Alexandria

The entrance to our hotel, taken as we arrived in the evening. The Hotel Cecil is one of Egypt's fine historic hotels.

The vintage elevator is just behind the ornate iron stair rails.

The breakfast dining area, with generous choices at the buffet.

The view of the Mediterranean from our hotel room window.

The view from the window in the other direction.

Busy Alexandria street.

Street vendors are everywhere.

You can buy almost anything from a sidewalk vendor.

This woman is selling something from a small table, while a man sweeps the street nearby.

Traffic! No attention is paid to street lanes or stop signs.

And these traffic policemen are not paying much attention either. Just chatting.

Donkey carts are common.

This motorcycle is carting a load of foam panels (I think).

Wadi Natrun and Coptic Monastery

The Wadi Natrun is a 20-mile long depression in the western desert between Cairo and Alexandria. We traveled through it by coach on the way to one of the four Coptic Christian monasteries in the area. The following photos were taken in a town we passed through along the way.

This is the entrance to the Monastery of St. Bishoi, dedicated to a holy monk who lived at this site in solitude. The main church dates to the 9th century AD. The Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria has his pontifical residence here. The current Pope had recently died and was lying in state in the Church until a new Pope is chosen.

    

This is the monk who gave us a tour of the Monastery. He was not really as wild-eyed as he appears in this photo.



These men were praying and chanting before the shrine of St. Bishoi.

Pilgrims touch the relic of St. Bishoi, enclosed in a beautiful painted case.  

On the Road to Alexandria



You're never far from a Nile irrigation ditch between Cairo and Alexandria.



Typical apartment buildings. The rebar on the roof indicates the building isn't finished yet, so the owner doesn't have to pay taxes. A lot of garbage gets thrown into the ditch.



One of the few modern private homes close enough to photograph.



This truck is carrying goats to the city - they are needed for the Holiday meal.



A town marketplace, taken quickly from a bridge over the street. The white vans seen everywhere are individually-owned and travel a set route - more convenient than a bus but lower cost than a taxi. The small three-wheeled cars also seen everywhere are a Chinese make.



Another town street.



Fruits and veggies are sold in outdoor stands like this.



This is a pigeon coop. Pigeons are a delicacy in Egypt, and these coops are commonly seen.



Harvesting dates and trimming the palm trees.

 

Selling dates by the side of the highway.



Most of the farm labor is still manual.

Saqqara and Dahshur - More Pyramids



A short distance from Cairo is the necropolis of Saqqara, an extensive area of tombs, mostly around a walled central courtyard. This is the entrance.



Past the entrance is an aisle framed by thick columns.  Columns were still experimental at this time, so they were attached to the wall behind them as a backup for safety.



The step pyramid at Saqqara was the first to be built, by architect Imhotep for Pharaoh Djoser in about 2700 BC. It is under repair as the stones are crumbling. The dot in the middle of the second level is a man pushing a wheelbarrow.

 

Part of the courtyard. The entrance seen is actually a fake to fool tomb-robbers.



These are some of the real tombs.



A short drive away is Dahshur, with a first attempt to build a pyramid without steps. It was half completed when they realized the slope would make the structure unstable, so they modified the shape - it's called the "bent pyramid".



This photo shows how large each stone is - compare them with the tiny people in front.



Our coach, our driver and our tour guide par excellence - Heba.



We were always under protection by an armed guard. He's carrying semi-concealed.



Cairo Views

Cairo, taken from the Pyramid plateau.

Busy Cairo intersection, typical apartment buildings.




Tahrir Square, with the pink Egyptian Museum of Antiquities in the background, and construction in the center. The tour of the Museum was fantastic, especially the Royal Mummies. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos inside. Many pictures can be seen at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_Museum

 

On the other side of Tahrir Square is a large grey government building, with a typical traffic jam on the street.

This is the entrance to the charming restaurant where we had lunch.





Cairo is a city of contrasts - a donkey cart and a modern bus.

 

This donkey cart, driven by two boys, holds a dryer.

 

This is the home of the children on the left.

 

Abandoned shack, green parkland, apartment buildings and the Pyramids.