Alexandria is decidedly cooler than Luxor, given how hot it was in Luxor it makes the temperature here pleasant. Its actually the 22 May at the moment and I’m on the bus on the way to Siwa. I figured that I might as well take the opportunity to type up yesterdays entry. I would have done it last night but the girls discovered the solitaire game on the computer and seemed to be having such a good time.
When the breeze comes in the evening its cool, straight of the Mediterranean. I’m figuring that tonight that will not be the case, Siwa being an Oasis in the Great Sand Sea. I think we’re all looking forward to seeing it.
Anyway onto yesterday.
We didn’t rush this morning but still wandered out of the door, after breakfast about 9:30 am. First stop was the office for the bus company that does the run to Siwa to purchase tickets for the next day. That done we negotiated with a couple of taxi’s to take us to Catacombs of Kom Ash-Shuqqafa.
Catacombs of Kom Ash-Shuqqafa
After a slight detour with some of us ending up at Pompey’s Pillar before getting the driver sorted out and going to the Catacombs to meet up with the others we entered the grounds of the Catacombs. Once again no photo’s are allowed inside the Catacombs.
I must admit that I really wasn’t looking forward to the Catacombs, kind of being over temples and tombs for the time being. Still it was something to see. I was pleasantly surprised by the Catacombs.
Its said that they were rediscovered by a donkey who fell through the ground in the 1900’s. I kind of feel sorry for the donkey, its a long was for the poor thing to fall!
You gain access to the Catacombs by a spiral staircase taking you underground. While underground it was just as well that we had a torch since the power kept flicking on and off while we were down there, it was a little on the dark side when the lights went out. The Catacombs in there day housed about 300 corpses.
In the main tomb the funerary iconography decorating the walls is a strange fusion of Greek, Roman and Egyptian beliefs. The rest of the periphery tombs, hole after hole in the walls and into the ground were unadorned or at least did not survive to this day.
After the Catacombs we walked down the road to Pompey’s Pillar, I guess that was the added bonus of having being at fist dropped of at the wrong place. We at least knew how to get there and it wasn’t far from the Catacombs.
Pompey’s Pillar & The Serapeum
Ok I’ll admit there really isn’t much here. Still I liked it for some reason. Perhaps one of the reasons was because there were only a handful of us wandering around.
There is the Pillar that is about 2.7 meters at its base and two small sphinxes. The remains of the Serapeum are a few scattered and fallen pillars. A few trenches have been dug showing what was once the walls and the remains of a roman bath.
Off to one side are some steps leading down underground corridor with many holes in the wall. One of the men here at the temple advised it is the remains of the ‘daughter library’ to the Great Library of Alexandria.
This was once one of the most important intellectual and religious centres in the Mediterranean until 391 AD the Christians in their campaign against Pagans destroyed the Serapeum and its Library.
Getting back to the Corniche was a little problematic since the driver of the taxi kept trying to get more money out of us even though we’d set the price before getting in. He also tried to take us to the wrong place then wanted more money to take us where we wanted to go to. We kind of indicated that he wasn’t getting any money at all until we got to where we negotiated to go to. He certainly wasn’t getting any extra given his behaviour.
We finally ended up in the correct area and got out of the taxi. He was insistent on getting more money and didn’t want to take just the price agreed. I waited until we were all out then threw the money on the front seat walking away in the opposite direction.
Bibliotheca Alexandria
After lunch we wandered up to get a closer look at the New Bibliotheca Alexandria that we’d seen glowing across the harbour the night before. It was a good walk to walk off lunch anyway.
Not much to report really since we really didn’t feel like paying to get into the library no matter how spectacular the building looks from outside. We contented ourselves with just looking at it before heading back along the Corniche.
Along the way we stopped a a juice bar and settled down to drink what has to be one of the best juices I’ve ever had. The locals would pull in cars out front and the waiter would go over take there order then bring them a mug of fresh juice. When they’d finished the drivers would place the mugs on the roof for collection. It brings a whole new concept to the idea of drive through.
We missed the Fort since it closed just as we’d arrived, probably because of the juice stop but I certainly do no regret stopping for juice though. We wandered past the stalls along the waterfront on the way back and for once we could look without being hassled by the stall owners. It was kind of refreshing.
Lou as a result brought two dancing camels. I kid you not.
Still on the bus (22 May 2009)
So I’m still on the bus some three hours later. Its about an 8 hour trip to Siwa so at least this killed some time.
I had a slight break due to a fight breaking out on the bus. A young hot head yelling at the driver and his cohort. Unfortunately since I’m in the front row the young idiots hand swung and hit me on the arm while he was struggling with the driver and some of the other men. I put up one hand as a shield closed the laptop and squished myself even further into the corner, Lou one row back from me was doing the same and copped a couple of elbows and mum on the other side was almost on top of dad. More of the men on the bus jumped up to pull him off the driver.
One of the men ended up nearly on top of me, although I think that was more to put himself between me and the fight. Another did the same in front of Lou, no mean feat given the size of the bus isle. Still it ended just as quickly as it started, the idiot went back to his seat, the driver and cohort went back to there’s and the bus started trundling off down the road once more towards Siwa.
Hopefully that will be the last fight for the trip.
