Alexandria, Egypt

Alexandria, Egypt, Wednesday, April 25 the day dawned bright and crisp as we entered the harbor and remained a cool day with the high temperature of approximately 80 degrees.

Alexandria was founded around a small pharaonic town circa 331 BC by Alexander the Great, although he never lived in Alexandria, his body was brought back there for burial.  It remained Egypt’s capital for nearly a thousand years, until the Muslim conquest of Egypt in AD 641.  Alexandria was known because of its Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, its library and the Catacombs.  The city is also the gateway to the last existing Wonders of the Ancient World – the Pyramids of Giza.

Most passengers departed the ship shortly after docking for the 3 ½ hour drive to Cairo and the iconic Great Pyramids.    Some tours took in the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities and a delicious luncheon on a Nile River Cruise.  Those choosing to stay in Alexandria had their choice of the Library, visiting medieval Fort Qaitbey built on the ruins of the Pharos lighthouse, or touring the roman Amphitheater.  Dating back to the 1^st century AD, some people toured the Roman Catacombs, the ancient burial grounds 115 deep in solid rock.  Or a nice walk along the Corniche provided views of the blue Mediterranean, street markets, a plethora of mosques and local people.

All told, Alexandria provided a stark contrast between the “modern” day living and the “old” city.

The next two days we will be at sea enroute to Dubrovnik, Croatia. 

 

 

Suez Canal, Egypt

Tuesday, April 24, a fascinating day transiting the extraordinary Suez Canal.  The canal in Egypt is man-made and connects the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.

Work began in 1858 and construction concluded approximately ten years later.  The “Highway to India” as it is sometimes called is a little over 120 miles long, 79 feet deep and 673 feet wide.  Three transits of ships are made through the canal each day, one northbound and two southbound, going only one-way at a time.  The cost for each ship averages $250,000 and approximately 50 ships a day transit the canal or over 17,000 ships each year.

Throughout this passage through the Suez Canal we observed large amounts of military and ongoing construction of what is generally referred to as River Crossing emplacements.  Pontoons and bridge equipment were everywhere.  Also, military guards were located throughout the canal, especially around crossing points.  We did observe large convoys moving tanks and armored vehicles to the East.  Of particular note were the surface to air missiles shown in a photo here above a bunker and the large amount of anti-aircraft guns.

There were large areas of lush farm land on the West side of the canal.  Fresh water to irrigate these farms was brought there through a series of smaller canals.

The Canal was closed between the two Arab-Israel wars of 1967 and 1973.  The channel was blocked by mines, trapped ships, and artillery fire.  Henry Kissinger and the United States worked out a truce that cleared and re-opened the Canal.

The Suez Canal continues to be one of the busiest shipping routes on the globe, and a marvel of modern engineering.

Tomorrow we arrive in the port of Alexandria, Egypt.