Egypt (2 of 2)

Up early in the morning and had a wonderful breakfast. The hotel was pretty nice, even the internet was not working--but we were only there for about 10 hours total.

Over from Giza to Old Cairo, where we saw the oldest Christian church in Africa, and the oldest Synagogue in Egypt. Both still functioning. Both very near the site where Moses was found in the basket in the bullrushes. A very interesting openminded discussion between the Jewish and Catholic people on the tour and our Islamic guide about the many similarities and points of difference between the 3 faiths.

Then to the Museum of Antiquities. An older but magnificent building with 2 floors just crammed with exibits and artifacts. They desperately need a new building--the current one is overcrowded and old--and one is under construction. Once the new one is done, they are hopeful that England will give back the Rosetta Stone and France the Head of Nefertiti. The gold jewellery, the stone carvings, the items of daily life, and so on--just amazing. (No, we did not see the Hollywood depiction of a mummy!)

Then, another buffet lunch beside the Nile and the 3 hour trip back to Alexandria. We stopped in front of the brand new Library of Alexandria--already the largest in Africa--and just across the harbour from where the Lighthouse of Alexandria stood.

Back to the ship through the downtown of Alexandria--a mix of old and new. At that point, just about everyone on our tour was exhausted from the information and sensory overload, so we mostly all missed the sailaway.

The above words don't do justice to what we experienced. The ancient is magnificent, the current, not so much. All wonderful and different and we're both very glad we have been able to see it.