NOTE:
Picture 1 of Mosque
Picture 2 is from Roman Theatre. It is believed that this theatre was just for the wealthy citizens of Alexandria given its size. Could hold about 800 people. It was in excellent condition and they are still digging in an adjacent area looking for more of the old city.
Picture 3 is from Pompey's Pillar.
Last night we mentioned that we had attended the Passover Seder on board the ship and we wanted to mention how much we enjoyed the Seder. While there were about 130+ passengers in attendance, the setting was excellent and it had a nice family and friend feeling to this wonderful celebration. Passengers from various faiths were in attendance. The Catholic Clergy joined us at our table. It is certainly extra special to celebrate this holiday in the Middle East and to share it with so many of our fellow passengers.
Our wonderful Rabbi conducted the service and the meal was terrific. In addition the traditional food items that are part of the actual Seder we also enjoyed a wonderful Seder Meal. The menu included Gefilte Fish, Chicken Broth with Matzo Balls, Roasted Kosher Chicken accompanied by Carrot Tzimmes, Steamed Asparagus, Over-Roasted Potatoes and Natural Gravy, Raspberry Sherbet with Fresh Strawberries, Served with Coconut and Hazelnut Macaroons. There were various Passover Wines to accompany the Seder and the Dinner along with coffee, tea and soft drinks. The wait staff from the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant, some waiters from the Main Dining Room, several Sommeliers, and many of the bar crew and Lido Stewards were on hand to serve this delicious meal and their service was five star+ as it always is.
We truly appreciate all of the efforts that went into planning this Passover Seder by the Rabbi, his lovely wife and all of those involved from Crystal.
This morning we arrived in Alexandria, Egypt, which is our second visit to this port of call in as many years. Alexandria is Egypt’s second largest city and it is its number one port. This port of call was named after none other than Alexander the Great and during Cleopatra’s time served as the capital of Egypt. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World was located in Alexandria; the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Alexandria is also known for having been a major center of early Christianity and for academia. It also was home to the largest library of the ancient world.
We were docked by 7:00 AM and after the ship was cleared, passengers could go ashore. The area in which the ship docks is very secure and clear with several nice looking buildings in the surrounding area. There were various open market stores that are set up in the adjoining area as was the case last year. Those selling merchandise here are far less pushy and aggressive than the ones who push items in the downtown area. They are easy to talk with and while they want to show you all of their items and make a sale they have a very pleasant demeanor and a nice sense of humor
The City of Alexandria has a good deal of charm and beauty with its nice beaches, historical sites, newly constructed sites, its beautiful harbor, and it is also the gateway port to the city of Cairo. Cairo is located approximately three hours from this city by motor vehicle.
There are many nice areas of this city to visit along with some areas that are let us say not so nice. For the tourist, there are certain areas that can be challenging at times when walking around certain parts of the city as the locals very often can be very aggressive, and do not easily back-off when one says they are not interested by saying no thank you. So, sometimes one has to be firm if they are not interested in looking at items that the locals are trying to sell. When we say locals, we are not referring to those who work in the stores but those who come up to you with merchandise to sell.
We woke up early once again and began our day with our daily workout. Keith got up to the Fitness Center before 4:30 AM (ouch) and he continued to rack up the miles on the Elliptical Machine. Anne Marie arrived at her normal time and got in part of her daily time on the Treadmill. Other regulars such as Mary and John were working out and Keith talked with Mary for quite awhile.
After our workout we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in our room as we got ready for our shore excursion for this port of call.
During the Captain’s morning announcement he noted that the outside temperature was 68 degrees Fahrenheit and that the weather forecast called for a nice sunny day. His forecast was correct. Captain Glenn’s thought for the day was “It is the empty can that makes the most noise.”
The name of our shore excursion was Roman Alexandria.
It was a wonderful tour. We had a terrific tour guide who shared lots of excellent information with us. As part of our tour we stopped at the 84-foot tall Pompey’s Pillar, which was originally part of the Temple of Serapis. Our tour also included with a visit to Catacombs of Kom el Shugafa, which was the most important of the Roman burial grounds dating from the 2nd century AD. We also had a chance to visit the Roman Theatre. This theatre was only discovered in the mid-1990’s when work was being done in preparation for the construction of a new building. It is amazing to think of what has not yet been discovered from this ancient city. We also saw other sites during our time on the bus including the new library, the citadel, and a mosque.
After we arrived back from the ship we enjoyed a nice lunch in our room that we pre-ordered.
Crystal provided a complimentary shuttle that ran between the per to the Sofitel Cecil Hotel in downtown Alexandria. The shuttle ran frequently and the drive was about twenty minutes each way. Since we had gone into the downtown area twice last year we decided to pass on going back this time around. Instead, we walked around the port area, which we found to be very pleasant. It is a beautiful port which also includes a small park like area.
The locals that we came into contact with at the various places that we stopped were very nice. There was a lot of security at each stop and we had a security person with us on the bus. Tourism continues to be a major drivers of the Egyptian Economy and they do not want to incur any issues that could jeopardize tourism.
Later in the afternoon we walked around several of the shops on the pier that were selling a wide range of items. While walking around, we saw lots of familiar faces from the ship including crew and guests alike
This evening we enjoyed a very nice dinner in the Main Dining Room. We had looked at the menu for this evening last night and decided to order a special dinner for this evening, which was wonderfully prepared.
We sail at 11:00 PM this evening and for one of the few times during the course of this cruise we will set the clocks forward one hour. ☹ We really can’t complain as we have had many night where we set the clock back one hour and we know that this will be the case of the last couple of weeks of our World Cruise adventure.
We had an enjoyable day in Alexandria. There is so much to see in this city that one could spend a long time here. For example, there is the Alexandria Library, which is a beautiful library containing lots of historical information, the Greco-Roman Museum, and let us not forget the Pyramids just a three hour drive from Alexander or about a ninety minute ride by Train. We suspect that in time there will be more historical sites to see as additional sites that have been hidden for thousands of years are discovered beneath the current city level.
Keith & Anne Marie
