Arabian Nights

My trip to Egypt was fantastic (Oct. 27-Nov 6). It turned out to be a lot better than I thought and all the nerves that I felt before arriving there, immediately went away once I was in Alexandria. Not only was seeing Javi the highlight of my trip, but being able to experience a new culture and hear a new language was very interesting. I enjoyed hearing Javi communicate in Arabic with the Egyptians, it is such an interesting language.

Of course, there were things I liked as well as disliked, but I prefer to share with all of you the positive parts of Egypt and all the things I did on my trip to Alexandria & Cairo. Enjoy!

Oct.29-
We spent the day out in Alexandria and taking a stroll along the Mediterranean Sea.
My favorite thing about Alexandria is the sea. It brings so much beauty to the hectic life of the city. :)
The Four Seasons Hotel, which you can spot from miles away. Below the hotel is the San Stefano mall which Javi and I visited. He fell in love with the food court. :)
Alexandria has two types of beaches. One that is free to the public (usually is not taken care of or cleaned up) and one that you pay to enter (which may have a place to have a drink and it is much nicer). This is one of the non-paying beaches, but is still nice.
We always saw fisherman out on our walks.
This isn't a great quality picture. I was trying to capture the chaos that is Egypt. Javi's neighborhood Glem.
We took a break from our walk and had a cup of mint tea, my favorite! What's even better is that they give you the fresh mint leaves in a glass and you decide how much you want in your tea. If you notice, Javi and I used all the leaves. Yum!
Although I look a bit tired, I still love this picture. :) One of our photo stops on our stroll.
The city of Alexandria behind me, as well as some rest areas for couples and groups of friends.
A view of the west shore side of Alexandria.
Such a great view!


A Mashrou (taxi vans/microbuses) is the cheapest form of transportation and I got to experience it myself several times.
One of the paying beaches.
Another favorite of mine in Alexandria were the sunsets...they never failed to take my breath away.

Oct. 30
We had another stroll along the sea and then later that afternoon Javi gave me a quick tour of where he goes to school, the surrounding area (including the library) and finally where he works at the Instituto Cervantes. I even was able to see Javi in action.

Kushari (spelling?) is one of the many Egyptian dishes I tried. This was probably my list favorite, but it did taste good, it was just really filling. It consists of: spaghetti noodles, short round noodles, lentils, garbanzo beans and a red sauce.
Yes, this is a bit unpleasant, but we saw this in front of all the butcher shops for the first 3-4 days I was in Alexandria. It just so happened that the following Sunday was the festival of the lamb.
And right next to the hanging lamb carcasses were the lambs for sale at the butcher shop. You could choose the one you wanted.
I didn't get a good picture of the Alexandria Library, but this picture of Javi is taken right across from the Library.
The TAFL center, where Javi takes Arabic classes.

Oct 31-
Although Javi had class in the morning, we were able to visit a little more of Alexandria. We took a mashrou to the city center, got some information from the tourist office and started walking (about 1hr 30 mins) to the citadel. On our way we stopped at Alexandria's most famous mosque: Abu Abbas al-Mursi.
On the fortress wall at the citadel.
Alexandria's port
The citadel from the side and a small market.
The inside courtyard of the citadel.
The mosaic floor fo the citadel's mosque.
Javi and I on the fortress wall with the city behind us. :)
Javi tidying up the castle.

The citadel's mosque
At the citadel.

The view of the seas from the citadel was absolutely gorgeous!
Inside the citadel's courtyard.
Outside the citadel
I loved the Egyptian license plates!
Mosque Abu Abbas al-Mursi
Inside the mosque.
It was required that I wear a veil.
A beautiful well inside the mosque.


Nov 1
In cafe de paix enjoying a nice cup of hot mint tea. :)
A wonderful dinner made by Wara & Rodney. A group of Javi's friends and co-workers. Top: Rodney (puerto rico), Javi, Yolanda (vasca); Bottom: Wara (bolivia) and Marga (andalucia).
Javi on the corniche with a beautiful sunset behind him.



