush hour, which meant that it took quite a while to get out of Alexandria.  An urban sprawl lay along the main road.  We passed a Carrefour and a McDonalds on our way out.

Although we were heading into the desert, the effect of the Nile was evident and this was one of the greenest drives of the tour.  We passed many green fields and even green central reservations in the road, some with bushes bearing lovely pink flowers.

Entrance to a Wadi Natrun Monastery

Then a police motorcyclist overtook us sounding a strange low level siren and, soon after, we hit organised chaos. We were approaching an overpass which crossed a railway line and a road junction and there must have been an accident ahead.  The slip road ran alongside us, so all the traffic, including us, was soon reversing in a surprisingly orderly way until we could slip through a gap and get onto the side road.  Inevitably this was much more congested than usual, with vehicles in every lane sounding horns to proclaim their existence.  Even so, pedestrians were happily walking across the road, quite unruffled and secure in their knowledge that no one would hit them.  Just as we approached the railway line, Kim pointed out a policeman who was keeping his cool in the confusion.  He was sitting on a chair and playing with his mobile phone, showing not the least concern for the traffic jam.  Perhaps he was right because, not long after, the traffic thinned and we were back on the main road, zooming south.

Monk and Lawn Mower

We turned off the main road and passed a sign welcoming us to Wadi Natrun City.  We drove to the far end of town, which meant negotiating a poor, very sandy road, and saw a sign to some monasteries. We visited two of them.  I stayed outside and watched the passing life while the others went inside.  At the first monastery, a monk was busy mowing the grass verges on the approach road.  There was a mini-supermarket across the car park, so I walked over and bought some water and an orange juice.  The shopkeeper was stroking a small kitten, which he kept in the drawer which served as his till.  It was so cute that I just had to tell Sue when she came out.  While I waited, monks kept emerging from the monastery to pop to the supermarket.

Deir Al-Baramus Monastery

Everyone I saw at both monasteries said hello or waved or otherwise acknowledged me as they passed in either direction.  At the second monastery, I sat on a marble bench just outside the door.  I was not sure if I was supposed to, but no one told me to move.  While I was sitting there a man came out and shook my hand.  He was carrying a child and was followed by his wife and two other small children.  Anne later told me that the wife had been pleading for some assistance when they were inside.  I wished I had given them some of my spare pounds.

Egypt - 11 October 2010 (4)

Market and Library

After lunch, Caroline, Heuley, Barry and I decided to walk to the hotel instead of going back in the bus.  We headed slightly away from the Corniche and passed a mosque with a very archaic and tacky funfair outside.  It mainly comprised rides for young children.

Mosque

Caroline found us a narrow street, which contained a real local market.  We had to look where we were treading most of the time, but we were able to see most of what was on offer.  At one shop near the entrance, I enjoyed looking at a group of naughty sparrows which found some egg boxes particularly interesting.  There was a small flock of sheep, with their heads firmly in their troughs, possibly enjoying their final meal.  There were lots of stalls selling fish, including prawns and squid.  The butchers sold all sorts of meat and I spotted some trotters.  The vegetable stalls looked good though.

Sparrows busy Shopping

Heuly had lived in Egypt at one time and pointed out some baskets which the people who lived in flats above the market used to collect their purchases.  They lower their basket, the shopping is placed inside and they haul it back up, lean out of the window and haggle over the price.  The money is then placed in the basket, which is lowered back down again.

Sheep for Sale

We walked along three or four streets occupied by the market.  Throughout this time, I held on tight to my rucksack, camera, handbag and money belt because people got very close in the confined spaces, but we did not feel threatened at any time.  We emerged from the market with nothing worse than dirty feet.

Alexandrian Market

Soon we came across Orabi Square and Caroline and I could lead the way to the hotel.  We dumped our bags in the room and I washed my feet.  The cleaners had not been in and had missed our room, so I asked for it to be cleaned.  Barry and Heuly had problems getting into their rooms but eventually we were reunited in the lobby and set off for the new library.

Library of Alexandria

We could see the library from outside the restaurant, but it was much further than it looked.  We even asked the way a couple of time as we were sure we must have walked past it.  When we got there we had to face a lot of security.  No bags were allowed, so we had to wait while Caroline handed hers in.  It must have been difficult for the students, who had to carry piles of books around with them.  Still, if you believe the Hollywood films, it is a good way to meet strangers when you drop them.

