10:27 am CST
6:27 pm Alexandria
Another huge lunch, at the same place actually, just upstairs in the “fish” restaurant (yesterday was the “chicken” restaurant). I thought I had escaped the onslaught by denying the fish to two different waiters, left to munch on mezze (appetizers like hummous, baba ghanouj). Nope. Just as I finished my meal’s worth, the head waiter comes out with a big bowl of pasta, followed by another waiter with a plate of French fries. A vegetarian meal here apparently consists of every dish on the menu sans meat. I intentionally skipped breakfast this morning because I was grossly overstuffed from last night when it was a plate of steamed veggies and rice, spaghetti in tomato sauce, and fries – on top of the soup and mezze everyone else had! Then I get skimped on dessert because they think I don’t eat dairy, so while everyone had ice cream, I got fruit. Probably for the best. I must have gained ten pounds already, despite all the walking. Thinking about skipping dinner tonight and just ordering soup to my room.
Our day ended a little early today, a welcome change. Bus rolled up to the hotel around 4 pm. Unfortunately there really isn’t much to do around our hotel. We’re at the very end of the strip, the Corniche, bound on either side by more hotels or apartments buildings. No shopping. I’ve yet to really experience an Egyptian bazaar. Souvenirs will have to wait for Libya, though I heard shopping kind of blows there, too. There MUST be Qaddafi crap.
First stop was the catacombs of Kom el-Shugafa, a huge burial complex with some fantastic carved and painted tomb decorations. The chambers go on and on, for multiple levels, one room leading to yet another. You could get super lost in there. We weren’t allowed to. (I wasn’t wearing proper exploring shoes, anyway.) Photos were not allowed inside, so I bought a book with some nice shots.
Then we went to Pompey’s Pillar a few kilometers away. It’s a big slab of pink granite about 30m tall surrounded by a couple of sphinxes. I think Heroes’ Square in Budapest is much more impressive. This was a bit boring, like someone just put up a tall column. There isn’t much decoration on the column itself. The pillar is actually a monument for Diocletian, not Pompey. (My Egyptian and Greco-Roman history knowledge has quadrupled on this trip.)
THEN, we got to go the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the new library “inspired” by the great library of yore/lore. Just opened in 2002 in a really neat round building that has letters from 120 languages, ancient and modern, from around the world etched into its outer façade. It’s part of Alexandria’s revitalization project. (Trying to regain its status as a world cultural center.) Our tour guide spat out dozens of little factoids, most of which I remember but probably don’t need to clog up this space with.
The reading room is seven storeys and awesome. Lots of natural light. Perhaps the Norwegian architect wanted to make good use of that precious natural resource that his country lacks half the year. I would never get any work done in there, though.
We already talked about lunch.
After lunch, we only had one site left, Kom el-Dikka. There’s a Roman Odeon with the “sweet spot” still in tact. When you speak from the center stone your voice echoes perfectly through the theatre. Sounds a bit like when you’re speaking into a telephone receiver and you hear your voice echo back at you. (Or what you finally realize is your voice…) While I tested out the acoustics to confirm this, I refrained from exclaiming, “Are you not entertained?!?” Saving that one for the Libyan amphitheatre. The site also had a mosaic museum, called The Villa of the Birds, and some more artifacts that have been excavated from Alexandria’s Eastern Harbor. Water erosion is creepy, faces just melt off.
Oof. It’s almost time for dinner and I can still taste lunch. What to do… I should go socialize for a bit, given that I’m working and all. Hisham keeps covering my bar tab so maybe I’ll take advantage of that while I still can: no alcohol in Libya!
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