Alexandria

I love this place.
I want to write so much but our WiFi isn’t helping.

I’ll come back with an edit.

EDIT:
I’d been told it was awful. It’s not.
But nothing worked out as planned. Our morning tour, to the Catacombs, the National Museum and the delightful Fort Quibay, over ran. Brilliant, but we had to run to catch our afternoon visit to the Biblioteca Alexandrina.

And it rained. Egypt’s first rain of the year.
Traffic chaos.
Gridlock.
It took us nearly two hours to drive the six miles back to the magnificent new library.

It’s next to the university campus but throughout the city I was struck by the confidence of the young Egyptian women. Headscarves and joie de vivre, living confidently with their male friends, greeting foreigners, asking for selfies, welcoming, strong. Not the usual image.

Alexandria is beautiful, dirty, run down, trying to emulate Dubai in parts.
Crazy.
Charming.

After the gridlock to the Library, followed the gridlock to the gardens.

We arrived well after dark.
Have you ever tried to walk round ornamental gardens in total darkness ?
Strangely magical.
But our trip over ran (floods as well as gridlock)

We apologised and didn’t get to the bridge evening. Everyone understood.

Alexandria just surprises......and I love it.

Extras too.