Alexandria, Egypt

I woke up at 06:30, got ready, and walked to the Ramses Railway Station; once there, I found the correct train platform and then boarded the train to Alexandria after it had arrived (so did a lot of military cadets as well). I found my seat and at 08:00, the train departed northward to the coastal city; as the train moved further away from Cairo, through the Nile River delta, the land grew much greener and pleasant looking; I also had a cup of coffee along the way to try and wake me up. After about two and a half hours, we reached Alexandria and like a fool I got off at the first station (I would learn later that there was another, closer station, which I had planned to go to, but thought that this first, modern-looking station was the one I wanted); after exiting the railway station, I followed street signs in a north-easterly direction, to the corniche. After reaching the corniche, I walked west, thinking I was near the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (the modern Library of Alexandria), but eventually realized where I was and that I was in fact very far away from the library. I then walked up to the road and then asked about ten taxi drivers to take me to the “library”, “Bibliotheca”, “the university”, but none understood me and I began to doubt that taxi drivers even know what a library is; in a fit of frustration, I decided to stop for a raspberry-coffee cooler at Costas to relax and think of my next move; after finishing the delicious drink, I realized I had no choice but to use a taxi, so I asked again; I found one that was willing, but didn’t really know where I wanted to go; we drove off anyway and he reluctantly used his meter after I told him to; we then approached the library and I had him stop the taxi; I then walked across the street and in to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Inside, was a very sleek, nice looking library with many levels and books; after looking at the main library, I walked to the museum and looked at the artifacts on display inside; there were a number of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman statues, papyrus, pottery, etc. It was an okay library, but paled in comparison to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo; there was also a lot of modern and contemporary art on display, but most of it looked like it was created by hacks and showed very little real talent (this is a valid critique against most modern art). After touring the Bibliotheca’s museum, I walked outside, and followed the corniche west and north, along its crescent shape, to the Qaitbay Citadel (built in 1477 AD), a nice looking fortress near the entrance to Alexandria’s harbor; I reached the citadel and entered inside; I walked in to the main tower, which has a mosque in its center, and explored each of the three levels open to the public; I then walked through the coastal passages and then up to the surrounding walls, getting many pictures of the fortress. Once I finished exploring the citadel, I walked back the way I had come, along the corniche, admiring the buildings and boats along the way; on the way, I happened to see a little kid (maybe eight or nine) smoking a cigarette next to the sidewalk – I guess you have to start sometime and it might as well be sooner rather than later. I then decided to stop for dinner, but not thinking I had enough time for a real meal on account of the traffic and the train station I thought I had to return to being so far away, I decided to stop at a Pizza Hut and I had a stuffed-crust chicken supreme pizza with jalapenos and a water. I then took a taxi to the train station (he drove me to the one I should’ve got off on and that was actually so close, I could’ve walked); we reached the railway station and the taxi driver had been a pain the whole time, doing the usual taxi driver crap (“the meter doesn’t work”, “oh, now it does”, “you pay in U.S. dollars, not Egyptian Pounds”, and (after we reached the destination) he asked for double the amount on the meter); well I paid the taxi driver what the meter had displayed (in Egyptian Pounds) and then walked away as he demanded more money (I really, really, really fucking hate taxi drivers). I was not at the railway station with over an hour to kill; I soon realized the Roman Theater was just a block away and I walked to that during dusk, just to see it through the fence. Unfortunately, I had wanted to explore the theater, see Pompey’s Pillar, and walk through the catacombs at Kom el-Shouqafa, but I did not have enough time since the train arrived after 10:30 and everything closes in winter at 16:00; sadly, two days are required to explore Alexandria appropriately, and I did not have another day to spare. Oh well. The train was ready to depart at 19:00 and I was already on board waiting and reading; the train then left and it took about two and a half hours to reach Ramses Railway Station in Cairo. I then walked back to my hotel, stopping along the way at a McDonalds for a late night snack (I had the McArabia, French fries, and soda); I then returned to my hotel room and ate my late night meal before going to sleep.