Stephen and Connie stayed in town today and I decided to hire a driver and guide to see Alexandria on the Mediterranean. It was well worth the 2 1/2 drive each way. As soon as we got out of Cairo, which was no mean feat because of the traffic, we were on a wide-open highway north to Alexandria. The whole was was one farm after another with some pretty impressive gates. The guide said that all of this agriculture is only about 40 years old. It was a desert before.
About half way up, we stopped at a rest stop and this cat was having a grand time playing with anything that got in it's path.
Our first stop in Alexandria was at the catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa. They were pretty impressive. It was interesting that even though the Roman's controlled Egypt, they kept many of the same gods. The only difference in the wall carvings was that the Egyptian gods were dressed in Roman clothes rather an Egyptian.
Next we stopped at Pompey's Pillar. This was made from the rose granite quarry I saw in Aswan.
We then went out to see the Citadel of Qaitbay--a 15th century fortress. It was right on the water and wonderful to walk through.
We then ate lunch at a fish market with a beautiful restaurant with great views.
Our last stop was the new library at Alexandria. This is a combination library, museum, and digital archive. I could have spent three days just at the library.
The reading room.
On the outside there are hundreds of languages represented on the walls.
They also had a children's library with lots of rooms. Here are a few.
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