This was a hilarious sight, a bunch of lambs squeezed into the back of a truck.
Nov 2
This day was absolutely beautiful in Alexandria. A perfect day to be outside. We spent most of the afternoon at Montazah palace and gardens. :)
The entrance of Montazah.
Translation? (Welcome to Alexandria)
This little kitty was so affectionate that I couldn't resist petting him. :)
What a great photographer!!!
The palace tower from afar.
Javi and I with the Montazah palace behind us.
Montazah Palace
A perfect place to watch the sea's waves.



Javi was really missing Spanish food, so we decided to make some together: huevos rotos with jamon serrano.
Sunset!
Nov 3
Our first day in Cairo was a little overwhelming, but good. We stayed in a very nice hostel and had our own private taxi drive for the 3 days we were in Cairo. On our first day we visited the Egyptian Museum, had a night tour of the city and took a romantic dinner boat cruise with show down the Nile River. :)
The Egyptian Museum was nice to visit, but Javi and I didn't find it as interesting as everyone else. We did however see some animal mummies and King Tut's treasures.
At the entrance of the Egyptian Museum.
This was the boat Andrea, our river cruise.
As part of the dinner cruise there was a show including a belly dancer, a male dancer, and musicians.

Javi and I at our table after enjoying a delicious buffet dinner.
A view of the boat's dock from the boat itself.
Here we are on the top, outdoor level of the boat.
I just loved our hostel's old-fashioned elevator!

Nov 4
On our second day in Cairo we started off the day going to the pyramids in Giza, then we visited Coptic Cairo, went into the oldest Mosque in Egypt, visited the Citadel and finished with a beautiful evening at Al-Azhar park.
The Sphinx in Giza :)
A view of 5 of the 9 pyramids in giza.
Javi's camel enjoying some greens.

Javi and I posing on our camels (the guide's idea).The camel ride lasted one hour and was so much fun. We were a bit sore afterward, so we decided to walk around the pyramids and the Sphinx for an hour to stretch our legs. :)
The camels enjoying their meal while our guide took several pictures of us (trust me I have many more saved on my computer).
Javi and I in front of the pyramids of Giza.
A view of the tallest pyramid from below.

St. George's Basilica in Coptic Cairo. It is the Christian neighborhood of Cairo (where there is also a synagogue) which is the only place you'll find a church. When we visited it, there were barricades and armed policemen blocking the entrance due to the protest from a few weeks ago. We were safe the whole time in Cairo.Javi in front of the Hanging Church of Mary.
Inside the Hanging Church of Mary.

The citadel of Cairo
The citadel's mosque, which I didn't enter because I didn't have a scarf, but Javi took pictures of it for me. :)
Javi and I at the top of the citadel with a view of Cairo. It is crazy how polluted the city is.
This is the oldest mosque in Cairo and possibly in Africa. It is still used by Muslims and they have a strict dress policy for women.
Most mosques we entered I just needed to wear a veil, but this one asked me to wear the gown. Javi thought it was so hilarious he took a picture.
The center of the mosque. I really like the ottoman details.
We spent the last hour and a half of our eveing at al-Azhar park which was absolutely beautiful and the perfect place to escape from the city. You could breath so clearly here.
The beautiful restaurant in al-azhar park.
Nov 5
Last day in Cairo. We visited the cemetery of Sultan Hassan, a few more mosques and the Khalili soque. We were back in Alexandria by night time.
Mosque Ibn Tulun is no longer used by Muslims, but was very cool to visit. I thought it was very beautiful.
Inside Ibn Tulun
A side view of Ibn Tulun.
Javi and me inside another mosque in Khaili market. I really like the marble.
Sultan Hassan's catacomb

Our last night together in Alexandria, we had dinner at a great restaurant situated on the Mediterranean Sea. It was a great trip, I was able to see so many things and I had a lot of fun.
Besos!