Today we were able to see Alexandria, Egypt’s second largest city.  The drive to Alexandria is about two and a half hours.  From what I saw today, the drive was certainly worth it.

Set on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, Alexandria appears more European than Arab.  For instance, the apartment buildings look like they are on the side of a southern Italian street.  In addition, the harbors filled with small wooden fishing boats appear as though they are set off the Greek rather than the Egyptian coast.  Going along with this maritime and Mediterranean theme, my group and I ate at an excellent seafood restaurant.  Filled with many varieties of fish and shellfish, my meal was one of the best that I have since being in the Middle East.

After lunch, we went to hang out on the coast of Alexandria for the rest of the day on the grounds of the Baron Palace.  Even though it was November, the water was plenty warm to swim in.  The water was definitely comparable to Atlantic water with the notable exception of there being no seaweed.  I also thought it was cool to be swimming off the coast of an Arab country as it really showed me how it close the Arab the world is in proximity to Europe.  In addition to this, I also reflected on the bizarreness how these two lands separated not by an ocean, but rather by a sea, have developed such different cultures.

After getting out of the water and drying off, the sun began to set and I went off to a wharf that was about 15 minutes away.  It was here that I got the best sights of my week in Egypt.  The sunset, the Mediterranean, and waves crashing against the breakers were simply mesmerizing.  Maybe it was the swim in the Mediterranean or the amazing sunset, but for some reason I left Alexandria with a great feeling.