Today we left Tanta around 9 to head up to Alexandria. I’ve learned more about the police escort which we always have. Realizing the importance of tourism to the national economy, Egypt now has a special Tourism and Antiquities police force. Any groups of foreigners traveling by bus has to be escorted. Each state has their own division of police which escorts you through their state. Our trip to Alexandria required at least 4 changes of escorts which could take up to 20 minutes. So the 1.5 hour trip took us 2.5 hours.
Once we got there we went to the new Alexandria library which is meant emphasize Alexandria’s prominent place in the ancient world just like the original one did centuries ago. Alexandria was been ruled by the Greeks, Romans, Turks, French, and British though, due to a tumultuous political climate and the occasional earthquake, very little evidence of the previous occupants remain. Archeologic efforts are underway to help preserve as many sites as possible. We had a great local lunch at a restaurant overlooking the east harbor and finished up by Montazah, a former summer retreat of the Egyptian kings.
Tomorrow we have a full OR day. I’ll let you know how it goes.
~Croth
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