Alexandria Day Trip – Part 5 | Egypt Travel Blog: Day 1 (Part 10)

Egypt Travel Blog: 10 DAYS Egypt Explorer - Felucca Cruise & Red Sea

Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa

The catacombs of Kom El Shofaqa; date back to the second century AD and were accidentally discovered in 1900 when a donkey got lost.

The catacombs are the largest-known Roman burial site in Egypt and they consist of three tiers of tombs and chambers cut into bedrock to a depth of 35m.

The catacombs of Alexandria were originally a private tomb, but later expanded and became a public cemetery. These are one of the last major works of construction dedicated to ancient Egyptian religion.

Inside the catacombs, the endless tunnels were like a maze and it was impressive how they carved them in the solid rock.

The entry was like a spiral staircase. In the old days, the dead bodies were lowered on ropes to the centre of the circular shaft. This archaeological site was one of the Seven Wonders in the Middle Ages.

When the catacombs started in the 2nd century AD, there was only the triclinium (left) and principal tomb chamber. Later on, over 300 years of time, more and more chambers were added to accommodate bodies numbering 300 or even more.

The antechamber, the most important part or major sight, had decorations and statues. It had carvings of the Egyptian god Anubis (the god of the dead) dressed like a Roman. There were some statues of Roman emperors who ruled Egypt during this period.

We were to visit Pompey’s Pillar next, which I will talk about in the next post.

Alexandria Day Trip – Part 4 | Egypt Travel Blog: Day 1 (Part 9)

Egypt Travel Blog: 10 DAYS Egypt Explorer - Felucca Cruise & Red Sea

Just arrived in Alexandria – The Ancient Feelings

Upon arriving in Alexandria, I felt the same ancient feeling like I felt in Cairo, but from a different perspective. The contrast between Cairo and Alexandria was palpable.

The coastal side of Alexandria, especially the area along the promenade (the waterfront area on the Mediterranean Sea) looked like a European city, but with a touch of ancient history. The architecture, shops, cafes, people…everything looked different than Cairo. The guide told me that you can find the prettiest girls in Egypt in Alexandria.

The general population in other parts of Egypt were darker skinned and you see less light-skinned and white people. But in Alexandria, it is flipped. Here you will see more light-skinned and white people and less dark-skinned people.

I saw some lime-yellow-coloured trams on the street. My guide told me this is one of the oldest tram systems in the world that is still operational. Alexandria trams are rumbling, clackety, old, and terribly slow. But they are fun and bear a part of history.

Alexandria is a quiet, laid-back and quaint city, which offers a blend of old history with traditional urban and natural beauty.

Alexandria benefits from its year-round pleasant weather bolstered by the coastal winds off the Mediterranean. Egyptians and foreigners alike enjoy spending time in Alexandria during the summer and winter.

During the winter, Alexandria’s temperatures stay around 20°C / 68°F by day, and around 10°C / 50°F at night. In the summer, highs can reach 30°C / 86°F or even 32°C / 90°F sometimes, but never as hot as Cairo.

Alexandria is also a haven for food lovers. You can try freshly-cooked beef kabobs along the Cornish with an amazing coffee. Also, I saw a fresh seafood market where you can choose freshly-caught seafood and the open-air restaurants will cook them right in front of your eyes while you enjoy sitting in the sun.

Our first stop on the itinerary was the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa.

Alexandria Day Trip – Part 3 | Egypt Travel Blog: Day 1 (Part 8)

Egypt Travel Blog: 10 DAYS Egypt Explorer - Felucca Cruise & Red Sea

Stopover on My Way to Alexandria – Open-Air Complex in the Middle of the Desert 

Before reaching Alexandria, we stopped at an open-air mall or complex-like place for a coffee break. The complex was huge and I saw lots of restaurants and a variety of stores, including McDonald’s.

After getting off the bus, I tried to find a washroom first, so I could spend the remaining time looking for coffee and taking some videos.

The line at the washroom facility was bearable. By this time, I got used to the fact that whenever you go to a washroom in Egypt, you have to pay. It can run from a couple of Egyptian Pounds (LE) to 5 LEs. The amount itself is not a lot (1 LE is like 9 cents Canadian), but it’s an annoyance to remember to have change because I am not used to it.

I was looking for a coffee shop and came across some I didn’t like. Then I found a coffee chain store called The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. I knew it would be expensive, but didn’t expect a cup of coffee to be 40 LE ($3.35 Cad).

The shopping complex had many other stores and food shops. I didn’t have enough time to have a full breakfast and finished my coffee fast. I saw that some of my other tour mates checked the coffee and tea prices at the Coffee Bean shop, but moved to find something else.

Our time was up and I was heading to the bus. We were only one to one and a half hours away from Alexandria. I will talk about my first impressions of Alexandria and the sights we would visit.

Alexandria Day Trip – Part 2 | Egypt Travel Blog: Day 1 (Part 7)

Egypt Travel Blog: 10 DAYS Egypt Explorer - Felucca Cruise & Red Sea

History of Alexandria – Introducing Alexandria

I will talk about a little bit about Alexandria before moving onto my tour experiences in the city. This historic 2500-year-old coastal city is the 2nd largest city in Egypt and was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C.

Alexandria was the largest city of its time and was the second most important city during the Roman Empire. When Ptolemy built the famous Alexandria Library housing 500,000+ books, it became the centre of knowledge. Alexandria attracted the most famous scholars, scientists, and philosophers around the globe at that time.

Regrettably, the famous lighthouse was destroyed by an earthquake. The Alexandria Library was burned down by Julius Caesar’s army.

Marcus Antonio or Mark Antony, Julius Caesar’s right-hand man, moved to Alexandria to marry Cleopatra after Julius Caesar’s death in 44 B.C. Once Mark Antony and Cleopatra died and Augustus Caesar became emperor, Alexandria served as a simple province of the Roman Empire.

After going through many conflicts and changing rulers, present day Alexandria started to thrive again. The Alexandria Library was reconstructed and completed in 2002 as The Bibliotheca Alexandrina or, in English, The Library of Alexandria.

That’s what I gathered about Alexandria in brief. We are about to stopover for a break in an open mall-like service station. I will try to get a coffee and look around during the break if I get enough time. I will talk about it in the next post.

Alexandria Day Trip – Part 1 | Egypt Travel Blog: Day 1 (Part 6)

Egypt Travel Blog: 10 DAYS Egypt Explorer - Felucca Cruise & Red Sea

Heading to Alexandria Early Morning

November 30, 2019 was Day 1 of my 10-Day Egypt tour. My other tour mates were landing in Cairo today, but because of my Alexandria trip, which was an add on, I came one day earlier to spend the day visiting Alexandria.

Before boarding the van, I saw the same Australian couple I had met the day before. There were other people with us on this tour, but my tour mates for the rest of my trip would be different because they were arriving today.

We had to start our Alexandria trip early in the morning, so we could come back before evening. The drive to reach Alexandria would take about two and a half hours.

The van was comfortable and not too crowded. The AC had to be turned on as the desert heat kept rising as we passed through the morning.

We passed the city and residential area within half an hour of starting our trip. Then the landscape started to change.

Sometimes we were passing through agricultural lands, sometimes terrain full of rocks and sand that looked like deserts. There were buildings and small towns passing by in between. There were open bazaars and shopping complexes in between as well.

Some places had a few buildings, like 4 or 5 together, but there was nothing after that mile after mile. You would see a small open market all of a sudden and then it would be empty again after that for a while.

Watching these scenes made me feel like I was in another time and place. Those are the kind of feelings traveling to another place gives you because I am not used to seeing these things daily.