A Walking Tour of Alexandria, Egypt

The place I wanted to visit the most when I arrived was the New Library of Alexandria; its modern architecture and top-of-the-line resources are meant to make it the premier library in the World, as its predecessor was in ancient times. After paying 10 Egyptian Pounds (LE) to enter, I was amazed at the high-tech nature of the library AND that it did not forget its roots; there are old manuscripts and museum-quality displays of Egyptian artifacts as well. It sits in about the center of the city, along the Corniche (the boulevard that paralels the bay), is the new Great Library of Alexandria. The original was built by Alexander the Great and destroyed by the Romans. The new one was built on donations from different countries totalling some $220 million. The result, they hope, will be a revival of the spirit of the original Great Library that will serve as the premier library of the Mediterranean, if not the world. It's very modern in design, but is embossed with Heiroglyphics, Greek letters, Arabic alphabet, and romanesque letters, paying homage, I guess, to the international spirit of the Library.

Alexandria is unlike Cairo in many ways. It's cleaner, cooler and friendlier. Cleaner because the ocean's there (it rains more and they use sea water to clean things), cooler because the Mediterranean is there, and friendlier because...well, the MEDITERRANEAN is there. Also, the Governor of Alexandria is renowned throughout Egypt as a reformer, bringing businesses and investors into the city to invigorate its economy. So, it is very common to see murals on the walls of the city, particularly along the corniche.

The markets there are much more accessible (in my opinion) and have wonderful, colorful selections like the lady who sold dresses - all the dresses are hand-stitched (absolutely reasonable assertion in a country that has TONS of make-work jobs, but still wrestles with a 10% or higher unemployment rate) Along the Corniche (which is the only road you really NEED to walk along in Alexandria) there were a pair of spectacular Mosques. The Gamea Ibrahim (Abraham's Mosque) is slender and elegant, with graceful minarets and a beautiful trim of Arabic script. The larger, more impressive Gamea Abu Abbas (Abu Abbas' Mosque) and boasts massive grounds, well manicured lawns, and even taller minarets than Gamea Ibrahim.

At the western end of the harbor (the harbor is truly massive, a good 50km or more long!) is the Qaitbay Citadel; it stands on the ruined foundation of the Pharos - the Great Lighthouse of Alexandria built in the 3rd century B.C. and which was toppled by an earthquake in 1377 (I think). Qaitbay was originally built in 1477 by the Mamluk Dynasty/Junta to defend Egypt from the Ottoman Empire. The British demolished it in 1882, pounding it with state-of-the-art guns from steam-powered dreadnaughts 'til almost 90% of it was in the sea. In 1982, there was a push at restoring it, and the result is a conglomeration of granite from the Pharos, limestone and brick from the original Citadel and the limestone and modern brick of the 1980's. Most of the stuff that remained untouched was actually below ground level; the Roman baths, the Mamluk barracks and cistern system, and the few remaining Classical Era Egyptian artifacts were all buried under the rubble for about 100 years.

After a day full of walking, eating, shopping and sun, we were all super-tired and met with some other friends at the Marriott Renaissance on the eastern end of the corniche for food, drinks and an awesome sunset over the Mediterranean.