Egypt - Tale of Two Cities

Leaving Alexandria meant that we would travel the desert road again. Once again, we found our oasis at the halfway point. We killed a little time stretching our legs and investigating our surroundings.

And like are fellow travelers on the desert highway seeking shade wherever it could be found.

A couple things that really intrigued me at our pit stop was a pigeon house and over friendly ostrich that came to say hello.

As we left the oasis the lush farmlands were amazing to see in the middle of the desert. To my surprise there were acres of vineyards! I did have a few Egyptian Wines while in Alexandria, and they were ok. Nothing exceptional, but surprisingly served at the hotel. I found the whites better than reds, but all were drinkable and well made.

After another very long ride in the car we arrived at the Semiramis Intercontinental Hotel. Our lodging is located right on the Nile River, and would be headquarters for many of the foreign press covering the Arab Spring Uprising in 6 months. The hotel as attached during the uprising and again in 2013.

I was the last of our group to check in so I put on my best smile and manners and attempted to charm the receptionist for a room on one of the upper floors overlooking the Nile. “It is my first visit to your city and I want to take in all the beauty”, was my spiel. I was so excited when I unlocked the room and saw she fulfilled my request!

The bridge is the Kasar Al Nile Bridge that leads to the Tahrir Square, which was the center of the uprising. Ramadan ended while we were staying at Semiramis, and it was so cool to watch the city come alive from my room.

Our first big adventure was to go to one of the oldest bazaars in the world, Khan el-Khalili. This market covers a bunch of city blocks and has narrow alleys and thousands of vendors. The bazaar is right next to the Al-Hussein Mosque, which is one of the holiest places in Islam. Our driver let us off in front of the Mosque, and we walked into a wave of humanity called Khan el-Khalili. What a great place to take pictures!

People shots have always been my favorite, and Khan el-Khalili offered so many memorable moments to capture the faces of Egypt. The famous American Photographer Toni Frissell once wrote,

“Here are faces that I have found memorable. If they are not all as happy as kings, it is because in the imperfect world and these hazardous times, the camera’s eye, like the eye of a child often sees true.”

Here are few of the faces that I captured in the bazaar.

So, at the end of the day… Shopping is Shopping wherever you may be, and of course cell phones are abound!

And when the day is done the day’s booty is loaded in (and on) the car. Just another successful day of shopping at the bazaar.

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Our day of discovering Egypt’s ancient past began with a short drive outside the city to the Mit Rahina Museum, which is located near where the city of Memphis once stood. The views out the windows of our bus showed a totally different Egypt that what we had seen so far.