Taking advantage of a long weekend and a delayed start to the school year (some things maybe never will change in Egypt-land...) 5 of us headed on a day trip to Alexandria last Saturday. Alex is Egypt's second largest city, and a main hub for Mediterranean sea traffic.
Of course part of the excitement and fun of getting there was choosing a method of transportation and then successfully navigating it. We choose train. I had not yet chosen train as my preferred method of transit, and so was curious to see how/if it would work.
This is no European train. First class is really the only option for foreigners, and as we walked past the economy class, I understood why. First class Egypt = economy class most other places.
No tickets for sale for the train you want? No problem. Just get on the train. And wait a long time for a seat. My French-trained (punny, I know) brain tells me to expect a huge fine for getting on a train without a ticket. My Egypt brain tells me that this would make 100% sense. Just pay when you're on the train, of course.
This is Anjuli standing for almost all of the 3 hour ride. I was given a box to sit on by the kind attendant. We took turns sitting on the box and tipped him well upon arriving.
Alexandria is well known for its fresh sea food, and although I'm not normally a huge fan, this was delicious!
The bay was incredible, and the boats were huge. We strolled the coast with the rest of Egypt, because it was a major holiday.
I will have to return sometime this year, because this beautiful library was unfortunately closed.
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