27th April Alexandria

27th April. Alexandria
Alexandria is a lovely city, a little seedy on the edges but with a relaxed stylet that was possible to find in the northern shores of the Mediterranean before being overrun by the vacationing hordes. The Patisseries are the place to spend an hour or two eating some splendid food.
We spent the morning at the Alexandria Bibliotheca. The original Alexandria Library was reputed to be the best in the known world until sacked by the Assyrians or someone in 3BC. The new building was erected to try and recapture some of that prestige. A beautiful structure well patronized by the locals. The afternoon was spent doing a bit of sightseeing: the Catacombs and the incorrectly named Pompeii’s Column.
The only memory I have of Alexandria from my time in Egypt 42 years ago was going to the movies with our friends Neil & Jenni to see the 2nd Beatle movie ‘Help.’ The theatre wasn’t full but a fair crowd but we were the only ones understanding and laughing at the jokes and antics of the Fab Four. Perhaps something was lost in translation.
The lifts in Alexandria are interesting. They all seem to be the old style with a cage outside and wooden panels on the inside of the carriage. We went to quite a few hotels when we fist arrived yesterday and they all seemed to have them.
It’s been a relaxing day, tomorrow we start the long drive down to Luxor.