"Alexandria in brief" a Alexandria Travel Page by uglyscot

This area of Alexandria has some of the old hotels like The Cecil and The Metropole. Nearby is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and in the centre of the Saad Zaghlul Square is the statue of Saad Zaghloul himself, as if he has turned his back on Egypt and walking off into the Mediterranean heading to ally himself with Europe.
Restaurants and cafe also abound here.

Alexandria is a great city for walking in. It is possible to wander along the corniche and watch fisherman with their nets in the morning, taking out the small fish that they have caught.
Wandering around Alexandria you can come across unusual buildings. The picture shows what was once a hotel "Gordon Hotel", but is now just an example of some of the finds that can be seen.

The wall of the Alexandria Library has examples from many alphabets in the world.The library itself is very large with all the latest technology. A first time visitor is well advised to take one of the introductory tours which are conducted in many different languages.
It was contructed by a Norwegian company I think. It is a fantastic building, but can never really replace the irreplaceable scrolls and books that once formed the first Alexandria Library.
And to me it just doesn't blend with the surroundings.

I made a small project to collect pictures of lion statues for a Leo friend's birthday. The variety in Alexandria was great. For more see general Tips.
The colour, type of rock as well as the different positions of the lions made it a most interesting project.Some were found in museums, in parks and gardens, or tucked away in hidden places.

The western end of the bay . Rocks are battered by the waves. It is a pleasant way to watch the sea.

Although the Montazah Gardens and Palace look so attractive, you may come across a forgotten corner , like this rubbish bin and a big bird sitting on a wall, where you realise that even beauty can have its defects.
On a later visit what was supposed to be a children's playground. The equipment had been vandalised or allowed to decay. A group of handicapped youngsters had been taken there for a treat, but to me it was heartbreaking to see the slides with gaping holes in the middle where children could get hurt.

We came across all sorts of strange little buildings when we explored the Montazah gardens, wandering away from the normal paths. Here there were no flower beds or landscaped slopes with paths and roundabouts, but bare headland overlooking the sea, with little hideaways, perhaps for the king's romantic trysts.

After a busy day sightseeing, and ending up at the Catacombs, some of us had to wait till our guide, driver and a second , self-appointed , guide who'd attached himself to us, caught up with us. We daringly entered a cafe opposite the Catacombs and asked if we could have mint tea and coffee. The proprietor looked at the three foreign ladies for a moment and nodded. We saw he had male customers inside, so we sat at a table on the pavement and sipped our tea or coffee until the others arrived. They soon came and ordered too. In typical Arab hospitality, the intruder into the group insisted on paying for all of us- mind you he did get a lift back into town!