Hello again, Blogonauts!

These blog entries became sparser from Luxor primarily because the internet service there, amidst the tombs of the Pharaohs, itself became mummified. So now that I'm in Alexandria, here’s a brief and presumably accurate update.

Our last day in Luxor was rather low key. Before heading out to buy some souvenirs, I visited the Luxor Museum, which contains a few items extracted from King Tutankhamen’s tomb, found just across the Nile, plus some spectacular Ancient Egyptian statues that have been unearthed in and around the Luxor region. (Unfortunately, a guard prevented me from taking photos of them to share with you.) Also included in the museum are two royal mummies, one of which is thought to be the remains of King Ramses III.

As Tuesday drew to a close, we trundled our luggage to the train station to take the Sleeping Train for the eleven-hour trip back to Cairo. Surprisingly, the train cabin was a rare treat. The berth was quite modern, spacious, and extremely well designed. Outdoors it was too dark to observe the scenery, so we played Scrabble on my iPhone until fatigue urged us to sleep.

Unfortunately, sometimes such urges are not enough. The bunks were comfortable but several times per minute the train jerked or bounced. Neither of us felt really well-rested. Nonetheless, for $60/person, which covers transport, meals, and a night’s rest, this was one of the bargains of the trip.

Once in Cairo, we faced a two-hour layover before our train for Alexandria departed. A young Egyptian gentleman from the Sleeping Train helped us find our way to the Alexandria ticket window and then joined us to pass the time chatting in a cafe. At one point, I glanced down at my luggage and atop one bag lay a young cat (see photo).

As I have said, cats are ubiquitous in Egypt, and there seems to be little effort to control the population. This little one was friendly, and just wanted a soft spot to rest a bit. Thirty minutes later, she had moved on.

Alexandria was a short 2½-hour ride through the now-sunlit farmland of the Nile’s delta. Yet I don’t recall seeing a single tractor. All the farm work was done by hand, and any larger tools were pulled by oxen, horses, or donkeys. Fortunately, irrigation is easy because the water here flows plentifully from canals that are fed by the fingers of the Nile.

Alexandria turns out to be a more prosperous and cosmopolitan city than were either Cairo or Luxor. Its prominence as a Mediterranean port, its multi-tiered history (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Coptic Christian, Muslim, Napoleonic, British, and back to Muslim), and its greater religious diversity have left Alexandria's identity in many different camps. Toby and I wandered through the streets to Fort Qaitbey, the ancient citadel that helped guard the harbor during the Crusades. Parts of its fortifications once were a part of the Pharos, the 120 foot-tall lighthouse that once ships of Alexandria’s rocky shore until an earthquake toppled it during the 14th Century..

We walked back through a modern shopping district that stayed active until we each found our ways to bed around 11 PM. With midday so hot, activity waits until sunset to light its own spark.

More later, if I have time before my flights back home begin.