Alex

I needed a trip out of Cairo so bad, and I finally made it to Alexandria yesterday. I had the most relaxing weekend I've had since landing in Egypt. It all started off with a party thursday night at the American embassy, hosted by the marines. An abundance of Coors and Bud made me feel like I was back at UNC. I went with some friends I've met through my roommates and at work. When they kicked us all out at 1am, we continued on to the rooftop club at the Nile Hilton, and had a blast. A quick stop home to get some sleep....back up at 8am...and off to Alex with Ma'andi, Omar, and Karim (all awesome @ers here in Cairo). It's about a two hour ride on the desert road between the cities. Alex is on the Mediterranean, so it was cooler, windier, and pleasantly humid--not like Cairo where it's so hot and dry you feel like you're breathing dust.

We hit two popular sites right away: the citadel (built sometime in the 15th century), and the library. Alex is historically famous for its ancient library, and the modern library (built in the last couple of years) is an architectural w0nder. It is in the shape of a disc, rising from the ground to represent the sun rising from the horizon, and metaphorically, light and knowledge spreading to the world. Inside it is sleek and modern and beautiful. It is built to house 8 million books, and can seat 2,000 people in the reading area. It was by far my favorite building I've seen in Egypt.

The citadel was equally fascinating. It's built on a point just out in front of the harbor, and was established to protect the city under the Marmluks. It's basically a castle with a wall around it, and a mosque nestled inside. Very spartan, but interesting nonetheless--it has all kinds of winding passages and neat look-out windows.

For lunch we had beef liver, which I'm actually starting to enjoy a lot...it's tasty. Then we met up with Maddie and AUC crew who were there for a weekend trip as well. They had their own private beach at the hotel they were staying at (which was way nice), and although I forgot my bathing suit and couldn't swim, I did get a chance to at least touch the Mediterranean water. We had dinner at an awesome seafood place. The shrimp was the biggest and best I've ever had, but the crab was missing something...probably the Chesapeake and some Old Bay. We hit the road back home and got in late to Cairo. I caught up with Harry and Salman, who I hadn't seen all weekend, and then went to bed, exhausted.

Today we got up and went to a friend's house for brunch--chocolate chip pancakes and french toast! Just got back home for a bit of rest, and I'm waiting for all my east coast people to wake up so I can skype them. Later I'm going to brave the barber shop for a haircut (my second since I've been here). My first experience at the barber was a bit of a culture shock because they were so accommodating and gave me the full treatment. I was shampooed and conditions before and after the cut, I was pampered with a trimming of my nose and ear hair, a cold face wash, some very nice face lotion, a quick neck and shoulder massage, and a brutal cracking of my neck. You can't beat that for 25 pounds. It's like going to a spa (I've never been to a spa, but I imagine it's similar).

So those are all the updates for now. Work is just the same old stuff, so I will write next time something exciting happens.