An English speaking tour was just leaving by the time we had got through all the security checks.  The guide explained the amenities and all the projects the library was undertaking and much of it sounded very futuristic.  Ancient documents are being scanned so that they are available on the internet and the library had a printer which enabled books to be produced on demand.  We could have used our ticket to do some reading in the library, but we just walked around an exhibition at the end of the tour and then followed a corridor lined with exhibits and came out at the entrance to the planetarium.  Unfortunately, that was closed.

By now, we were extremely thirsty, so we went to a café on the corner of the campus.  Caroline and I had a freshly squeezed orange juice, which was so welcome.  Barry and Heuly had coffee.  It was quite expensive at £E60, but, having left our water in our bags in the hotel, the drinks were much needed and they were worth it.

While we were walking to the library, we had been accosted by someone trying to sell us a ride in a horse and carriage.  We had politely declined and said “perhaps on the way back”.  He had taken us literally and was waiting for us when we were enjoying our drinks.  Given that there were four of us and our feet were aching, we decided to splash out and ride back to our hotel.  We renegotiated the price as it seemed to have increased from before and climbed in.  There were a few close calls with the traffic but we made it back along the Corniche with no mishaps.  I said goodbye to the horse when we got off and the driver tried in vain to extract more money for a photo.  We were dropped off on the Corniche, so had to walk back to the hotel from there, but it was not far.

After the exertions of the day, I just went back to the room and crashed.

Egypt - 11 October 2010 (3)

Fort Qaitbey

Fort Qaitbey

Canons outside Fort Qaitbey

After our final dose of Roman ruins, we got back on the bus and headed to Fort Qaitbey, on the site of the ancient Pharos at the end of the harbour.  We walked around and inside the fort, while Mona explained the history, the canons, the mosque and the water systems.  A small part of the lighthouse can be found inside the fort, but it is part of a later Byzantine addition.  Mona said that the lighthouse was not destroyed until the 15^th century.  Many of the stones were recycled to build the fort.

Possibly the Base of the Lighthouse

Fort Qaitbey

The heat took its toll and it was difficult to keep my attention fixed on what Mona was saying.  When we had reached the top of the fort, we were allowed to explore on our own.  I walked around the wide parapet and took photos of the buildings along the Corniche.  When I felt that I had seen enough, I joined the others in the courtyard and sat in the shade.

View of Harbour from the Fort

Fort Qaitbey - from Restaurant Window

Once we were all together again, we were taken to a restaurant on the Corniche for lunch.  It was a very small place, but we sat upstairs where we had a good view of the fort.  I felt very hungry, so I ordered two falafels and some rice.  I did not eat the rice as it was covered in a sauce and I was very wary of sauces after the episode in Susa.  A couple came in, the woman covered in a burka.  Anne registered her disapproval by making tutting noises.  The couple registered their disapproval of us and soon left without eating anything.

Egypt - 11 October 2010 (2)

Theatre or Lecture Theatre?

Sunken Antiquity - Column

Sunken Antiquity - Sphinx

We drove around the site of Pompey’s Pillar on our way to our next stop.  This was a small site where several Roman ruins had been excavated.  Mona spent a lot of time at the top of the site, talking about the artefacts displayed here, which had been salvaged from under the sea.  Although the usual explanation for the sunken antiquities is that the city was inundated following an earthquake, Mona said that many of the items salvaged had been deliberately thrown into the sea to block the harbour and prevent an invasion.

Roman Baths

Villa of the Birds

She also had a unique explanation for the theatre which was found on the site.  Some excavated rooms on the site had steps at one end.  This led Mona to believe that they were classrooms and formed part of a school.  She said that the theatre, which was not very big considering the size of ancient Alexandria, was a lecture theatre, just like we have in universities today.  I have never come across a school in any Roman site I have ever visited and there were definitely none on any other site on our tour, but perhaps the presence of the famous library made Alexandria special in this respect.

A Schoolroom?

"Don't Climb the Auditoria"

When Mona had finally finished all her explanations, we were allowed down to look at the excavated ruins.  She remained at the top.  The ruins also included some Roman baths and another building called the “House of Birds”.  When we went down, there were other groups of tourists, many of whom could not understand the sign saying “don’t climb the auditoria”.  We went to look at the other buildings first.  Patience paid off and we finally had the theatre to ourselves.  Mona had said that the acoustics were really good.  Encouraged by Caroline and Barry, I tried singing again, but it was not the same as in Cyrene because there was no audience sitting on the seats.  Without an audience, I could not hit the high notes very well, so I gave up.