The train ride there was scenic. We passed by lots of farmland and small villages. It was gorgeous. We got to Alexandria and got off the train. The train station was busy. People here definitely are not of the idea safety first. They jump down from the platform and cross over the train tracks like it's no big deal, but it is. A guy did that and was coming over to our side, when the train started coming. I don't know why he even would have done it in the first place, you were able to see it was close but maybe he needed to get on that train. He didn't. He was crossing, and the train was coming and I guess the conductor saw him and honked his incredible loud horn. The guy was trying to climb up the platform wall, and then he fainted. He fainted. I think the fear from the quickly approaching train and then the horn that was so loud that it startled everyone there, was too much for him and he fainted, still very much in harms way. His body was over but his legs were hanging over the side. As soon as he passed out, instantly it seemed, four or five men ran over to him and grabbed him by his arms, collar, legs, whatever they could get around, and dragged him up and out of the train's way. More people helped pull him to safety as they got there. Within seconds he was completely surrounded. He easily could have lost his legs or his life had not the people been so quick and willing to help. We could use more of that in the West. I think the first thing that goes through peoples mind in the west is, "Oh my God, that guy's in trouble, somebody do something, but not me." Malish.
We stayed at an apartment on the beach. It had two balconies facing the water. It was spectacular. As soon as we put our stuff down, we went to the beach. It was cold, around 65 degrees, and dark, but it was so nice.
Friday morning. We got up this morning and went to Jummah. We sat on the beach for a couple hours while being served tea. That's luxury. We got a bite to eat, got on a microbus and went to the Library of Alexandria. This was the first time we've been on a microbus here. They are basically very small buses, like minivans, that go here and there on fixed routes. We see them alot where we live. They usually have about seven people too many in them and alot of times drive with the door open and people hanging out. You just stand on the side of the road and they will wave to you asking if you want them to stop. One said they were going our way and could drop us off right in front of the library, so we got in. The library was a modern marvel. I did feel kinda jipped that there was nothing of the original library there. The original Library of Alexandria was completely destroyed in a number of wars, floods and fires. It didn't have too much luck. There was only one remaining scroll that survived. It is being "restored" or whatever by France. They've had it for years. From the library you can see Palace Qaitbay. It was beautiful. The Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the seven wonders of the world, was also destroyed by earthquakes, but some of the stones they used to build the lighthouse were left undamaged, so they used them to build a special portion of the castle. It is commemorated there. We went to the beach again and had some more shay bi laban and then went back to the apartment. We can't get enough of the sea, or tea, so we sat out on the balcony and enjoyed the view, again.
Saturday. We had some breakfast on the balcony and then went to the Catacombs. They were amazing. The catacombs are ancient underground burial chambers that wealthy Egyptians built and used for their families. It was orginally built for one family, but the lady of the house died unexpectedly early and they buried her without ever getting a chance to finish it. This is how it was: you go down a very large spiral staircase, or ramp at the time, and the body was lowered down a large well in the middle of it, after of course having been properly mummified and wrapped, sent through a few tunnels until it reached the tomb. The tomb was a room maybe 10 feet long and wide. There was one tomb in the center back wall and two to the sides. The lady was burried in the middle one, her husband to right side and son the the left. This was the same way in another one that we saw, and no coincidence. Even today in Egypt, the woman is considered holding pillar of the family. She keeps the family together, she is the family, and so naturally she would be prominently in the middle. Sweet, isn't it? The tombs were later converted so that they would be able to hold many bodies. They were extended on the all sides and room was made for middle class people's bodies, and even the poor and cremated. The tombs were an amazing example of culture fusion. These people that the tombs were originally built for, there were statues of them outside their personal tombs. They were there so that if the body was ever damaged, the souls of the people could recognize themselves in the statues, and return. Anyway, the statues outside the tombs, were of Greek people. The ancient Egyptian burial chamber was build for Greeks who lived in Egypt. Greece is just across the Mediterranean sea, and there were tons of Greeks living in Egypt and Alexandria at the time, and until just the past 50 years or so when Alex said the foreigners were taking over and couldn't own businesses by themselves anymore. I'm digressing, again. The people who built the tombs were Greek, being buried in an Egyptian way. The entire tomb, the parts that were finishes at least, showed a beautiful merging of the two cultures and beliefs. There was the Egyptian and Greek gods depicted right beside each other. Greek symbols next to Egyptian ones. The Greeks, they were still Greek but they were also Egyptian in a way too. They had Egyptian beliefs and customs, and still held on to their own too.
Saturday. We had some breakfast on the balcony and then went to the Catacombs. They were amazing. The catacombs are ancient underground burial chambers that wealthy Egyptians built and used for their families. It was orginally built for one family, but the lady of the house died unexpectedly early and they buried her without ever getting a chance to finish it. This is how it was: you go down a very large spiral staircase, or ramp at the time, and the body was lowered down a large well in the middle of it, after of course having been properly mummified and wrapped, sent through a few tunnels until it reached the tomb. The tomb was a room maybe 10 feet long and wide. There was one tomb in the center back wall and two to the sides. The lady was burried in the middle one, her husband to right side and son the the left. This was the same way in another one that we saw, and no coincidence. Even today in Egypt, the woman is considered holding pillar of the family. She keeps the family together, she is the family, and so naturally she would be prominently in the middle. Sweet, isn't it? The tombs were later converted so that they would be able to hold many bodies. They were extended on the all sides and room was made for middle class people's bodies, and even the poor and cremated. The tombs were an amazing example of culture fusion. These people that the tombs were originally built for, there were statues of them outside their personal tombs. They were there so that if the body was ever damaged, the souls of the people could recognize themselves in the statues, and return. Anyway, the statues outside the tombs, were of Greek people. The ancient Egyptian burial chamber was build for Greeks who lived in Egypt. Greece is just across the Mediterranean sea, and there were tons of Greeks living in Egypt and Alexandria at the time, and until just the past 50 years or so when Alex said the foreigners were taking over and couldn't own businesses by themselves anymore. I'm digressing, again. The people who built the tombs were Greek, being buried in an Egyptian way. The entire tomb, the parts that were finishes at least, showed a beautiful merging of the two cultures and beliefs. There was the Egyptian and Greek gods depicted right beside each other. Greek symbols next to Egyptian ones. The Greeks, they were still Greek but they were also Egyptian in a way too. They had Egyptian beliefs and customs, and still held on to their own too.
Sometimes I think that we assume that these cultural fusions we have in the West and can see so clearly in our masjids from mother to daughter, are new to us and unique to our time and place, but they're not. People have been doing this since the Ancient Egyptians, this is not something new. It was an incredible experience.
We grabbed some lunch at Pastroudis, a famous little cafe in Alexandria for it's once was literary crowd. We head out for the train station and got our tickets. We had some time, so we got some fresh juice from juice bar. They have these everywhere over here, but we haven't been brave enough to try them since now. Cups here are never guaranteed to be washed. We had some, it was great, and we survived. We went home, eager to soon return.
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