Pigeon’s anybody? It taste like chicken, or so we hear.

Today was our extra day in Cairo, after the official tour. So we decided when we got here that we’d sign up for an all day tour of Alexandria. Alexandria is about a 3 hour drive north east of Cairo and it is on the Mediterranean Sea. I have now seen this sea from the north and south of it…and it looks the same both ways- imagine that!

Our pick up was at 6am from the lobby and we had to go to another hotel and pick of 4 more Americans that were joining our excursion. They had just arrived from Boston and it was fun teaching the about the lay of the land and how things are done here in Egypt. They had the same reactions we had about a week and a half ago.

We had many stops today in Alexandria that were packed into 3-4 hours in the town. First we stopped at the Montaza garden and palace. The palace was quite impressive and had formerly housed the Royal Family. We walked around a bit and it was nice out side, 80s and sunny. The newbies from Boston had asked us if it was always this hot everyday, I had to stop myself from laughing out loud….boy they have no idea what they are in for! From there was drove past the Library of Alexandria and stopped for a few pictures- it was huge and it’s be interesting to see what the inside looked like because the outside architecture was very modern and the building was quite new. From there we drove to Quayet-Bey Fortress. This fortress was right on the Mediterranean and was rather small compared to what we have been used to seeing like the huge temples, mosques, pyramids…etc. From this fortress’s walls, you get some amazing panoramic views of the sea it was beautiful. But then we hopped back on our speedy tour bus and went to the Roman catacombs. We were told that there was little to no air flow and there were many narrow passages so I stayed on the bus with another guy while Brad and the group went to view them. He said that it was neat to see all the hieroglyphics in the Roman catacombs and that one level is still submerged in water. Apparently some people still go down there and eat dinner as part of a tradition.

After the catacombs we drove a short distance to the Pombey’s pillar. This is a large pillar which symbolized something…we started fading at this point because it was again hot and humid. Then we moved on to a Roman Amphitheater which just finished being excavated in 2008. This site had roman baths, theater, some homes and a bunch of stray cats! One thing I’ve noticed at most sites is the abundance of stray animals, cats and dogs galore.

Then we went to the Alexandria Museum which is what the Cairo museum should be. Although a very small museum, everything was nicely displayed behind glass. The building was air conditioned and humidity controlled for a very pleasant experience. We saw artifacts from most of the sites we had visited previously which made it more interesting. They also had a “tomb” which displayed how the sarcophagi would be placed on inside another like a Russian Babushka doll. At this point we were done with our “tour” day and needed to head back to Cairo…a three hour drive.

As we drove through Alexandria we did notice a pigeon market (yes you heard me right). Apparently, pigeons make good eats! Who knew…at this market they are bought and sold but only if the are younger the 9 months. After that, they apparently don’t taste as good. On the way back the guide explained that the dome shaped structures on the houses were for pigeons to nest in. They look almost like a beehive but for pigeons. Other than that, it was more of the same crazy driving and bumpy roads all the way back to Cairo.