Road Trip - A Day (and Night) in Alexandria

After our visit to the Catacombs, it was time for lunch.  There are a plethora of seafood restaurants in this Mediterranean city, some "touristy" and quite a few that are local spots.  We had eaten at Abou Ashraf (since 1938) a couple of times before and wanted to try something different.  We headed for Kadoura (since 1950.)  Kadoura has two locations, a newer one out on the Corniche and the original, a couple of blocks inland.



This is where you choose your fish before you order.  We were looking for shrimp/prawns but guide Roshdy was interested in the fish.  He picked out two different varieties.



The shrimp/prawns are just not up to the standards of the southern U.S. Gulf Coast.  We have become spoiled by those and probably won't try to duplicate the experience here again.

But Roshdy's fish!  Oh, those are delightful.  Highly recommended if you are in the vicinity.


One of the reasons that we had come to Alexandria rather than just head up to el Alamein, was to spend a night at the Cecil Hotel.  This well known spot on Saad Zagloul Square facing the corniche was reportedly a favorite of Agatha Christie, Somerset Maugham and others of fame and infamy during the 1930s and '40s.  We had visited the bar on a previous trip and decided that we needed to make it a destination someday. That day had come.


We were booked into a room overlooking the square and the Corniche on a brilliantly clear afternoon.


Part of the enduring charm of the place is the steel-cage elevators, polished to perfection by the staff.


We headed out for a walk on the Corniche.  This is probably the only place in Egypt where you can walk for miles uninhibited by the constant onslaught of vehicles.  The scenery and people-watching is unmatched.








Taxis here are yellow and black.  Buses are almost all micro and come in red as well as white.  Mass transit  is widely used in this country and practiced to perfection in this practical form.