Alexandria

Fill every available space in a car! 

Alexandria Library

King Farouk's Palace  

Ahmed our driver for today picks us up at 8 am after taking “Mr Tom” to school, he’s taking us to Alexandria today. The journey will take 3 hours and we are kept entertained by the egyptian driving, sofas being transported on bikes, men travelling along the motorway in the open boot of a car, men travelling to work on the back of open flat bed trucks or horse and carts travelling the wrong way along the carriageway. Ahmed keeps us informed what we are passing and what some signs mean. It’s interesting to talk to an ordinary Egyptian about daily life, politics and his aspiration. Once we reach the outskirts of Alexandria the traffic builds and progress again slows until we pull up outside our first stop The Alexandria Bibliotec, the biggest in the world. It is impressive a huge sloping roof covering a vast hall with central steps leading down through the centre. When we look back we can see blue and green coloured glass strips set into the roof all glittering in the sunshine.Our next stop is Montaza Palace Gardens and. King Farouk's  Palace. We can only walk round the outside of the palace peering through the railings. Our final stop is The Citadel reached by driving along the Corniche and over Stanley Bridge. We are the only white people there and certainly the only people in shorts through out Alexandria. The Citadel is wonderfully preserved and restored and from the walls has amazing views of the bay which is vast and from one tip to the other lined by tall buildings.

A lot of the buildings along the bay of Alexandria are extremely dilapidated. The plasterwork is falling off, balconies often broken or missing, patio doors that open onto fresh air. The apartments are obviously occupied but look like death traps.

Alexandria bay and fort

Meal at "The Tap"

I must admit the journey back passes me by as I fall asleep in the car only waking briefly at the speed bumps that seem to be randomly placed. After a quick shower and change we set off with Tom for The Tap in New Cairo City an area that isn’t a dry city so we can all have a beer while we eat and watch the Arsenal game. And so to bed