Life’s a Journey

On our first day in Egypt, we decided to head north to Alexandria  leaving the huge and crowdy Cairo to the city at the Mediterranean  Sea.  It’s quite early, around 5:30am we went to the bus station and caught the first trip going to Alex.

Ahlan Wasahlan!  Welcome to Alexandria!  Alexandria is the second largest city in Egypt, and was once Egypt’s capital for a thousand years.  Founded by a young king who had conquered the known world by the time he was 30,

on a breezy strip of land on the fringes of the bright blue Mediterranean Sea, this amazing city, eventhough lacking its dominance it once attained over the world, is still the most amazing city in the world’s oldest tourist destination, the country of Egypt.

 

It is located in the mediterranean coast and is one of the most mythical cities in this country.  The city was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC.  A few years later the legendary lighthouse, one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, was constructed.  Some centuries later, the city was governed by Cleopatra. 

In this city took place the stormy relationship between this Queen and Julius Ceasar and Mark Anthony of Rome.

Alexandria, the city of legend, is the world’s gateway to the land of the Nile.  Known as “The Pearl of the Mediterranean”, the first thing Mai and I remarked when we got out of the bus in Alexandria: clean and fresh air! And a few minutes later, the view from our balcony, situated on the 9th floor of our turn of the last century hotel building, was breathtaking: a sight over the whole bay. 

It was a large, beautiful seaside town, and the weather was perfect for our first day.  Nice and clear,  and a bit cold around 18 degrees in the afternoon which was just perfect.                       

 Alexandria is a wonderful city to just get lost. Throw away your map and walk into a back alley. Listen to the stories and immerse yourself into the cultures. When the day is coming to a close, follow the smell of the sea and fish back to the Corniche, Alexandria’s waterfront avenue, and watch the sun glide under the sea while the waters of the harbor crash into the rocks below.

My wife and I took the time to walk around to see the antique mediterannean buildings.

The Terbana Mosque is one of the few remaining ancient mosques in Alexandria, it was built in 1677.

Alexandria was worldwide known for its great ancient library,  the Library of Alexandria, the largest library in the ancient world.  Home to the great philosophers, thinkers and professors of ancient times, this great city has impacted the world more than any other city, not by force like its counterparts, Rome and Carthage, but by the ingenious power of the human mind.

  

In 295 b.c, the Egyptian ruler Ptolemy I commissioned the construction of the great library of Alexandria,  where it once held the most important books in the world. The library also held originals of philosophers and scholars, such as aeschylus, euripedes and sophocles, and most probably the largest Greek collection, the library of Aristotle.

The ancient library had 500,000 scrolls. All human knowledge was stored here, but its more important role was as a center for scientists and philosophers. Other famous scholars of this library isolated the function of the heart, calculated the circumference of the earth and came up with the concept of leap year.

In 48 b.c. The library, and at least 40,000 scrolls, burned when Julius Caesar attacked the harbor. 2,000 years later, a new library stands in Corniche. At least 4 million titles and several multimedia resources are stored here.

We then rode an alexandrian horse carriage feeling touristy  and headed to the site of the Pharos Lighthose of Alexandria.

The Qaitbay Citadel was constructed on the site where the old lighthouse of Alexandria used to stand. This fort is a mixture of middle age styles and of the original lighthouse design. 

Currently the Qaitbey Citadel houses a Marine Museum,

but most of its visitors come here to see what remains of the famous Pharos of Alexandria.  The ancient stones, pillars and original base of the structure were preserved because the ruins from the old lighthouse were used to construct the current fort in 882 AD. 

The ancient lighthouse of Alexandria was the only one of the seven wonders of the world

that had a practical use. This lighthouse was worldwide famous for being the highest building on earth for many centuries and for its mirror, which reflection could be seen more than 50 km (35 miles) away.

During the day sailors could easily find the way back home thanks to the reflected sun rays. At night a machinery raised fuel to the top, where a fire showed the way to Alexandria.

In this photo you can see the beautiful bay of Alexandria.

The old harbor of Alexandria dates back from the 4th century AD.  As you can see, fishermen still come here everyday to earn their living.

Thanks to its more than 140 km of beaches, Alexandria is one of the most popular summer resorts in the middle East.

                                                    bad dog, baad dogg!

Night time came and we grabbed some dinner in a quaint little restaurant and got some alexandrian style pizza with lots of cheezzze and something else in it, at a little place that specializes in that sort of thing.  It was pretty quiet that night, but a nice way to end an amazing trip.

Related links on Lighthouse of Alexandria click this site:

http://history.howstuffworks.com/asian-history/seven-wonder-ancient-world7.htm

 
http://www.egyptologyonline.com/alexandria.htm

 

Next stop: CAIRO

We caught the train back to Cairo. We had a free day to go and see what ever we wanted…

still to come..Ice cream Nights of Winter in Amazing and Chaotic Cairo