So this trip actually happened a week ago but with exams, school work and my late arrival back at campus i never really had time to write about it. ISA (International student association) took a group of people to a small retreat outside of Cairo called Anafora and then to Alexandria for the weekend.
Anafora (which i did not really take any pictures of) was a very small quaint place. It was run by the coptic church but it was open to anyone and it seemed like a place from a movie. Somewhere a traveler would go to rest meet incredibly nice people and just forget about the world. It was nice, reminded me very much of a farm or village in Mexico. After a nice 2 hours we then got back on the bus for Alexandria.
Alexandria is an incredible city. Much simpler than Cairo because the whole City is just on the edge of the Mediterranean sea. One long huge street takes you through the whole city and the other side you have the sea. Maybe because it was Friday or maybe because its a city right on the beach it was so much more relaxed, it seemed friendlier to Cairo (or maybe since i was with an egyptian and apparently i can pass for an egyptian), and well a just generally calmer. The night we arrived we stayed at a nice hotel that of course ISA always manages to book for a great price since we come with a large group. We had a lot of free time in the afternoon which a group of friends and I took advantage of by going to a famous sea food restaraunt. I've heard stories of people from Cairo driving to Alexandria just to go eat then drive back down the same night. Its a 4 hour drive, the food was that good, and that inexpensive.
Balba' which apparently means to pig out was packed with locals, very funny and helpful waiters, and of course different stations for all your food. I must say im not the biggest fan of sea food but even I know this was great food. Thinking about it just makes me want to go back.
The next morning we toured some of the historic sites in Alexandria like some of the Roman catacombs, old egyptian forts, and the New library of Alexandria built on what they think are the remnants of the old one. Saw some books that are over a thousand years old, saw a part of the cloth that they used to cover the Qaba at one point, and it also serves as a museum for some of the more colonial periods. It was a great time.
Anafora (which i did not really take any pictures of) was a very small quaint place. It was run by the coptic church but it was open to anyone and it seemed like a place from a movie. Somewhere a traveler would go to rest meet incredibly nice people and just forget about the world. It was nice, reminded me very much of a farm or village in Mexico. After a nice 2 hours we then got back on the bus for Alexandria.
Alexandria is an incredible city. Much simpler than Cairo because the whole City is just on the edge of the Mediterranean sea. One long huge street takes you through the whole city and the other side you have the sea. Maybe because it was Friday or maybe because its a city right on the beach it was so much more relaxed, it seemed friendlier to Cairo (or maybe since i was with an egyptian and apparently i can pass for an egyptian), and well a just generally calmer. The night we arrived we stayed at a nice hotel that of course ISA always manages to book for a great price since we come with a large group. We had a lot of free time in the afternoon which a group of friends and I took advantage of by going to a famous sea food restaraunt. I've heard stories of people from Cairo driving to Alexandria just to go eat then drive back down the same night. Its a 4 hour drive, the food was that good, and that inexpensive.
The next morning we toured some of the historic sites in Alexandria like some of the Roman catacombs, old egyptian forts, and the New library of Alexandria built on what they think are the remnants of the old one. Saw some books that are over a thousand years old, saw a part of the cloth that they used to cover the Qaba at one point, and it also serves as a museum for some of the more colonial periods. It was a great time.
I have to say Egypt is a great place for tourists i realize why now its economy was based on tourism and also why now its in such dire straits without the regular flow of foreigners. I dont want to sound like an ad but if for some reason you ever want to visit the Middle East so far its been 2 months and there is not one thing i regret. Well not being fluent in arabic is one thing, if i was i could probably get even more discounts at historical sites by faking being Egyptian. Oh well. For next time.
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