The Citadel
At the far left of Alexandria's corniche sits a fortress, called the Citadel that was built by Sultain Quaitbay around 1477. The massive walls of this austere building stand as strong as they once did, and we imagine that - with its cannons pointed towards the sea, it made for quite a deterrent for potential enemies thinking about coming into Alexandria's port.
According to the histories told about the Citadel, it was built using some of the blocks remaining after the legendary Alexandria lighthouse crumbled because of a severe earthquake that devastated most of the region.

On the way there we walked by the coast, taking in the scenery. We saw fishermen mending their fishing nets...and workers busily repairing boats. We also walked by busy beaches were families sat under umbrellas enjoying the breezy seaside air - and we were not all to surprised to see that the women wore the same exact outfits they wear on the street...with many covered head to toe in black, including black gloves.

The Citadel itself was crowded with tourists...most of which were Middle Eastern. Here, one of the guards took for a "private" tour...and for that we gave him some "bakshish" (or tip). This was our first of what would become routine encounters with people offering their services and then unceremoniously expecting a tip in return. This is simply the way things are done here...so we played along.

Montaza Farouk
Later in the day we went to lunch at Mohammed Ahmed..where we enjoyed a great meal of Felafels, Hummus and Tahini. After which we headed to Montaza Farouk...which is a palace that was built by and for King Farouk...and now is used to house visiting heads of state when they happen to be in Egypt. The building sits in the middle of a large park by the seaside...way on the right hand side of Alexandria's corniche. We walked the grounds...let the breeze cool us down a bit...then we headed for our next adventure.

Colorful Fabric
Along several of our excursions I noticed a colorful fabric being used for a variety of purposes...from covering construction sites...to temporary tents for religious prayer or celebrations. The fabric features geometric patterns with very distinctively Arabic designs...and they use bright primary colors.
Determined to bring some of it home, we explained to our taxi driver what we wanted...and he obliged us by taking us to a place where we could purchase some of it from his "friend". We bought a piece that is about 5ftX10ft. The front is a silk-like material...and the back is heavy ticking fabric...making it a rather bulky souvenir - but, hey...that's not that unusual for me to buy something that is somewhat difficult to bring back! (My guess is that we'll have to ship it from Cairo). I still don't know what to do with it once I get it back..but it might make for a spectacular tablecloth for a big Middle Eastern styled feast.